Announcement!

Don't get too excited, I'm not pregnant or anything.

Or engaged.

But, I'm still SO, SO, SO, SO, SOOOOOOO excited to make this announcement!

The news: I am officially moving to Cedar Falls. Yup, I'm moving in with a boyfriend for the first time in my life.

I am also checking off another resolution from my 2013 list. Pretty. Dang. Exciting.

Not everything about this move is good, though. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am the biggest homebody there is and I've grown quite used to seeing my parents day in and day out. I've also grown used to the bare minimal housework I've been doing for the last 27 months (thanks, mom!).

Also, I just remembered there is a freaking DOG in the house I am moving into. Kill me now. I hate dogs. Especially this one.

Anyway, that's it people! Starting August 9th, I will officially be a resident of Cedar Falls (again)!

Weekends Galore

I've failed to document several of my latest weekend adventures, so I fully anticipate this post to be a long, unorganized, post full of too many pictures and faint recollections. So bear with me.

WEEKEND 1
June 21: Baby Day
My sister and I had a baby day adventure! We started the day at Brookside Park where we ate a picnic lunch, played on the play grounds, climbed on the firetruck, dug in the sand, and splashed in puddles.

I can hardly stand how cute this is. He is going to be a heart-breaker someday.

Abby and Baby Quinn!

Afterwards, we surprised the babies and headed to the pool. As soon as we pulled in, Kennedy said in her cute, concerned voice, "but we don't have our swimming suits!" ...and when she learned her mama had secretly packed suits and pool toys for her and her baby brother, she couldn't contain her excitement.

Just look at that cute little bottom!

I took this video about five minutes later...

Later that night the babies asked if we could visit their great grandma (they love her so much!). She was so happy (obviously!) to answer the door and see two cute little ones staring up at her through the glass! After visiting with grandma, we snuggled up with popcorn and Stuart Little. What a perfect day.

June 22: Cedar Falls
After dropping off the babies at their mama and papa's house, I headed up to Cedar Falls for the day. A few days earlier, Trent had five trees cut down in his yard. Five HUGE trees. And, of course, he made sure to wait till I was there before disposing of all of those trees. So, guess who got to help? This red-haired girl. It was a long, tiring, and extremely hot day, but, I have to say, it did me good; living with my rents means I do zero yard work. And, holy crap, I was so appreciative of my parents after that day. ALSO, I stole several slices of tree for some fire wood for the 4th of July. So, for the next week, my car looked like this:

After our miserably hot day, Trent and I headed out for a date. Trent is so cute. He absolutely loves taking me out on dates. He's like a little giddy school girl each time we go out. I swear, he actually likes waiting for me to get ready. It's always the same...he'll be sitting in his chair, legs on his ottoman, beverage in hand, sports on the tele, and I'll come out in whatever disheveled outfit I happened to pull out of my suitcase (I am a terrible packer), and say, "ready?" and up he jumps, all giddy like, and ready in a second. He'll give me some sort of compliment, I'll brush it off like it's nothing (but inside I'm blushing), and out the door we'll go. Then, once we finally decide on a place to eat (he always makes me pick), he'll ask me ten thousand times if I'm sure that's the appetizer I want and if I'm sure I don't want another one. I love him.

Anyway, this night we went to Tony's--a cute, modernish looking pizzeria. I pick this restaurant, every time, for their calamari (even though it requires several strong shakes of salt). Then, my dear friend, Christy, and her fiance, Marcus, joined us for a drink. Afterwards, we had a quick drink or two at Toads and called it an early night.

WEEKEND 2
June 26-28: Sturgis Falls
This weekend is always one of my summertime favorites. If you're from central Iowa, "Sturgis Falls" is the equivalent of "Colo Fun Days" or "Lincoln Highway Days," but in all honesty, there are few close comparisons to be made. Sturgis Falls is a thousand times bigger and a million times better. Sorry, Colo, but you're dinky beer garden and little kid blow-up-bouncy-thing just doesn't do much for this girl. But STURGIS? I feel like the angels sing when I say that word.

Natalie and I headed to Cedar Falls on Friday afternoon. Once there, we tried and re-tried on seventeen outfits, made a pit-stop at a local martini bar with Marcus and Christy, then headed to the beer garden. My favorite part of the night, for sure, was when Lauren and I started a line dance (traveling four corners--aka, the circle dance) in the crowd; whilst weaving/dancing in and out of people, we accumulated about ten other fellow dancers. We all loved it. And of course, so did our audience ;)

The cute, almost newly weds, Marcus and Christy

Christy, Lauren, Me, and Nat

Me and an old Carlos regular, Troy; I ran into him and his wife, Lisa, every day of Sturgis weekend.

After closing that place down, we hit the bars. I think. Obviously, my memory is a bit foggy--I'll blame this on time, not drinks. 

The next day:
Natalie and I walked around the festivities for a while.
Natalie and I hit the mall (where I purchased seven of the same sweater in seven different colors. really.).
Christy and I got pedicures/manicures.
And, then...the beer garden again.

