The Journey...

Celebration

2012-01-26T08:07:00.001-06:00

Okay, I get the Bad Big Sister award for forgetting to take pictures during Jeff's graduation reception last weekend. Here's a few I got before the party started...

And here are a couple from graduation that our aunt took...

Mom, I've gotta get your camera! Don't let me forget! :o/

Some people...

2012-01-25T14:13:00.001-06:00

Before I lose my emotion (and have to go back to work from my lunch break), I must vent.

To the mother of an 8-year old boy at Burger King:

I did not "yell" at your son for throwing coaster-weight cardboard frisbees across the restaurant - after being hit with one and after he aimed one directly at the group of people waiting in line to place their order, hitting them as well. I simply said to your hysterically laughing son (who should have been in school, by the way), "It's really not very funny when you do that and hit people."

I did not yell, I did not scream. I simply talked, and it embarrassed him in a room full of people who were rightfully annoyed.

And you are right; I will absolutely "yell" at my own children when they do the very same thing. My children will behave.

That's all.

Maybe People I Want to Punch in the Throat will let me be a guest post today...

Best & Worst of the Globes

2012-01-16T13:48:00.000-06:00

Some of my thoughts on the Red Carpet from the Golden Globes...

Sarah Michelle Gellar - Looks like a tie-dye mess to me. That dress could be really pretty in a solid fabric.

Jessica Biel - Awful lace. Looks like a wedding dress gone wrong.

Lea Michele - Not really appropriate for a high school teenage character. Maybe it's because I've never seen this side of her, or maybe it's that I'm picturing her as Rachel Berry.

While I absolutely adore Zooey Deschanel, I wasn't a huge fan of her dress. However, I though her hair and makeup was beautiful.

I know some people love them and loved Angelina's dress, but honestly, I thought they looked very rigid and emotionless. Not feeling it.

I loved Charlize Theron's dazzling Dior Couture gown. Unique and feminine.

And of course, I loved her sparkly headband!

I'm a huge Emma Stone supporter as well, but I wasn't loving her dress...

but, I LOVED her hair and makeup! Look at those eyes!

And, there's Reese. Bombshell. Love the red!

Shailene Woodley (the Descendants) looked very elegant and grown up.

My Best Dressed award goes to Sofia Vergara (Modern Family). Stunning.

Images from http://www.temptalia.com/.

Lights & Other Fun Things

2012-01-08T11:25:00.000-06:00

Last night, J and I went back down to the Plaza for dinner. It was much more relaxed this time round' since the holidays are behind us. Got some more fun pictures of the lights. Better hurry if you wanna see them - they go off next week.

This was our view from dinner. J was mortified that I wanted to take pictures inside the restaurant. :o) I just love lights...and food.

This week was quite a doozey at work, so Friday night I headed to Houlihan's for dinner with a co-worker to unwind. (J was at basketball.) I always find their coasters entertaining, but this one was especially comical given the hit song - "I'm Sexy and I Know It" - on the radio right now. J and I spent about 15 minutes one day trying to sing "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle - Yeah." I'm confident I'll never be able to say that. I'm sure LMFAO would be proud.

The Down Home Pot Roast (honest gold mashers, homestyle vegetables, red wine mushroom sauce) was just the comfort food I needed after this long week. And the best part is...it makes for two meals!

And finally, I had to show off my bright purple sparkly nail polish from New Year's Eve that I accidentally forgot to remove before work on Tuesday. Oops! :o/

A pretty good first week of the New Year!

Good morning, to me!

2012-01-02T08:37:00.000-06:00

The alarm clock rings at 6:30 A.M. on my day off to alert J he's gotta get out of bed for basketball practice. "Go back to sleep," he tells me, but all I can do is lay, staring at the ceiling. Wide awake. Fabulous.

Too cold to get out from my warm flannel sheets, I lay there contemplating what I want for breakfast. Toast? No. Cereal? No. Bacon and eggs? No.

Frustrated that nothing sounds delicious enough to satisfy my belly, I suddenly remember the fresh blueberries I bought over the weekend. Blueberry muffins? I think so!

Good morning, to me!

Christmas Continues...

2011-12-31T08:48:00.000-06:00

Here are some leftover pictures from our visit to St. Louis. On Monday (Dec. 26th) we went to Brandon and Stephanie's to have lunch, visit with the girls, and meet their new addition to the family - Bella, the English Mastiff puppy.

Maya and Bo

I love my nieces!

Miss Bella

Gianna ready to go play outside!

Bella chillin' on Brandon's foot during lunch. So precious.

Last night Justin took me on a date to Country Club Plaza. We went to Buca di Beppo's for dinner, and walked around the Plaza in the beautiful 50 degree weather! Amazing for December. I apologize for all of the pictures of the Christmas lights. I just can't help myself. I'm obsessed. You know this.

Fried mozzarella slices = appetizer

Our server, Cody, was nice enough to snap a shot for us.

Baked rigatoni = entree

Seven years ago today, J proposed to me in St. Louis. Tonight we'll go to celebrate the New Year and our engagement anniversary, but not before going to my parents' house to celebrate Christmas with them. I'm sure we'll have more pictures to post tomorrow.

Everything's so bittersweet right now. I love the holidays so much...makes me sad they're coming to an end.

Christmas in The Lou

2011-12-26T09:20:00.000-06:00

Every other Christmas we rotate between St. Louis and Kansas City. This year we had the privilege of spending five days with our St. Louis family. Friday night J took me on the date that was suppose to occur seven years ago on the night he proposed...Tilles Park.

For those of you who know me, you know that I am 100% completely obsessed with lights and sparkly objects. J wanted to take me to the place that would satisfy this obsession (and to the place I would undoubtedly say YES! j/k) on New Year's Eve 2004 to pop the question. After planning every detail of our date so long ago, including looking online to find out what time they opened, we arrived only to find out that they were closed.

Obviously, he improvised the date and I said "yes", however we never seemed to make it a priority to go back to Tilles. This year we did, and I was just as starstruck as I would have been seven years ago, I'm sure. I told J if we wanted to propose again I promised I wouldn't change my answer. He smiled...

Drive-thru tunnel

Inside the drive-thru tunnel

Gingerbread house

I told J he could propose here!

Wall of lights

Ice skaters on the pond

The girls came over to visit while J and Brandon finished up some holiday errands. We played, baked, and watched The Grinch and Polar Express. I love spending time with my nieces!

Maya couldn't get enough of Lily's attention

So beautiful!

Slumber party watching Polar Express

Goofballs

Gianna gettin' kisses from Lily

Christmas Eve we celebrated the Franklin Family Christmas. Renee, J, and I cooked a delicious meal made of stuffed pork tenderloin, cooked carrots, steamed green beans (or candy, as my Pops likes to say!), cheesy hashbrowns, fresh sourdough bread, and more!

Because we celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve, we had to pretend like Santa came early. Renee came up with a fabulous idea: While J distracted the girls in the kitchen for a bit, Travis tip-toed out the front door with some jingle bells. He went around back, ringing the bells. Renee got the girls attention saying, "Shh! Do you hear it?!? Is it Santa and Rudolph?!?" Excitement quickly filled the room as they ran around yelling, "Where's my coat?!? Where are my shoes?!?", running up and down the hall, and bumping into each other, Holley, and Lily. They finally got organized enough to get out the front door - but not before I could snap a picture of them in their coats by the tree.

Renee took the girls down the block with a flash light to look for Santa and Rudolph, while Travis stayed behind the houses sporadically ringing the jingle bells, teasing them with the sound of magic. Renee also messed with their senses by wearing some little jingle bells in her shoes. It was so hilarious. You could hear them outside asking where Santa was and why they couldn't see him. It's magic!

