Busy Bee...

What a month May has been! I knew it would be crazy busy but I think it even took me off gaurd. What did we do this month?

1. We went to Arkansas for a weekend to see Mike's little brother graduate. We had a beautiful lakehouse in Buena Vista, Arkansas and it was wonderful. We visited him earlier this year and went to a football game. Those hog fans are crazy!

2. The following weekend, Mike was second-shooting his first wedding in Columbia, and I was spending the day with great friends celebrating a wonderful occasion. We were supposed to all participate in Bark in the Park but it was pouring all morning so Mia and I didn't go. Instead, I went straight to Forest Park. Our great friends, Kate and Peter were getting engaged, in the rain, and we were waiting with a huge BBQ to celebrate. The rain didn't damper the mood or the day...it was such a happy celebration and no one minded getting soaked. Here are a couple of my pictures from the day.Me and Kate right after the engagement in the rain!Under tarp enjoying the party!All of my friends with the happy couple! It really was amazing because some friends come in town from New York, Chicago, and Florida just to celebrate with Kate and Peter. They are special people, I tell you!We ended the all-day celebration at Tom's Bar and Grill with some karaoke. Mike even joined us and drove straight from the wedding in Columbia. Congrats Kate and Peter. We really couldn't be happier for you two. LOVE YOU!

3. I "graduated" the next day. I didn't actually walk but I celebrated with a lot of family members with a BBQ at my parents house. It was perfect and I am so glad to be done!
4. I had a couple of crazy weeks finishing report cards and the school year. The last day of school was MY BIRTHDAY! Seriously, what a great way to celebrate a birthday. This year, marked my 27th year of life. I'm not going to lie. 27 actually felt different to me. No longer the mid-20s but now the late 20s. I can't really explain it but I think I finally understood why adults don't necessarily look forward to birthdays. Getting older is a part of life and blablabla, I just couldn't help feeling a little different about this one. But don't worry, that didn't mean I wasn't going to celebrate. Wednesdays are home to $5 buckets at the Bar Louie across the street so we were there! Not sure why the pictures are blurry but where are a couple with my friends and mom and my hunny.5. Since my birthday on the 26th, I have been eating, and eating, and eating. Seriously, it is gross. We have eaten every meal out since last Sunday! I guess that is what happens during your birthday week, huh!? Yesterday, we took a break from the eating to run a 5k in Forest Park. Man, it was hard...and uphill...and HOT! It wasn't our best run but we are alive. We are going to run Beca's Five in a few weeks so you should sign up too! It is a great cause and benefit's Beca and her fight for her life against melanoma.

6. Now that it is summer, I get to look forward to going HERE!May was a fantastic month! A month of happy endings, new beginnings, and wonderful life transitions and accomplishments.

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We are famous...kind of...

About 6 months ago, an editor from The Knot contacted us to let us know that our wedding would be featured in the summer edition of their regional St. Louis and Kansas City magazine. On Wednesday, I got home to find a package from The Knot with 3 magazines. So cool!The little feature actually doesn't talk about our wedding at all. It just mentions how we met and how we were engaged, which I think is pretty special.

This weekend, I am locking myself at home and finishing report cards. Only 3 1/2 days of school left!!!

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Still running!

I'm not going to lie...after the Go! Run, I didn't run for about 3 weeks. Nothing. It felt great but I started missing it (crazy, huh?). This week, I started again and I have gone running 3 times. Only 2 miles each time but hey, I've got to ease back into this thing! To stay up the running, I need some races to keep me motivated. On May 30th, Mike and I are going to run in the 1st Annual 5K Memorial Run benefiting Backstoppers. This race is in Forest Park and I am very excited. Backstoppers is a great organization that supports police officers, firefighters, and their families.

I am SO upset that we won't be in town for the Komen Race for the Cure. My mom is a breast cancer survivor and we have walked in ALL 10 RACES. I can't believe I am going to miss this one. Every year, I talk to my mom and sister about how badly I would love to run the 5K. Now that I am actually physically able to run, I can't attend. Next year.

