We Now Have a Kitchen Aid Mixer!

After many years of consideration, I finally broke down and bought a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer! I've wanted one for a while but my main hesitation was the size. These appliances - as wonderful as they may be - take up a lot of room, especially since our kitchen already has so many gadgets and gizmos and isn't very large on counter space. I knew I always wanted one but would rather have saved it for our next house, which I'm hoping will have a bigger kitchen.

We ended up getting the Professional 600 series, just because it can hold a little more. If this gadget will last me a lifetime, I want to make sure we have room to grow with it. I can't wait to see all the fun concoctions I'm going to bake with this baby! :)

Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Today would have been Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday. Back in 5th grade I became a fan of her famous TV show, "I Love Lucy." Every night, I'd religiously tune into Nick-at-Nite to watch "I Dream of Jeannie" at 8pm and then Lucy at 9. (Depending on the episode -- and which actor was playing Darren -- sometimes I'd watch "Bewitched" in between.) Block Party Summer was the best because it would be hours of "I Love Lucy" for Lucy Tuesdays and I'd be able to catch up on my favorite episodes during this weekly marathon that lasted the entire summer.

Like millions of Americans, I fell in love with Lucy. Her antics kept me and my friend, Michele, entertained for hours as kids. Nowadays I can't help but still watch at least a few minutes if I catch it on TV. Thanks for the laughs and the wonderful memories, Lucy. Happy Birthday!

Age is Relative...?

Today I found out a page on WebMD.com with information on how to calculate your dog's age. Since I'm a) not good at math and b) never know the accurate multiplication rate to figure out dog years, this was perfect. While it's sad to see that Buster is in his mid-40s, it's actually not as old as I originally thought. Considering how much he's slowed down so much this last year, I would have guessed mid-50s. I guess I can just say that he's a "mature" puppy!

When I mentioned this to Rob, I actually had to question how old we'll be. I comprehend that we're 28, but I cannot believe for the life of me that we're going to be 29 in six months. That means in 18 months we'll be the big 3-0. Eeekkkkk!! I guess it's good that I still feel like I'm in my early-mid 20s most days (the other days are when I'm exhausted from work). However, it's still hard to think I'll be 29 and my life really hasn't changed that much since my last milestone birthday, 25, which was right after we got married.

I think if I can shoot for one positive, major life changing moment every 5 years or so, it will at least make me feel like I accomplished something. Who knows what I'll be able to accomplish in the next 18 months, but as long as it's something positive I don't think I'll really mind. After all, isn't age just relative?

I'm a Sponsor!

Today my cousin Samantha asked that I be her sponsor for confirmation. I was so touched that she asked me and am very excited to be by her side as she makes this next step in the church.

I remember when I received confirmation and asked my sponsor, Donna. Since then, I was a sponsor to a good friend in high school, Danielle, and to my sister, Rosie. It's crazy how fast time goes by and I'm sure this next year will go extremely fast as I help my very sweet cousin prepare for this special day.

Quick Chek Hot Air Balloon Fest

Rob mentioned that he wanted to do something different this weekend instead of relax - much to my dismay since it was a perfect pool weekend. When he saw the Quick Chek Balloon Festival was going on he jumped at he chance and away we went.

It took about 45 minutes to get there from our house and cost $30 per person to get in. If you were aggressive you could prob get your money back in free stuff with all the vendors, but it wasn't worth the aggrevation of dealing with the long lines. So we wandered around, tried out a few things and then eagerly waited for the launch of the balloons. Over 125 went up in the air and it was quite the site to see!

Later that evening the Bare Naked Ladies played in concert, accompanied by a hot air balloon light show, which was pretty cool.

Of course, wherever you go with Rob ends up being fun!

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A Day with Habitat for Humanity

On Saturday Rob and I helped build a row of townhouses with some people from my office for Habitat for Humanity. This was our first time helping the organization and it was definitely a learning experience. I was expecting to do some painting or smaller projects but we literally put up walls, installed flooring and carried sheets of wood that weighed more than me. When I was a kid I helped my dad build stuff but I was more excited about wearing the workbelt. Now I know some terms for contractors that had an entirely different meaning before:

Term: 8 and 10 nails
Before: Really long nails.. time for a manicure  
After: There's a size difference for the nail, but there's also different things you do with them. 9 times out of 10 we used the 8s.

Term: Brace                        
Before: Something to help support an achy joint. If they said braces, it meant the stuff an orthodontist puts to help straighten your teeth
After: Small support structures that are used when connecting walls. You have to use an 8 nail. Small piece of wood, small nail. If you use a 10, you'll split the wood.

Term: TGI
Before: Abbreviation for Thank God It's...Friday
After: Wood boards that look like makeshift gutters that help support planks of wood. In this case, we used them to help support the sheets of wood that were for the second level of the house

Term: Toenail
Before: The nail on your toe (duh)
After: To support a plank of wood to another, you put nails in on the angle. You have to use an 8 nail.

Term: Sawall
Before: If you saw it, you'd think it was an electric slicer for Thankgiving or something
After: It's a saw that can saw all types of wood.

There were several other terms that got tossed around but it was definitely cool to learn how to build a house. We had a great time working with some of the people on the site. I definitely lucked out because my group was more fun than Rob's team who was doing flooring. That team seemed to forget we were people volunteering and didn't know how to build a house. Either way it'll be cool to go back one day and say we helped build that.

Sunday Dinners

During the week our schedules are crazy, especially since Rob has so many work related events that run late. By the time we get home from work, walk Buster, exercise and make dinner, it's late and we're both tired. Come the weekend on Fridays Rob passes out from exhaustion while I do my laundry and cleaning and Saturdays/Sundays we have events to go to or run around for errands.

So for the last several weekends Rob and I have made a tradition to enjoy a family dinner together at home on Sunday nights. To change it up this Sunday we ate in the dining room. Maybe it was the different atmosphere or the delicious chicken marsala, salad (with fresh veggies from our garden), and yummy side dishes but we really had a great time talking and enjoying relaxing time together before another crazy week begins.

Hopefully we can keep up this tradition because it's something I think we've both come to really enjoy.