While Renee was distracting the girls, the rest of us brought up all of Santa's presents from the basement. When we were ready, I went outside to get the girls and found them sitting at the Nativity scene singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. It was so precious.

I quickly ran back inside to get their reactions when Renee told them that Santa came. Gianna wasn't sure what to think, but Maya's face was priceless!

Me and Lilypoo

Renee made me a Sooner blanket!

Steph and me

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus

Maya's face is priceless!

Santa came!

Sticky Buns on Christmas morning

All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas with our St. Louis family!

He will be called...

2011-12-22T08:10:00.000-06:00

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government shall rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 NLT

A Manly Sub

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a little behind, but I had to get these pictures up from our adventure making Stuffed Hot Sausage Meatball Subs. With fresh spicy Italian sausage from the deli, we stuffed these cute little meatballs with mozzarella cubes and baked to perfection. Perfection = Oozing, melted mozzarella goodness.

Of course, J piled on the cheese and tomato sauce, while I savored the distinct flavor of the basil. Can you guess which sandwich belongs to each of us? J thought he died and went to heaven! This recipe is a keeper.

Holiday Biscotti

2011-12-07T08:09:00.000-06:00

Every year around this time, the Food Network sends out e-mails titled 12 Cookies of Christmas. Of course, I sign up to receive these awesome recipes from the Food Networks greatest!

Yesterday's recipe was Giada De Laurentis' Holiday Biscotti. I've always wanted to learn how to bake biscotti, so immediately I pulled up the recipe to see if it was "doable". Reading through the ingredient list, I realized that I had all of the necessities minus the cranberries and pistachios. A little bummed that I didn't have all the ingredients at home, I continued to read through the reviews. 5-Stars, 5-Stars, 5-Stars, 5-Stars, 5-Stars, 5-Stars. Wow! People really must like these. Then I noticed a review that said the baker substituted the cranberries and pistachios with chocolate chunks. BINGO! I have (had) a bag of chocolate chips in the pantry.

I got home, tied my apron on that my Mompshy made me, and immediately gathered all of my ingredients for the biscotti. I even added a little fresh nutmeg, cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla. And, I used milk chocolate mixed with a little almond bark to dip the edges instead of white chocolate.

While I'm sure that the original recipe is amazing, I'm pleased to announce that I can confidently bake homemade biscotti! I'm not sure why I was so scared of it... I will be doubling my batch next time!

Family Christmas Photos

2011-11-28T12:58:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I thought this would be kind of cute. For our church's Christmas Eve service, we've been asked to provide family photographs of Christmases over the years. These are some Rider-Franklin photos from over the last five years. Good times!

A Night at Crown Center

2011-11-28T08:45:00.000-06:00

Friday night, Justin took me on a surprise date to Kansas's City's Crown Center for the Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting. Not only that, but he had arranged to meet my parents down there as well. It was a perfect 60 degrees, the Kansas City Symphony Chorus sang Christmas carols, and Janelle Monae was the guest who got to flip the switch. After the lights were lit, fireworks danced through the sky to a modern version of the Nutcracker Suite. It was so much fun!

100-foot Christmas tree from Oregon

Pops & Mompshy

Kansas City Symphony Chorus

Crown Center

Janelle Monae - So pretty!

Now it's officially time for the Christmas festivities to begin! Happy Holidays!

Memories

2011-11-28T08:31:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Justin got a phone call from a friend from home, Sue Koerper. The phone call was to tell Justin that Tommy (her Senior son who was last year's MVP and captain of the soccer team at Justin's alma mater) had made it to the Missouri State Soccer Championship Finals in Blue Springs, Missouri.

Justin played a huge role in Sue's kids lives, spending summer after summer with them growing up. Justin was their life guard and her kids were "pool rats". Sue recognized Justin as someone she wanted her son to grow up like. Not only was it important for Justin to be there for Tommy, but the soccer coach is the same man who coached Justin many years ago. So, we took Friday off and headed to Blue Springs South to watch the game to reunite with Justin's alma mater fans!

J with Coach Drake's daughter and wife.

J with Sue Koerper

Smithville vs. Trinity

Tommy Koerper

Coach Drake (on the right)

J and Tommy

J and Coach Drake...reunited after many years!

After the game, we had the brief opportunity to take a few snapshots. Coach Drake, surprised to see Justin, grabbed his sweatshirt pockets with both hands saying, "There's the volleyball player. Wanna come play goalie for me again?" Both of them had the biggest smiles!

It was such a fantastic day! I love meeting people who were such an important part in Justin's life. Lots of memories...

Franklin Family Photos

2011-11-22T10:34:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had the pleasure of getting family pictures taken with Shane & Alli Photography. We had our photos taken at The Lodge at Ironwoods in Leawood. This venue is special to us because it's where we had our wedding reception 5 1/2 years ago. Lots of memories then, and more now!

Austin Bought a Ring

2011-11-08T08:02:00.000-06:00

Three years ago today, my best friend married her best friend. It was a bitter, cold day. The wind was fierce and the temperatures were way too cold for a bride and bridesmaids to be running around downtown Kansas City without coats and wearing open-toed shoes. But we all braved the extremes to celebrate one of the most memorable weddings I've ever been a part of.

We took lots of pictures, inside and out. We huddled together on the party vehicle and snuggled up to stay warm. We counted "1-2-3!" and busted off our coats to quickly pose for pictures. Through all of the wedding memories, the best man's speech was by far the best!

Happy Anniversary to my best friend in the whole entire world...and her hubby! We love you guys!

Celebrating

2011-11-07T08:22:00.001-06:00

Last night was Olathe East's volleyball banquet. It was such an awesome experience. Held at St. Andrews Golf Club, approximately 40 volleyball players, their parents, coaches and spouses, the Athletic Director, and the principal all gathered to celebrate the amazing season these girls had that ended with them being #4 in the state of Kansas.

Just by looking at the pictures you can see how much these girls adored their coaches.

You'll notice a funny hand symbol the girls are showing in some of the pictures with Justin. They called him "Franklin the Turtle". Yes, as in the little kid story books. A couple of them even made up "Franklin the Turtle" theme songs when Justin would walk into a room. It was so awesome. So, the hand symbol...it's supposed to be a turtle.

Marissa reading her story about making the Varsity team.

Justin with his JV girls.

Varsity - 4 of them are freshmen. Watch out next year!

Varsity with the coaches.

Us being silly in front of the lights.

Coach Martin with Katie and Hannah.

J with Marissa.

J with Katie - She started the "Franklin the Turtle" joke.

But seriously...

J with some Varsity players.

Coach Rippee and Marissa showing off their Prom Pose!

Justin has been asked to coach JV at Olathe East again next year. The girls want him to teach there permanently. Not sure how I feel about all that orange yet. ;o) Coach Martin is already pumped for next year. Exciting things to come in 2012. It was a wonderful night of friends, a new coaching family, and celebration!

It's Okay...

2011-11-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

Out of all seriousness, I cannot believe that I didn't write a post yesterday about the fact that it was the first official day for me to start listening to Christmas music. Just can't believe it. For those of you who know me well, you know I didn't miss a beat! 7:00 A.M., Tuesday, November 1st, I got in my car, turned on my holiday tunes and headed to work...the long way. :o)

Last night I was giving my BlackBerry one more quick glance before bedtime and I was so excited to see my latest e-mail from Starbucks. Yes, I get e-mails from Starbucks, but that's besides the point. The point is this:

I was so excited that I practically tackled Justin to show him the e-mail. He just rolled his eyes at me and chuckled. We then proceeded to have a conversation about how I am completely, 150% obsessed with the holidays. It's the little, bitty things that make me so giddy, happy, and excited for what's to come!

All of this to say: It's okay. I'm obsessed. And I know it.