WEEKEND 3
July 4th weekend: Eldora Tubing Extravaganza

WEEKEND 4
July 12: This night consisted of four ladies, one baby girl, sushi, margaritas, a small town bar in Kelley, IA, and live country music from our local celebrity, Mr. Neil Hewitt.

 

July 13: On this night we had an impromptu, gluten free barbeque at my house. I've never hosted a gluten-free party before, but my mama and I pulled it off--complete with gluten-free chocolate chip cookies (who knew that was possible??)!

After hours of card games, we brought the party to the beer garden/street dance in Colo. I have to admit, I loved this night--mostly because I spent the majority of the evening being swung around the makeshift dance floor. 

Amy!

WEEKEND 5
July 18: I spent the evening with my old friend, Nate. I had a ton of fun, which ultimately depressed me, as I knew it was the last time I'd see him in a really, really long time (he's moving to Arizona today). It's so difficult to describe the relationship I used to have with him; it's the kind that is still comfortable today, even if we only see each other every few months. We spent the night talking, laughing, drinking, playing Mario Cart, and hanging with another friend, Tyler, until 4 AM.

July 19: Another day of goodbyes :( My friend, Laura, and I went to the pool and had such a fun, relaxing day! Laura is another lifelong friend and everything just comes so easy with her. But, sadly, she moved to Colorado a week ago...everything around me is changing way too freaking fast!

Holy crazy hair!

July 20: This day was spent tubing in Boone, eating gizzards and pizza, and watching movies at Natalie's house.

It seems like all five of those weekends were over in a blink of an eye--I wish life would slow down!

He Writes Me, Part 2.

A few things you should know before reading:

1) He calls me "little girl."

2) I am a ginger.

3) He typically has a beard, but I prefer him clean shaven.

4) Sometimes I hang out with stomach pushed out as far as possible (ya know, like when you have a food baby).

June 20, 2013:

So I fell in love with a little girl

She makes my heart swirl

She has the best color hair

Even if it keeps her skin fair

She has a way to make me smile

Each time I grab my phone to dial

I'd do anything to see her grin

Even shave my beard from my chin

She has a special way to make my heart thump

Even when pretending to be plump

She's the best thing in my life

Someday this great girl will be my wife

By Trent A

:)

...if you missed Part 1, you can see it here.

TwT: all too well

So, after much thought and many sleepless nights contemplating this decision, I finally decided to start this new thing called, "Tuesdays with Taylor." Go ahead, make fun of me and judge me all you want. This judgement won't last long, though, because I promise after a few more TwT, you too, will come to learn that this girl can write one heck of a good song...and she has one heck of a good voice.

Taylor's first song came out way back when I was in high school; what I liked about her then, and what I still like about her now, is how much I can relate to her experiences. Even if I am not going through them at the same time she's singing about them (or at the time I am listening to them), I've been there before. And, gosh...her songs are catchy.

The first song I am going to introduce you to is "All Too Well" from her latest album. In true Taylor fashion, I'm not going to tell you who/what this reminds me of. At least not this time ;) But, seriously, what a geniusly written song.


  

------------------------------------------
Bold: genius lyrics.
Underline: best part of the song.
Both: seriously?
------------------------------------------

i walked through the door with you
the air was cold
but something about it felt like home somehow
and i left my scarf there at your sister's house
and you've still got it in your drawer even now
oh your sweet disposition
and my wide-eyed gaze
we're singing in the car, getting lost upstate
autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place
and i can picture it after all these days
and i know it's long gone and that magic's not here no more
and i might be okay but i’m not fine at all...

cause there we are again on that
little town street
you almost ran the red cause you were
lookin’ over at me
wind in my hair, i was there
i remember it all too well

photo album on the counter
your cheeks were turning red
you used to be a little kid with glasses
in a twin sized bed
and your mother's telling stories
about you on the tee ball team
you taught me about your past
thinking your future was me and i know it's long gone
and there was nothing else i could do
and i forget about you long enough to forget why i needed to...

cause there we are again in the middle of the night
we're dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light
down the stairs, i was there
i remember it all too well

well maybe we got lost in translation 
maybe i asked for too much 
but maybe this thing was a masterpiece 
till you tore it all up 
running scared, i was there 
i remember it all too well 
and you call me up again 
just to break me like a promise 
so casually cruel in the name of being honest
i'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
cause i remember it all, all, all...too well

time won't fly, it's like i’m paralyzed by it 
i'd like to be my old self again
but i’m still trying to find it
after plaid shirt days and nights when you
made me your own
now you mail back my things and i
walk home alone
but you keep my old scarf from that very first week 
cause it reminds you of innocence 
and it smells like me 
you can't get rid of it
cause you remember it all too well

cause there we are again when i loved you so
back before you lost the one real thing you've ever known
it was rare, i was there, i remember it all too well 
wind in my hair, you were there, you remember it all
down the stairs, you were there, you remember it all
it was rare, i was there, i remember it all too well 


I'm sure this will be on repeat in your car from now on...you're welcome :)

Reason Number 2,678 Why I Love Him: he writes me...

