Ryan's birthday weekend

Ryan turned 27 last week! To celebrate I surprised him with a stay at the Ellerbeck Mansion Bed & Breakfast. We checked in then went to PF Chang's for dinner. Afterwards I surprised him with this:

Jk, JK. He wished! No, but he did get to drive it for the weekend. I gave him a golf gift certificate which is almost as nice ;) The B&B was so great! They had free drinks and popcorn.

We stayed in the "Spring Breeze" room.

On our balcony

We went and got Ryan's free shake at Iceberg (chocolate chip this time, yum)

and when we came back our bed was turned down and we had chocolates!

We got to choose our breakfast time and meal the next morning so we got this:

pancakes, bacon and fruit.

The house was gorgeous and it was a nice little getaway or "staycation" if you will.

(pictures from the web site)

Ryan took the next day off from work and that night we celebrated by going swimming with his family at his brother's house.

 

It's always a party when you get to celebrate with your twin!

Saturday we went to his sister's volleyball tournament, which they won, and that night we went to a Bee's game.

We planned to go to my parent's house Sunday, but my mom called and said my sister had a kidney stone so we moved the party to her house. luckily she passed the stone the night before so we could all enjoy the celebration (and get to hold Henry all day).

Ryan wasn't feeling well the whole weekend but he didn't let it spoil the plans. I love you babe!

1/8

Ryan just finished summer semester! Hallelujah. Only 7 more to go...

You remember in this post I said he only had 4 more semesters? Well, after we transferred all of his credits from Snow and CEU none of them counted! So, he is starting from square one and will graduate in Dec 2012. On top of full time work, and his calling (Young Men's Pres) he's taking 15 credits per semester. I'm so proud of him for sticking it out and getting it done. It will go by fast, right? We're so blessed that we're able to pay for all of it and not have to take out student loans. Speaking of student loans, we just paid off 1 of them yesterday and are that much closer to becoming debt free! Life is good.

I started wearing Bath and Body Works Rice flour and Shea lotion and love it! What's your favorite B&BW scent?

Adoption Dreams

Ryan and I met Curt and Christine at college. We were there when they dated and fell in love. They've been married 4 years now and are trying to adopt. They are two of the kindest, sweetest people we know and will be great parents. If you know of anyone that can help please pass this along. Here is a link to their adoption blog and profile: http://curtchrisadoption.blogspot.com/ I have also posted a link to the right. Thank you!

Hidden Talent

Syd's mom is so creative and she passed that gene down to her children. In college we'd always get together and make valentine's and crafts. Her house is gorgeous and looks like a page out of a magazine. I snapped a few quick photos for your viewing pleasure...

as you walk into her house this is on your right.

this cabinet is filled with pictures of ancestors and antiques

a window that she painted

birds can be found everywhere right now. here here 

This wall in the living room is a great example on how to hang pictures. Also, the accessories are perfect.

a uniform look

I told her that I will hire her to decorate my house. What do you think?

Murray Farmer's Market

On Saturday we went to the opening weekend of the Murray's Farmers Market. I've always wanted to go downtown, but this one is just right down the street at Murray Park. This is the first time I've ever been to a Farmer's Market, but I've heard great things about them so I dragged Ryan along. We had our cash in hand and really enjoyed seeing all the different food and booths. We bought onion, cucumber, peppers, bread, raspberries, and corn. All the food is delicious! We bought asiago and jalapeño bread and orange cranberry. They are made out of mashed potatoes and are so healthy, not processed. It's been hard not to eat all of it. We brought some down with us to share with Toni and Evan and they liked it too. I needed some more veggies so we stopped by the Sunflower Farmer's market on the way home. Have you ever been there? It's near our house and it reminds me of Winco, though a lot smaller. They have lots of healthy, great organic food and a bulk foods section too. When we got home we washed all the berries and froze them. They will be so delicious in my morning protein shakes! Do you go to Farmer's Markets? What are your thoughts?