In honor of Halloween

2011-10-31T08:55:00.000-05:00

This "Thriller" routine is from my sophomore year at Graceland. Every year at Halloween, Katie Mac posts this on Facebook and it's a constant reminder how much fun we had! It literally took us hours to get in costume - makeup, hair teasing, ripping our clothes, layering our Long Johns underneath our costume, etc. One of the most memorable (and freezing cold) dances I've ever performed. Happy Halloween! Can you guess which one's me?

Good news!

2011-10-25T08:01:00.000-05:00

Aside from today being 2 months until Christmas, I'm excited for another reason. Last weekend, Justin's girls played in the Sub-State Volleyball Tournament for a shot at going to the state tournament this upcoming weekend. Well...they won! I apologize for the picture quality as I forgot my camera and had to use my phone. Way to go Lady Hawks and good luck at state!

Baby Brody

2011-10-12T07:57:00.001-05:00

As promised, here are some pictures of our very first visit to meet Brody Gensler. So precious!

Justin's Boys

2011-10-12T07:51:00.002-05:00

Friday night was Senior Night at the Olathe North football game. These seniors are three of Justin's favorites: Orange (yes, Orange), J.B., and Trey. J.B. and Trey played basketball for Justin as sophomores. He's grown very fond of them over the years, and watched them turn into young men. Orange moved here last year, and Justin has taken him under his wing as well.

Orange - J.B. - Trey

These are the boys who ask J if they can come "hang out" at our home for the NCAA basketball championship every year. I think that says something about Justin as a coach and as their friend.

Not only have we watched these guys play sports at their best, but we have also witnessed their commitment to the Olathe community, their family, and friends. We love these boys and we wish them all the best!

What a weekend!

2011-10-10T09:03:00.003-05:00

J and I had quite the entertaining weekend. My 10-year high school reunion kicked off our weekend festivities on Friday night. Tailgating at the Olathe North football game was a great time to catch up with old friends. Here's a few pictures of some of my best friends from the good ole' days. Once and Eagle, always an Eagle.

Saturday, well - all you really need to do is look at these. BOOMER!

J had the Junior Varsity Sunflower League volleyball tournament all day on Saturday, where his Lady Hawks tied for 3rd place out of 12 teams! What a great finish to his first season at Olathe East! Only one more game this week and the Olathe Invitational on Saturday, then he'll help coach the varsity team for the rest of the season. I get him for one week and then basketball begins. Whoo!

Also on Saturday, I received a precious phone call from my sweet nieces in St. Louis. "Thank you, Aunt Rebecca, for the presents!" It just melted my heart. J and I sent Maya and Gianna a Halloween package with all sorts of holiday crafts, Peanuts hot chocolate, glow bracelets, Skittles, Smarties, and Cheetos (Cheetos per their request!). :o) They went on and on about how much they loved the presents and candy, and how they went to the pumpkin patch earlier that morning. Here are some pictures from Stephanie from their trip to the pumpkin patch, and them making their Halloween door hangers we sent them. I can't wait to see them at Christmas!

Sunday, we went to church and had an incredible lunch at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant with our friends Kyle and Jill. Jill went to Graceland with us, and she's my Solah sister, and she married a Blue Valley boy, Kyle, this summer. They've recently started attending the Olathe congregation, and we are so happy to have new friends at church!

Tonight we're off to finally meet Brody Gensler! We'll post pictures soon. Cannot wait to meet this little man!

John 14: 1 - 14

2011-10-04T08:29:00.000-05:00

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."

Red River Rivalry Prep

2011-10-03T14:08:00.000-05:00

120 hours from right this moment, the people of our country will hopefully know which team is the Red River Rivalry 2011 champion...Oklahoma or Texas.

While there's lots of good reading on ESPN and SoonerSports.com, the Official Store of the Sooners has it's game-day apparel ready for purchase and is just as, if not more, entertaining as the stats:

Now the hard part...which one to get? :o)

Trip to Louisburg

2011-10-03T08:16:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning, the Rider-Franklin family headed out to the Louisburg Cider Mill for its annual CiderFest! We had such a good time wandering through vendors, watching the apple press, and of course, eating good food! If you've got kiddos, be sure to head out to their pumpkin patch and corn maze!

Here's what was on the menu:

Joy: Apple Cider, Cider Donuts

Bruce: Diet Lost Trail Root Beer, Cider Donuts

Jeff: Apple Cider Slush, Cider Donuts

Justin: Lost Trail Root Beer

Rebecca: Lost Trail Root Beer, Apple Cider Donuts...and Frickles.

Yes, frickles! What are frickles??? Just as you probably suspect, they are fried pickles! YUMMO!

Long Time Sun

2011-09-30T13:14:00.001-05:00

May the long time sun shine upon you

All love surround you

And the pure light within you

Guide your way on.

Redbirds are in the Playoffs!

2011-09-30T07:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning the sun was shining, the weather was perfect, and we turned on ESPN to discover that the Redbirds are in the playoffs! What a great start to the day! Read this article by David Heeb from Bleacher Report:

The Atlanta Braves epic choke job is complete.

The Atlanta Braves led the NL Wild Card race by 8.5 games at the beginning of September. A lot of people, including yours truly, thought the Braves were the second-best team in the NL. Their offense was just good enough, their starting pitching was superb, and their bullpen, a bunch of young flamethrowers, was the envy of the entire league.

The Braves were so far out in front that nobody was really even talking about the Wild Card race. You never heard anybody even say "Do you think the (insert team here) will catch the Braves?" They looked that good.

The St. Louis Cardinals, on the other hand, were calling up young players for an extended look at playing time in 2012. The Cardinals had been such a big disappointment this season, it seemed like next year was all their fans had to look forward to.

So what happened?

The Cardinals went to Milwaukee and swept the Brewers, the best home team in baseball. The Cardinals had shaved three games off the Brewers' huge lead, and there was a glimmer of hope. Fans who were paying attention noticed a couple of changes with these Cardinals.

First of all, Albert Pujols was heating up.  Of course when the big guy gets it going, he can carry this team. Second, their starting pitching was beginning to look better, especially Chris Carpenter. Like Pujols, Carp is the kind of guy that can get on a roll and go deep into games, shutting opposing offenses down for a month.

So the big guns were firing. That's how it started.

Then the other pieces started falling into place. The guys acquired in the Colby Rasmus trade started to contribute. Edwin Jackson was eating innings, giving the Cards quality starts. Jackson gave the Cards a quality fifth starter, allowing them to move their best bullpen pitcher, Kyle McClellan, back to the bullpen. McClellan joined Octavio Dotel and Mark Rzepczynski, two other pieces in the Rasmus trade, to solidify the Cards bullpen.

Jason Motte did the rest. The former catcher-turned-closer closed the Cardinals games in style, mowing hitters down with his upper 90's fastball. All of a sudden, a major weakness all season (bullpen) was a major strength.

The entire Cardinals roster just caught fire at the same time.

Lance Berkman caught fire, shaking off a sore shoulder. Yadi Molina came up with clutch hit after clutch hit. Rafeal Furcal, another mid-season acquisition, improved the Cards defense and also gave them a great leadoff hitter.

Everything that went right for the Cardinals was going wrong for the Braves. Their top pitcher, Jair Jurrjens, was hurt. Then Tommy Hanson, probably the Braves' third best pitcher, also ended up on the DL. Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, two of the Braves' top hitters, had minor injuries that slowed them down. Jason Heyward, the Braves' young outfielder with so much potential, just kept scuffling at the plate.

But who could have ever predicted this outcome? That the Cardinals would come all the way back and make the playoffs? Could anybody be that bold to make that prediction?

Well....shameless self-promotion....I told you so. Sort of.