On June 19th, we will be running Beca's Five. Beca is the girlfriend of my friend, Kevin's, brother. (Kevin is married to Tess and I was in their wedding last August.) Beca is so full love and life and has been battling stage four melanoma for the last year and a half. She is a beautiful woman and I am honored to run in support of her.

Finally, I can't believe I am going to commit to this on my blog, but I am going to train for the Louis and Clark Half Marathon in October. Holy crap...I said it.

Let me know if you are going to do any of those runs! I'd love to see some of you out there!

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Pisa or Siena

We are going to Italy soon and still need to make a big decision. We are going to take a day trip from Florence. Do we go to Pisa...or Siena? (pictures from Flickrstorm)Pisa- Obviously, we would go just to see the tower. I feel like, how could we go to Italy and NOT see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then I hear that the city of Pisa is pretty small and boring. A lot of pick-pockets and people trying to sell cheap purses and such. I hear that you see the tower, walk around a bit, and then go home. Is it worth the train ticket and ride out there?

OR

Siena- In the middle of Tuscany wine country. The town has museums, churches, great restaurants, etc.

It seems like a no-brainer to me and I am leaning toward Siena. However, I feel like missing the Tower is just something that you don't do if you are spending 15 days in Italy. Hummmm....

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White Chicken Chili

I was home today for a personal day, didn't feel like grocery shopping, but wanted something yummy for dinner. I looked into the pantry to see what cans of vegetables I had and figured that I could try to make white chicken chili. I had never made it before, just threw some ingredients into the crockpot, and it turned out great! (This isn't my picture, but this is pretty close to how it looked.)Here is what I used:
-1 can of northern beans (they are white)
-1 can of white, shoepeg corn
-1 can of chicken broth
-1 can of cream of celery soup (it was supposed to be cream of chicken but I didn't have it)
-1 can of rotel (it was supposed to be tomatoes and onions)
-3 frozen chicken breasts
-chili powder, garlic powder, minced onions, oregano, and cumin

It was SO good! And I think it probably isn't too unhealthy...just the cream of celery soup is bad. I will definitely be making this again!

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Baby Mia pictures

This past weekend, Mike found an email from over a year ago before we got Mia. )By blogging the pictures, I know that I won't lose them!) She was so cute and it really amazes me how she looks so much the same. Here is Mia at about 5 weeks old...
I think Mia looks just like her mama, Dixie...Here is big papa, Traveler...Lately, I've been thinking a lot about getting Mia another little sister. I would love to adopt from St. Louis Boxer Rescue. We will just need to be patient for the right dog at the right time. We aren't ready yet but it is definitely something we are talking about. Until then, I just keep searching the internet for boxers that are up for adoption.

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Guess who's done with school?

I AM! I AM! Well...at least for now. I have been totally M.I.A. lately. I can't believe we are almost halfway through the month of May and this is my first time blogging this month. As you probably guessed, things have been a little crazy around here. Mike has been shooting every weekend (if you haven't check out his new stuff lately, you should visit his blog) and I was focused on finishing up school.

Last Wednesday was my last class. I can't say I am an official graduate yet because graduation isn't until next Saturday. I decided that I am not going to walk though. I went back and forth and finally decided that I didn't want to put my family through a boring graduation ceremony. My 2 friends that are also graduating weren't walking and I realized that it just wasn't that important to me. Instead, I decided that I would rather spend the time with my family so we are going to have a BBQ instead :) Oh, and someone asked what my Master's degree is...it is Masters in Educational Administration meaning that I can be a principal once I take my certification test.

So, that is where I have been. Now, I am focusing on finishing up the last couple weeks of school. Getting so excited for our trips this summer but I still have so much to do before we leave.

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One Year Ago....

I became a mama to this beautiful puppy. (This picture was in the car on the way home from Arkansas.) Looking back at the pictures of that weekend just make me smile. She has grown so much and is such a good girl. We love her more than I could have ever imagined. I can't believe my little girl was so small.LOVE YOU MIA!

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