He could very well kill me after this. 

Love you, Trenton!

 January 11, 2013:

Tonight we have a date night
I'm positive it will go without a fight

I'm as excited as a school boy
Or a toddler with a new toy

I'm going to make you smile
I hope it's as wide as a country mile

I will probably try to hold your hand
Your beauty is the most in the land

I hope you talk dirty
It will make me more flirty :) 

After that we get to cuddle
Don't roll over in my drool puddle 

I will go to the moon for you
Even if we have to watch Honey Boo Boo

By Trent A.

Eldora Tubing Extravaganza!

Two Wednesday's ago (July 3rd), I forced myself to leave work on time and practically sprinted to my already-packed-to-the-brim car. I had a much anticipated long weekend ahead of me and I couldn't wait to get it started.

I drove straight to Natalie's house and loaded my already-packed-to-the-brim car with more coolers, a couple of tents, and other necessary camping/tubing things.

Then, FINALLY, we were off! We had a forty-five minute drive to our campsite (which seemed to take years). It's annoying how time slows down when you wish it'd hurry the heck up and flies by when you wish it'd stay the heck still. But I digress.

Upon arriving, we set up our tents, opened our lawn chairs (and our drinks), cooked some delicious over-the-fire food, and played some games.

Only picture from the night...

The next morning, we enjoyed a breakfast of "omelets in a bag." These are so easy and delicious; all you do is take a regular zip-lock baggy, write your name on it, crack some eggs into it, add ham, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, cheese, etc., mush it all together, and throw it into a pot of boiling (or almost boiling for us impatient ones) water over the fire (you can put multiple bags into the same pot of water at once--they won't melt together or anything). You cook them until they look done (probably 15 or 20 minutes), and wa-la!, an omelet in a bag.

Cute Jenna and her pre-cooked omelet.

After our breakfast, we got ready for our first day of tubing and the day was an absolute BLAST...and I took about seven thousand pictures. 

The whole group from tubing day 1

Dave and Abby

Dane, Natalie, and Jenna

The precious couple.

Alan and Amy

Us crazy ladies.

Webb and Natalie's sunscreened bodies. We used ALOT of sunscreen this weekend.

Another precious MARRIED couple--Dave and Abby.

More crazies. Holy crap, I look really creepy/weird here.

Amy looking cool as always.

Sam and Nat

Jeremy (Amy's fiance) and Amy (who was feeling quite good at this point in time).

Bottom: Sam, Nat, Me. Middle: Kara and Amy. Top: Chelsey.

After tubing, we ate my favorite meal of the weekend--fire nachos. Here's how we did it: everyone had their own tin can and went wild layering whatever nacho ingredients they wanted (beans, cheese sauce, taco meat, shredded cheese, etc.). Then, we covered them with foil, put them over the fire, waited ten minutes, took them off, wrapped bandanas around the bottom of the tins (so we didn't burn ourselves), added tomatoes and sour cream, and dipped tortilla chips into that deliciousness. Piece. of. cake. Sorry...I forgot to take pictures.

After dinner, we continued drinking, jumped in the lake, and then hit the hay stacks. Then, Hallelujah!, the next day was full of more tubing!

Transferring some tubes to our drop-in point.

Natalie and her belly.

Troy and Shannon

Sam and me

Ungs (aka Matt).

Webb almost drowning. I laughed so hard at this picture.

MY HANDSOME MAN!

Webb, Ray, Nat, Me, Sam

Natalie almost drowned, too. Luckily, Ungs was there to rescue her.

After tubing we went back to our camp site, ate some mac and cheese, played more games, and ate some more.

Aimee and Chris

Kara and me.

For day three of tubing, my mom and Natalie's mom, Marcia joined us. They loved it.

Marcia, my mom, and Lauren.

Mama and me.

The day 3 tubing group.

You could probably guess what they're doing...

For dinner, we had ONION BOMBS! I did all the prep work in advance and they were incredibly easy to make. Step 1: cut onions in half and pair the outer layers together. Step 2: combine ground pork (not beef!), bread crumbs, ketchup, worchesterscheir (spelling?) sauce, and whatever else you normally put in a meatloaf. Step 3: Stuff meat in onion shells. Step 4: Cover each onion bomb in foil. Step 5: Place onion bombs over (or in) the fire. Step 6: Wait til they are done (30 minutesish). Step 7: Donezo. I used three pounds of ground pork and had plenty for eight people. They were delish.

After dinner, we played a few games and, after three long days, everyone was quite exhausted and went to bed pretty early. All in all, it was a really, really, really great weekend. I'm already so excited for the next tubing adventure...I just can't get enough.

Abby during our "beersbi" game.