I called it. On September 2nd, I said that the Cardinals were going to storm back to make the playoffs. Don't believe me?  Read this article. I said that the Cardinals were going to come back and overtake the Brewers. About 400 people read the article, and I bet my editors at Bleacher Report laughed ad me.  But I almost got it exactly right. I called the choke. I just picked the wrong team.

I even said exactly how the last day of the season would unfold for the Cardinals...In Houston, tied for a playoff spot, Chris Carpenter on the mound.  I predicted Carp's stat line to be 8 Innings Pitched, 3 Hits, 10 K's, and 0 earned runs.

Carp's real stat line today: 9 IP, 2 H, 11 K's, 0 ER. I need to buy a lottery ticket.

In the immortal words of legendary Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, "Go Crazy Folks! Go Crazy!"

Cardinals fans, your team is going to the playoffs, where they will take on the Phillies, the best team in baseball. I think Cardinals fans will take their chances.

After all, the Cardinals are the hottest team in baseball.

Jeremiah 29:11

2011-09-28T08:17:00.001-05:00

Happy Day!

2011-09-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

Well, today my hubby turns 31 years old!

Yesterday, to my surprise, I came home from work to find a sweet surprise on the table.

Isn't that ironic? I thought I was the one who should have made him a cake. Oh well. We celebrated Justin's birthday Saturday night during the Oklahoma game. My mom ordered him a Boston Creme Pie from Tippins! Talk about delicious cakes.

Anyway, I really wanted to say Happy Birthday to J, and show the cyber world how much he loves me with his excellent piping skills. I wonder who he learned that from. ;o)

LOFT Project

2011-09-26T09:09:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that I recently began working part-time at Ann Taylor LOFT. It's a fantastic company to work for - amazing style, great people, enticing benefits, the works!

This month, my store manager has asked all of the employees to make a collage of their personal style for the Live. Love. LOFT. bulletin board. What a fun project! Here's a glimpse of my project in the making.

Babycakes!

2011-09-22T08:08:00.000-05:00

Last night, Trevor and Angie joined us for a Mexican fiesta as we had lots to celebrate: Justin's birthday, the soon arrival of their baby boy (aka Baby Genz), and our years of friendship.

Justin and Trevor

Click the picture to see the delicious details of each babycake!

Sampling each flavor. Yummo!

Angie picked up dessert at local bakery in Overland Park - 3 Women and an Oven. Rather than a cake or cupcakes, she opted for the "babycakes". How perfect for this particular celebration!

We cut the eight delicious flavors into quarters so we could all have a sample of each - Chocolate Peanut Butter, German Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice (with sparkly fairy dust that made Justin uneasy), Chocolate Decadence, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, and Kahlua. So amazing.

What a great night with friends. The next time we see them will be to celebrate the birth of their baby boy due in just 10 days! How exciting!

Lunch at the Park

2011-09-21T13:15:00.000-05:00

Now that the kids are back to school, I was finally able to go back and enjoy lunch at one of my favorite afternoon lunch spots, Antioch Park. What a GoRgEoUs afternoon!

The sun was shining, the fountains were spraying, and the wildlife was playful! I'm so grateful to have this place I can venture to for my mid-day rejuvenation.

Mrs. Mallard showing off her striking purple feathers.

Mr. Mallard wanted to get his picture taken.

Eyes on me and ready to bolt if I got one step closer for my snapshot!

My favorite. Turtle, ducks, geese, lily pads, and fountain all in 1 picture!

Reminder from Above

2011-09-21T08:30:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to share some images of the beautiful Kansas sky this morning as we were leaving for work. What an awesome reminder that God is with us always. The pictures don't really do justice; but it was beautiful.

John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The Last 18 Hours

2011-09-16T08:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay, okay. Here are pictures of my new haircut. While I'm not overly joyed, it could be worse. For those of you who missed the lovely Facebook conversation stemming from "What do you do when your hairstylist chops your hair 3" too much?!?" - My hairstylist chopped my hair 3" too much. Sad day. Back up, my substitute hairstylist chopped my hair 3" too much.

My lady, who would NEVER do this, went home very sick just minutes before my appointment. Rather than rescheduling, I thought I would give another Master Stylist at Beauty Brands a chance. Master Stylist, I think not. She even had a picture. Anyway, today's a new day; it's just hair; it will grow back.

New Story - Our Lilypoo, (well my Lilypoo - Justin's Lily) had her first dental cleaning yesterday. I felt horrible because I didn't realize she had to be put under anesthetic to get the cleaning. Last night she was so lethargic, wobbling around, staring in a daze. She got lots of love last night.

This morning she was still whimpering. We'd give her love. We'd walk away to get ready, then she'd whimper some more. We'd give her more love. I'm thinking, "Surely she's not still hurting from a dental cleaning. But who am I to say she's not in pain? I'll just give her more love."

Lily (aka Fatty Magoo) when she came home from the vet - 64 pounds

After she ate, she jumps back on the bed. Not even two minutes later (while we're both getting ready) the whimpering begins again. I run over and give her some love. Go into the closet to get my clothes and I hear whimpering again.

The dog has us fooled! She's fine. She knows we'll come running and give her love. I'm pathetic.

New Story - I went to Starbucks this morning to get my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. I pulled up to the window to pay and the barista tells me that the car ahead of me paid for my coffee. How nice!

I always hear about this stuff happening, but it never happens to me. Now I can say it has! What did I do, you ask? I paid for the car behind me. It feels so good to pay it forward and hopefully make someone else's day. Happy Friday!

Celebrating 9 Years

2011-09-12T09:03:00.001-05:00

Us at Graceland in 2005

On this day, we're not only celebrating nine years together, but we're giving thanks to God for all that He has blessed us with in our time together.

It's no secret that the last few years have been a struggle for us, in terms of making our dreams of buying a house, getting full-time jobs, and starting a family come true.

In the last few weeks, our eyes have been opened by dear friends who have endured painful events in their lives. A new and refreshing perspective has been put on our life together. Instead of praying for these things to happen, and being angry that they have not happened yet, we have been able to take a step back, realize, and be grateful for all that we do have.

Several years ago I was reunited with a dear professor. In speaking with her about my frustrations of my unreachable dreams she referred me to a book by Julia Cameron, Blessings. From her Web site, "This prayer book focuses the reader on the value of a grateful heart. It expresses the conviction that there is an inner good in all that we experience, even in the most difficult and trying times. It gently teaches us that we need to be even more conscious of God's benevolent wisdom when our lives are in a period of turbulence and difficulty."

In recent days, I have been brought back to this book. It has given me a sense of comfort and mature guidance willing me to move forward from the anger I have been building. It allows me to focus on all of the blessings in my life.

While our hearts are aching for our friends who are experiencing tough times, we will send them this book in hopes that it will help their hearts to heal.

Who's Excited?!?

2011-09-02T13:02:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning, it's finally here. That's right it's time for:

It's #3 Oregon vs. #4 LSU. Even though it's not Oklahoma, that's okay. I've been waiting eight long months for this!

It's Here!

2011-08-31T14:15:00.001-05:00

Bye Bye Aggies

2011-08-31T10:27:00.000-05:00

Texas A&M is done messing with Texas.

Texas A&M has notified the Big 12 that it plans to apply for membership to a new conference, and if accepted, it will end its membership with the Big 12 on June 30, 2012.

The announcement comes after conversations between Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin and SEC commissioner Mike Slive that began on July 21, the day after a meeting of the Texas A&M board of regents.

"I have determined it is in the best interest of Texas A&M to make application to join another athletic conference," Loftin, who was authorized by regents to act on behalf of the university regarding conference affiliation on August 15, wrote in a letter to Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe on Wednesday.

