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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Happy Birthday Kevin!!

Growing up I always wanted an older brother (not that I'm not thankful for my wonderful older sister)! When Jennifer married Kevin, I finally got my wish! Kevin's been around our family since I was about 12 years old, so needless to say we know each other pretty well. Kevin isn't just a brother-in-law to me....I truly look at him as a brother! Kevin's ALWAYS there whenever I need him. He doesn't ask questions, he just says I'll be there in a minute! No matter if I need to talk, cry, need help when Chris is out of town or help break into my own house (LOL, don't ask)! Kevin and I usually have a pretty good time together, we can always find something to laugh about and be silly! Kevin has always been really protective of me like a real big brother and I couldn't be luckier. Thank you Kevin for always being there and being the big brother I never had...Hope you have a great birthday! :-)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Happy Memorial Day!!

I want to wish everyone a great Memorial Day!
While everyone is enjoying all the cookouts, the family and the friends, don't forget to pray for our troops overseas and everyone that has given up their own freedom for ours! Chris and I know personally how it feels to be overseas and away from our family and friends at times like this, don't forget how lucky we all are!
The United States is an amazing country...I know I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!

Some Gave All

Grillin' & Chillin'

Today was another busy day! With Memorial Day being tomorrow, we decided to have a cook out at our house this year. For that to happen, things had to get done!
While I cleaned the house most of the day, Chris put together, yet another new toy. We got a new grill! The grill we had was old and not very big. It served our purpose for awhile, but now that we have a house and more space, Chris has been wanting to upgrade.
Here are a few pictures of Chris in action....





The finished product! Great job honey!! :-)

Chris getting things marinating for tomorrow's cookout!




A special thank you to mom and dad for the awesome solar powered 'Army Rock' they got us for the flower bed. We love it! :-)

Summer....Time for Concerts!

I love going to concerts, in fact, that's one of my favorite things I look forward to about summer. Yesterday marked the first concert of the season. My girlfriend Cassi, her sister Janette, and myself headed to downtown Cleveland for the Kenny Chesney concert! Yup, for those of you that didn't know...I'm a country girl! :-)
It was a LONGGGGG day, but thank god the weather was perfect for us. The awesome thing about this concert was you got to enjoy more then just the opening act and the main performer. Their were six performers, which goes back to the long day comment. The concert was from 3:30 in the afternoon till about 11:15 at night...but totally worth every minute!
Enjoy the pictures.....




Gary Allan

LeAnn Rimes

Sammy Hagar


Me and Cas

Keith Urban



Kenny Chesney


Tim McGraw....Here I come! :-)

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Out-of-Towners!

This weekend we had some family come visit from Florida. My Aunt Sue and cousin Tricia were on their way back from Wisconsin and decided to stop in for the weekend. We haven't seen them in about a year (almost exact actually, we were in the Outer Banks with them this time last year). Even though it was a quick visit, it was nice to see them for a couple of days and catch up!

Aunt Sue, Tricia, and Aunt Pam


More visiting.....


Time for S'mores!


Kevin's the best marshmallow roaster!


Me and Bella!


Me and Chris! :-)


I even promised to paint Bella's nails and toes! :-)



It was a great day spent with family, what else could you ask for?! :-)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Happy Birthday Cassi!!

Cassi and I have been friends for about 4 years now. We met at the mortgage company I use to work at. Once I left, Cassi and I stayed in touch and only became closer friends. Cassi is the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for. If you need her, there are no questions or doubts...she's there! I'm honored to say that Cassi and I have become one of each others best friends. I love her and wish her nothing but the greatest birthday (5/14)!
Cas, I know this past year has been challenging for you, but I have a feeling this year will be your best yet! You know that Chris and especially me, are here for you anytime you need anything. Here's to a great summer of fun filled plans! :-)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!!

I just wanted to wish all the mom's a great day! Especially my mom, I couldn't go one day without her! Mom, you're the greatest! :-)



Anyone that knows me and knows me well, knows how close I am with my mom (actually my whole family). I try to tell them how much I appreciate them as often as I can, but these days sure do remind me of how lucky I am for what I have!
To all the sisters, godmothers, aunts, cousins, step-moms, and grandmas...Hope you all enjoy your day and you get the appreciation you deserve! :-)

Green Thumbs....

Saturday was an extremely long and tiring day for myself, Chris, and my mom and dad. Chris and I have lived in our house about 1 1/2 years now and last summer we didn't do a whole lot outside. This year, I wanted to change that.
Yesterday was a perfect day for yard work and we all took full advantage of that. Since this is our first home and neither one of us have done a lot of planting, mom and dad offered to help us!
I wanted to tackle the front first since that's what people see. We ribbed out 2 trees and a couple more bushes! I love ripping stuff out! :-) We went to the store and picked out some new bushes/flowers. We also had to get new mulch and dirt. The plan was while mom and I were planting things, dad was going to assist Chris with some lighting. They installed a new front porch light along with a new spotlight for the back door/yard. Some other projects came along as the day went on......

Front before any work

Other side of the front before any work

Taking out the old brick border

Chris starting to put our new border down

Our newest plants: the one in the middle and the two in the front

And the other two: the one in the center and the other in the back corner (it's kind of hard to see, it's a barberry bush)

The full view of the front, a defiant improvement! We only have to finish the bricks. Once our new plants grow bigger I'll share how they're coming along!

Chris hanging our new front porch light

Our new spotlight in the back

This was added last week, but I figured I'd show off our new patio set.

Chris and dad tinkering around (hopefully they were discussing what was going to get done next) :-)

This area is in the corner of our backyard. A couple of weeks ago, Chris and I tore out more trees to make room for my Lilac bush I wanted to plant there. Here Chris is breaking up some roots from the tree that was left behind!
The finished product in the backyard. I love this little area. I think it came out very nice and adds a lot to our yard. Hopefully by next year I'll have some lilac's blooming!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Shop 'til we Drop!

Today was a beautiful day here in Northeast Ohio. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold. It was sunny and a great day to enjoy being outside. That's exactly what Jennifer, Kevin, Isabella and I did. We went to Aurora Farm's and went shopping! I hadn't been there in a few years, so it was nice to get back out there.
We stopped to get some lunch on the way out because you can't go shopping on an empty stomach! Then we headed to the shops. Isabella got to ride a car, play on the playground and her favorite, watch the geese!
We all found some great deals and enjoyed the afternoon. Thanks Jennifer, Kevin, and Bella for spending the afternoon with me! It sure was fun!! :-)








Can you tell I adore my niece?! :-)