Texas A&M previously asked the Big 12 to provide an outline of requirements to leave the league and the Big 12 responded earlier this week.

"We appreciate the Big 12's willingness to engage in a dialogue to end our relationship through a mutually agreeable settlement," Loftin said in the release. "We, too, desire that this process be as amicable and prompt as possible and result in a resolution of all outstanding issues, including mutual waivers by Texas A&M and the conference on behalf of all the remaining members."

Loftin has stated he has no desire for A&M's "conference exploration" to be "prolonged" but did not offer a timeline for when the Aggies would become members of their new conference.

David Ubben covers the Big 12 for ESPN.com.

Click Here for more details.

Monday Morning Top 10

2011-08-29T09:34:00.001-05:00

My Monday Morning Top 10 things to be excited about:

Oklahoma football starts this Saturday!
My "43 Days til' Sooner Football" blog posting has moved to the top of my most read posts.
On Thursday, Justin's parents are visiting for 5 days. It will be nice to spend uninterrupted time with them.
Family barbecue this weekend = grilling and homemade pies.
Tonight I'm meeting a dear friend for coffee.
Our home is Spic n' Span! A clean house always makes me excited.
I'm discovering new recipes that Justin and I both love.
In 33 days I will allow myself to begin listening to Christmas music! :)
Michael Buble has a new Christmas album coming out.
Justin's got his first volleyball games of the season this week.

Is Oklahoma Doomed?

2011-08-22T07:42:00.000-05:00

When Justin's Sports Illustrated arrived this weekend, it only made me and every other Sooner fan in the nation a little scared.

The following article is written by Shawn S. Lealos, Oklahoma alumni - Class of 2000 and Yahoo! news contributor. Lealos says not to be weary of the SI curse.
------

August 19, 2011 - Oklahoma Sooners football fans can pick up the Aug. 22, 2011 issue of Sports Illustrated and find one of their top players adorning the cover. The college football preview issue features Landry Jones and four other collegiate superstars heading into the upcoming NCAA football season. The magazine marks the 32nd time the Sooners appeared on the cover and has some locals fearing the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.

As a member of the University of Oklahoma's 2000 graduating class, I see that as nothing more than an urban legend. Much like the "Madden Curse," the SI cover curse also has its victims. The Sooners just have to look to 1957 when the cover of Sports Illustrated showcased Clendon Thomas with the headline "Why Oklahoma is Unbeatable." The Sooners lost the very next game they played to Notre Dame, ending their NCAA record 47-game winning streak.

But in 2000, I remember something that evens that out. The quarterback in my senior year was a gentleman named Josh Heupel, and he lost out in the Heisman Trophy voting that season to Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke. Oklahoma got a chance for revenge against Florida State that season in the national championship game, but if the Sports Illustrated curse really exists, it took a year off.

On Nov. 6, 2000, Oklahoma Sooners tailback Quentin Griffin was the cover boy with a headline announcing that Oklahoma was back on top for the first time in 13 years. The Sooners came off wins over top-ranked Kansas State, Texas and Nebraska to claim the No. 1 spot in the nation in Bob Stoops' second year as head coach. Surely, the youth of the team and the Sports Illustrated curse would doom Oklahoma after that.

I remember standing on the sidelines of the Orange Bowl next to Josh Heupel as he took a giant bite out of an orange and smiled at the television cameras. He just helped lead the Sooners to their first national title since 1985, beating Florida State and the man who beat him out for the Heisman Trophy. As a student journalist at the time, I interviewed Orange Bowl MVP Torrance Marshall after the game, and he said they won it for Heupel as revenge for the Heisman snub.

By the end of the season, Oklahoma adorned the cover of Sports Illustrated for the second time in two months with the headline "Case Closed!" Heading into the 2011 college football season, many preseason polls have Oklahoma ranked either first or second heading into the season. Sports Illustrated has them ranked No. 2, but fans see Landry Jones on the cover and wonder if this will jinx their season.

As someone who watched one of the greatest seasons in Oklahoma Sooners football history first hand, I say ignore talk of a jinx. What matters is what happens on the field—and no magazine cover will hold back a team destined to win.

Blessings - Laura Story

2011-08-17T07:51:00.001-05:00

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know the pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this not our home

It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the achings of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise

Like Crazy

2011-08-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, I must see this movie! I just saw the trailer for Like Crazy and it completely melted my heart. I'm such a sucker for a feel-good romance movie. Anton Yelchin completely charmed me and Felicity Jones is so graceful and stunning.

At the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Awards, director Drake Doremus says, "This movie is about love, and about love never dying. Your first love will never leave you. It hasn't left me and it's with me here tonight." Mark your calendar for October 28, 2011!

Lift Your Hands

2011-08-15T07:59:00.001-05:00

An experience this weekend leads me to post this song for you today. Listen to the words of this song, and may God be with you.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Special Day

2011-08-14T07:05:00.003-05:00

Today my parents celebrate 35 years of marriage!

Justin and I feel so blessed to have such amazing parents as role models on what a successful marriage should look like. Our parents are the most generous, loving, and selfless people we know.

Congratulations, Mom and Dad! We love you!

Lily loves her Kong

2011-08-13T10:13:00.002-05:00

It Begins

2011-08-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

"Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Oh! Back to school...back to school...back to school. Well, here goes nothing." - Billy Madison

That's right folks, today's Justin's first day back to school for the 2011-2012 school year...snack pack and all! (Just kidding.) Can you believe the school year is beginning already? Where did the summer go?

Justin's going to have quite a crazy schedule this school year. The fall starts with him working at Olathe North during the day and then coaching girls volleyball at Olathe East in the afternoon. He's totally stoked to coach at Olathe East where the talent is incredible, and they already have an established program. He came home from volleyball camp this summer and said the problem he's going to have this year is that there is too much talent. Sounds like a good problem to have!

November through March, Justin will be coaching the sophomore boys basketball team at Olathe North. This is his fourth year coaching this team at North. He loves the coaching staff he works with and his players.

Stay tuned for pictures, game results, and fun stories about his coaching experience. Honey, I'll see you next March!

My Summer Top 5

2011-08-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

As summer is quickly coming to an end, I thought I'd rave a little bit over some of my favorite things these last few months:

Garnier Nutri-Pure Detoxifying Wet Cleansing Towelettes - These wipes have been my savior this summer. They take off makeup hassle-free in 10-seconds or less! They were great to use before my last minute decision to run to the pool for the afternoon, removing all of my eye makeup and leaving me with no raccoon eyes. Love them!
Fontina Cheese - Visiting St. Louis in July, I quickly became addicted to Fontina cheese after getting a block of it on The Hill. This cheese has accompanied our pasta dishes and homemade pizzas all summer. This cheese melts beautifully! It's especially tasty on grilled pizza. What's that? You've never had grilled pizza??? TRY IT! You're welcome.
Natural Bliss Vanilla Creamer by Coffee-mate - This lovely creamer has no artificial sweeteners, uses all natural ingredients (hence the name), and makes my everyday cup-of-Joe taste like a vanilla latte. Love it!
John Frieda Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat Protective Spray - Most of you know my hair is naturally wavy. But not cute wavy, it's tight curls on one side of my head and loose waves on the other, therefore most days I straighten my hair. This spray keeps my hair straight all day and controls the frizz in our awful Midwest humidity. Awesome.
Brompton Hobo by J.Crew - And last but not least, I absolutely adore this bag! I've been eyeballing leather purses this color all summer, anticipating the fall to come to so I can get my new purse.

Branson - Table Rock Lake

2011-08-10T14:12:00.000-05:00

The Family Banana Split at Uptown Diner

Justin, me, and Jeff at Uptown Diner

Mompshy and me!

Pops, Mompsh, and Jeff at Fall Creek

Us at Fall Creek - J had Southern Fried Sirloin, I had Sirloin Tips with grilled veggies.

Beautiful sunset, driving over Table Rock Dam.

Fun on the lake!

Me tubing

Captain Franklin

Pops tubing! So proud! :o)

Jeff having fun!

Justin's first time tubing!

Airborne!

Resting after getting flipped off!

Mom says this is a Christmas card picture. I hope not!

Tandem Tubing!

I could not stop laughing! It was so fun!

Me and old J!

Me and little J!

Jeff and Pops

State Park Marina on Table Rock was fabulous!

Silver Dollar City, here we come!

Me with Santa at Christmas Hollow!

Had to get a picture at Frank's Hot Dogs!

I was eyeballing the ice cream shop.

Made fresh daily.

I want these painted on my kitchen wall.

Justin was eyeballing those turkey legs!

Yummo!

Flamin' hot!

Our 'family' bracelets were good luck, getting us prime parking spots everywhere we went! ;o)

What's that you say? BOOMER!

2011-08-04T15:56:00.002-05:00

Oklahoma is college football's No. 1 team, followed by Alabama and Oregon, in the USA Today coaches' preseason poll released on Thursday.

USA Today Coaches' Poll

The top five teams in the preseason USA Today coaches college football Top 25:

Okla.	Ala.	Oregon	LSU	FSU
• Will Florida St. make SportsNation's Top 5?

The Sooners received 42 of the 59 first-place votes in the poll to easily grab the No. 1 spot in the rankings, which count for one-third of the Bowl Championship Series formula.

Alabama picked up 13 first-place votes and Oregon, which lost to Auburn in last season's Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, picked up two first-place votes.

LSU, which opens the season against Oregon on Sept. 3 (8 p.m. ET, ABC), is fourth after picking up a pair of first-place votes as well.

Florida State is No. 5, followed by Stanford, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M andWisconsin.

Auburn is ranked 19th, the lowest for a defending national champion since USA Today began administering the coaches' poll in 1991. That's four spots higher than the Tigers started last season before their improbable title run.

TCU, which finished second in last year's final poll, starts the year 15th.

Ohio State is 16th despite the departure of quarterback Terrell Pryor and resignation of coach Jim Tressel during a tumultuous offseason.

Notre Dame is No. 18.

The Big East, which has one of the six automatic BCS berths, does not have a team ranked in the preseason Top 25. West Virginia is No. 27.

courtesy of ESPN

Provide Water of Life

2011-08-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

If you listen to K-LOVE on the radio, you've probably heard about the water filters that they're trying to get people to purchase to help give pure drinking water to those in Rwanda.

K-LOVE is partnering with Compassion International, who we sponsor Tam through, to help Compassion children and their families get clean water.

This morning I was listening as they told the story of visiting Rwanda a couple of weeks ago and when they asked the people to show them where they get their water, they took them to a valley where the water runs down from the hills into a stagnant pond. The people fill up their jugs full of filthy water and take it back to their families.

The filters that Compassion and K-LOVE are "selling" will purify a family's water for their entire life! This new technology is being used by our very own military overseas. The filters do not break down and a family will have pure and clean water for their lifetime.

$55.00 is one date-night at the movies, or one dinner out for a family. Please consider helping a Compassion child and his or her family!

Give a Child in Need One of The Greatest Gifts – SAFE WATER FOR LIFE!

Compassion's Water of Life, a safe water system goes to the heart of one of the greatest and most urgent needs in developing countries today – providing safe drinking water to children and their families.

Every day over 4,000 children are dying of water-related diseases such as cholera and typhoid that are easily preventable. Many more are suffering sickness, diarrhea and acute stomach pains – illnesses that stop children going to school and growing up into healthy adults.

When you give to Compassion's Water of Life, you are not only giving safe drinking water, you are protecting a child from life-threatening diseases and allowing that child to go to school, to dream and reach their full potential.

Your donation of $55 provides:

Compassion's Water of Life system – safe water for life (over 1 million gallons) for a child and their family in developing countries.
Education on improving hygiene and sanitation
Support for improving community water and sanitation sources where needed.

Click HERE to provide a complete Water of Life system to a child and his or her family.

Rookie Trying To Earn Family Creation

2011-08-02T08:11:00.000-05:00

You all know that Justin and I are not Dallas Cowboy fans. In fact, we usually despise all things Texas. However...we thought this story was pretty cool. Justin and I went to Graceland with Zach's sisters, Tara and Cassie. In fact, they were my Solah sisters. They've been such proud big sisters over the last several weeks.

Read this story written by DallasCowboys.com staff writer, Nick Eatman.
---

SAN ANTONIO- If Zack Eskridge can somehow find a way to turn enough heads, execute enough throws and ultimately just make enough plays, he could wind up being the first quarterback from his school to make a Dallas Cowboys roster.

However, he wouldn't even be the first member of his immediate family to be associated with America's Team.

See, as Eskridge tries to learn these NFL ropes and figure out Jason Garrett's complicated offense in the process, he does so with the motivation of trying to earn something that his grandfather actually helped design some 50 years ago: the Cowboys' trademark blue star.

Eskridge is a former standout at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, a four-year training camp site of the Cowboys from 1998-2001. But as he now competes in his first week to make the team's roster, he's doing so with just a silver helmet.

One of Garrett's new policies this training camp is to make the rookies actually earn the blue star on the side of their helmet. Funny thing, it was Eskridge's grandfather, Jack, who actually created it.

"My grandpa was the first equipment manager for the Cowboys," Eskridge said, donning his No. 4 jersey after practice. "Yeah, he designed the star. It was a blue star, but he made it the 3D effect. He took it to Tex Schramm and he liked it. And now that's we use today."

Although Eskridge hasn't quite gotten there yet. In fact, even the former MSU quarterback, one of 24 undrafted free agents to sign with the Cowboys this week, knows that it'll be a long and grueling process.

"It's just completely different. Just the speed of everything and the terminology of the offense and transitioning from college to the NFL, it's like you're speaking a different language," Eskridge said. "You might think you have it in the meeting room when it's all nice and slow. But you get out to practice and they read it off the script. It's like boom, boom boom. I'm processing it at a different speed. I'm learning a lot, but it's a slow process."

And it's even slower considering that unlike other years in which the rookie free agents joined the team immediately following the draft, Eskridge had to wait it out this summer. He didn't get the call from the Cowboys until Monday.

Three days later, he's on the field with the team at training camp, chatting with Tony Romo about certain blitz pick-ups, and working on his drops and footwork with Jon Kitna.

"All the quarterbacks have been helpful. I've probably learned the most from Kitna than any of the guys. He's been in the league for a while so anything you get from a guy like him is helpful. You can learn a lot from those guys because they've been around for a while and they know a lot."

And in time, Eskridge thinks he'll know a few things as well. At least that is what he's banking on.

"Once you learn it, you'll do less thinking and more playing," Eskridge said. "Right now, I'm trying to learn it and milk all the other quarterbacks as much as I can. I'm always around Coach (Wade) Wilson. All day today, I stood by him and they'd call out a play and I'd have to call out the formations. Even when I'm not in, I'm having to take mental reps all the time. Even when you're not in, you've got to get reps."

So it's been a rather humbling experience for Eskridge, one of the most decorated players in Midwestern State history, leaving as the school's all-time leader in passing yards (6,953), touchdown passes (64), completions (570), passer rating (152.9) and completion percentage (65.7). Over the last three years, Eskridge has been the face of an MSU program that had two postseason appearances in the last three years.

But here in San Antonio, he's just No. 4, trying to get a few practice reps thrown his way. Yet, don't think for a second that Eskridge is lacking any confidence.

Tara and Zach at training camp

"You have to stay confident. If you go to a coach and say I'm not confident, they'll get rid of me in a second," he said. " I'm confident in everything I do. The more you do, it'll start slowing down. But I'm excited about everything that's happened so far.

"It's been a dream of mine my whole life. And to be one of just a few guys from Midwestern to ever do it, that'd be even more special. You do it for yourself, your family, your school and the people who've supported you. But you also do it for all the people that didn't support you and didn't believe in you. I use that to motivate me as well."

Motivated and focused, Eskridge says he's taking a few minutes to catch his breath and soak it all in.

"It's surreal to be here and on this team," he said. "It's a dream come true to be in the NFL and with the Cowboys and to wear this uniform."

Now, if he can only get that meaningful blue star to match.

Puppy Love

2011-07-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

For all those times that Justin says he doesn't like Lily. In fact, he loves her (almost) as much as I do...and I caught it on camera tonight. Ha!

Sent from my BlackBerry®. Please excuse the brevity of this message.

It's a brick

2011-07-27T17:28:00.003-05:00

The definition of a 5-pound burrito...

Chipotle's so good!

Keep it Vanilla

2011-07-27T08:54:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Baskin-Robbins with a co-worker of mine. I walked in and was immediately overwhelmed with my choice of 31 flavors. After exploring all of my options (and believe me, I looked at every single flavor, studying the description and previewing each carton to see which one caught my attention), I finally settled down with a double-scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream in a bowl. While I was walking back and forth up the aisle to find my perfect flavor, my friend had already ordered...a single scoop of vanilla in a cake cone. Not a waffle cone or a sugar cone...a cake cone. That's about as simple as it gets at an ice cream parlor, huh?

At first, I was teasing him and asking how on earth he could order a scoop of vanilla with 30 other flavors to choose from. I was thinking how plain it was. And then I realized, vanilla is not plain at all. Yes, it's simple. But not plain. It's rich, timeless, delightful, refreshing, and delicious.

That afternoon, I came to the realization that my life is too cluttered. I have too many choices, too many obligations, too many thoughts running through my mind throughout the day. It's amazing I'm in as good of health as I am, now that I think about how hard I am on my mind, body, and soul. Why is it so hard to keep life simple?

Since the ice cream shop, I told Justin that I'm on a mission to de-clutter my life. I'm not just talking about going through my "friends" on Facebook and getting rid of the ones that I never talk to and are merely acquaintances with. (Gosh, that sounds harsh.) I'm talking about going through each compartment of my life and organizing and de-cluttering what I can. Making my mind, body and soul feel whole again.

In searching for ways to make my life more simple, I discovered this blog http://zenhabits.net - Smile, breathe, & go slowly. I encourage you to take a look at it, for just in my reading it, it's helped me in more ways than I can describe.

Life's too short to be caught up in a million things. I'd rather have a few things to do and take the time to soak it all in, rather than rush through life wondering where the time went.

These last two weeks, I have been eating healthy, exercising in the mornings, saying "no" to things that I really don't have time to do (and I'm not letting myself feel guilty about it), taking 10 minutes every day at the end of my lunch to sip on some tea and read ZenHabits, listening to relaxing music while I work, and I have been taking life as it comes, not trying to rush anything. I physically and mentally have never felt better.

As we approach the new school year, Justin will begin volleyball season again and my role as "wife" will turn to working wife, house wife, and coach's wife. My goal is to take all of these ZenHabits, practice them daily, and with hope I can teach Justin some too.

May your life be vanilla...rich, timeless, delightful, refreshing, and delicious.

'Glee' Teaches You How To Dougie

2011-07-26T15:44:00.000-05:00

Don't judge me!

2011-07-25T14:08:00.004-05:00

Do you ever feel like people judge you when you're standing at the vending machine and you don't choose the "healthy" choice? Well, I do. DEAL WITH IT, PEOPLE! If I want some Cheez-It's, I'm gonna have some blasted Cheez-It's.

P.S. My snack is going to taste so much better than your yogurt covered nuts and berries. Comprendo?!?

Loving me some Pandora

2011-07-25T10:31:00.007-05:00

On this Monday morning, my Top 15 music lineup is...

Adele - 21 (love it)
Landon Pigg - The Boy Who Never (love it)
Laura Jansen - Bells (love it)
Michael Buble - Crazy Love (like it)
Nora Jones - Come Away With Me (like it)
Sara Bareilles - Little Voice (love it)
John Mayer - Any Given Thursday (love it)
The Fray - The Fray (like it)
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live 1999 (love it)
Runner Runner - Runner Runner (like it)
Jason Myles Goss - Another Ghost (love it)
Emily King - East Side Story (like it)
Amel Larrieux - Lovely Standards (love it)
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys (like it)
Matt Nathanson - Modern Love (love it)

43 Days til' Sooner Football!

2011-07-22T08:45:00.007-05:00

The Hill

2011-07-14T08:00:00.003-05:00

A Big Day for Johnson County

2011-07-13T13:59:00.006-05:00

Today was the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Johnson County Youth & Family Services Center, which includes the new addition to the Juvenile Detention Center. I was so proud to be my father's daughter, after hearing so many people tell me what an incredible man and boss he is, and how good he is at his job because he shows so much dedication and compassion to our county's youth.

The new YFS building is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) "green building" and projected to be the first LEED Platinum building in the state, and the first LEED Platinum detention center in the nation.

This incredible building includes a 1% Public Art Project where the suspended sculpture in the lobby and throughout the facility focuses on curvature and connection. The building architec

ture intentionally includes a high percentage of natural light, allowing the sculpture to magnify beautifully colored circles onto the walls and floors as the sunlight moves throughout the day.

The man below in the white shirt is the project artist - Zhao Suikang.

There are also contributions from several of the youth in the Juvenile Detention Center, who helped with the writings embedded in a glass wall to a courtyard. Using colorful, diachronic glass, the colors change with the movement of the sun.

I had the opportunity to tour the facility today, but with so many people could not get good shots. Saturday is "family day" and I hope to get more images.

So proud of you, Pops!

My Momo's Gone

2011-06-30T14:34:00.005-05:00

Well, today was a rather sad day for me. My BFF at work Monica, AKA Momo, is moving to Texas. Yes, Texas. I told her I would pray for her safe journey as long as she promised to not become a Longhorn fan. Just kidding...well, I did say that, but I would still pray for her anyway. ;o)

While Monica laughed at all my quirks, just as I did her, I think her favorite quirk of mine is my love for Christmas. She told her daughter, Isabella, I loved Christmas more than anyone, so when they went shopping she brought me back an ornament that Bella picked out for me.

One day they were packing up their things to move and came across a box of holiday decorations. Monica pulled out a snowman mug that she was going to give away. Bella says "You can't give that away. You need to give that to your friend Rebecca, who loves Christmas!" So, I have a snowman mug sitting on my desk at work.

When I had surgery in April, Monica was going through some of her movies for me to watch during my recovery. Bella asked her what she was doing. When she explained to Bella that I was having surgery she looked down at the bag of movies and says to her mother, "Well that won't do. She needs a lot more than that!" The next day Monica brought in 15 DVDs for me, 10 of which were Bella's favorites that "make her feel good".

When Monica was packing up her desk at work, she pulled out a picture of herself, cut out her head, posted it on my cube and said, "I'll always be watching you."

Monica has been a Godsend to me this past year. Her independence, loyalty, and ethics have helped create an awesome friendship. I will miss her dearly, and I wish her the best of luck in San Antonio. I'll miss you, Momo!

Guess what's tomorrow night?!?

2011-06-22T14:43:00.003-05:00

Thursday, June 23rd 10/9 P.M. Central on ABC

Kansas City Weather...

2011-05-26T07:32:00.004-05:00

We'd first like to let all of our distant friends and family know that we're okay. Our cell phones were out of order for quite some time yesterday, causing brief panic in those who heard Kansas City had tornadoes but could not reach us.

We've heard and seen multiple excuses from Sprint and from those who posted on the internet, but the most consistent story is that when one of the Overland Park tornadoes touched down momentarily, it knocked out a tower.

The National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes touched down in Kansas yesterday, two in Overland Park, 122nd & Craig (in between Metcalf & Antioch) and 175th & Mission Road, and one in Louisburg. The touchdown at 122nd & Craig was literally just three miles straight west of our home. See more details at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2011_tornado_outbreak.

We're so blessed that there were no injuries.

Here are some photos from around the city yesterday.

This photo was taken by my friend's son. The funnel dipping down was the one that touched at 122nd & Craig.

These are a couple of images from the Overland Park tornadoes from LJWorld.com. You can see more images at http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/galleries/2011/may/25/tornadoes-kansas-city/.

This photo was taken yesterday afternoon in downtown KC by Gary Lezak, a local meteorologist. He referred to this as the "Green Sky Warning".

I-70 Series with the Scharf's

2011-05-22T16:07:00.006-05:00

Maps

2011-04-27T10:16:00.004-05:00

Let's see if I can make those maps bigger...

First Quarter Catch-Up

2011-04-27T07:39:00.014-05:00

I can't believe my last post was from Christmas! Man, I'm falling behind. A lot has been going on the last few months, so here's some of the important stuff...

Work, work, work! Seems to be the story of our lives. After basketball season ended, Justin started working at Blue Valley Parks & Recreation - reffing volleyball games/tournaments and field supervising for baseball games. While he's busy with school and sports, it's crunch time for me at work. Our annual User Summit is in June, and with some re-organizing of our company, it's put a lot of weight on my shoulders. Long days and weekends for both of us.

On March 11, 2011, Justin and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! I cannot believe it's been 5 years already. Crazy. We celebrated by going to the Kansas City Marriott on Country Club Plaza for the weekend. We were upgraded to a fabulous King Suite - compliments from the hotel. It was so fabulous!

Justin also got me this GORGEOUS emerald ring. Love it! I love GREEN!

On to more distressing news...

To make a really long story short, on March 22nd, my 28th birthday, I went to the doctor for severe pelvic pain. After tests and ultrasounds, the consensus was that I had a more severe case of endometriosis, which had developed two endometriomas (cysts caused by endometriosis) on one of my ovaries. So, on April 15th I had surgery to remove the cysts and get rid of the endometriosis temporarily. I'm back up and running! Well, not really running...I hate running. I'm just back up and moving around. I even got a 1/2 workout in last night for the first time in awhile, so that was nice.

DEVASTATION...

On Good Friday, April 22nd, an EF4 tornado ripped through St. Louis. Many of you probably saw the video and pictures on the news from Lambert Field - St. Louis International Airport, but more specifically, the tornado came within yards of Justin's parent's home.

The red line shows the path of this tornado. The letter A pin on the Google maps below is the location of his parents' home. The tornado started in Maryland Heights and went all the way into Illinois.

Thankfully, all of Justin's family and friends are safe and unharmed, but the structural damage and debris is unbelievable. In fact, I believe that there have been absolutely NO FATALITIES, which is completely fascinating to me given the strength of the tornado. One news station said that St. Louis residents had over 30 minutes warning to take cover. So amazing.

Justin went home for the week to help with debris clean up. The community where his family lives is small and everyone knows each other, so it's been quite an emotional trip for him. He's taking lots of pictures there, so we'll get those posted when he comes home.

St. Louis International

Neighborhood

Justin took this picture - amazing the house is still standing.

On a happy note...

We celebrated a fabulous Easter Sunday in Kansas City with family. The rain held off, it was nice weather to be outside, and we enjoyed lots of good food...as we do at every Rider family function.

Jacinda Lillie just turned 1 on April 12th, celebrating her birthday with Aunt Joy. She is such a doll! I couldn't get enough of her.

And of course, we ended the day with a 'big kids' Easter egg hunt around the house. Always so much fun!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-27T08:00:00.009-06:00

Our Christmas this year was a little crazy! We had my cousin Brooke, her husband Johnny, and their 2-year old Kara'lin come visit us from Kentucky. We also had our annual Rider Family Christmas Party on December 23rd. We had a fabulous time with family!

Rider Family Christmas Party

A Kentucky Christmas

A St. Louis Christmas...in January

Fun in the Snow!

2011-01-26T14:33:00.002-06:00

I know I'm super behind on my blog postings, but here are a few pictures to help hold you over. I will post Christmas pictures soon!

Guess which one is #3?

2011-01-26T12:31:00.001-06:00

List: Kansas City's Most Popular Dog Breeds - Photos - KMBC Kansas City

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

2010-12-08T12:58:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving in The Lou

2010-12-01T08:11:00.009-06:00

This year's Thanksgiving trip to St. Louis was a whirlwind. Justin had basketball practice on Friday afternoon, so we left Wednesday and came back Friday morning.

Because the Franklin-Hausman family is getting so, incredibly large, we decided to hold the family Thanksgiving dinner at a hall, so no one would have to host alone. It was a wonderful idea! The kids could run and play, the adults could spread out for feasting and watching football, and there was plenty of room for the delicious spread of food!

There are lots of pictures, so here we go!

Playing a crazy game of Rob Your Neighbor

Cynthia and Renee

Renee, Sandy (trying to hid a present behind her back), & Stephanie

Lydia (Paul & Amy's little girl)

Lydia & Amy

Me & Maya

Travis, Justin, & Brandon

John

Kenny

Steve, Paul (Amanda's boyfriend), and Ernie

Amanda & Cynthia

Maya & J.P.

All 35 of us at one table! Awesome! :o)

Brent & Johnny (Mocking me and Stephanie in the next photo)

Steph & Me

Maya & Gianna

Gianna & Travis

Our Thanksgiving surprise was the snow that started to fall just as everyone arrived! I grabbed my camera and as many people as I could who were willing to go outside and play for pictures! :o)

Love from South Korea

2010-11-20T12:47:00.004-06:00

I know this is late, but better late than never!

A month ago, Cassandra came to Kansas City for a brief visit. She is a dear friend of mine. Our paths happened to cross over 4 years ago, when she came to work at RPA with me for 1 year. While working for an accounting firm was neither of our passions, we both resigned from RPA within weeks of each other.

I consider Cassandra one of my best, religious, spiritfual friends. She keeps me grounded and focused when I stray off my path. She has given me tremendous support over the years, and for that, I am ever so grateful.

Cassandra left Kansas to go teach English in South Korea. Her visit was a wonderful gift, even if I only did get to have one afternoon with her.

My New Favorite Holiday Candy!

2010-11-15T08:12:00.004-06:00

While I thoroughly enjoy all of the treats the holiday season brings, with the exception of fruit cake, my new favorite holiday treats are Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses!

If you've never had pleasure of tasting these delicious kisses, they taste like the pastel green, pink, and yellow meltaway mints that you see a lot of times at weddings and showers. So tasty!

Busy Day

2010-11-13T19:14:00.002-06:00

Just finished a busy day of shopping for tomorrow's youth team Italian Delight fundraiser, decorating my parents' house for Christmas (inside & out), watching the Oklahoma game, giving Lily lots of love because she doesn't feel well, and now...I can't believe I'm saying this...actually hoping that Texas beats Oklahoma State so the Sooners can have a shot to face the Huskers one last time in the Big 12 Championship!

Whew! I'm exhausted just typing all of that.

P.S. Thanksgiving is in 12 days!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Need I say more?

2010-11-01T08:01:00.003-05:00