Connor's 5th Birthday

Last weekend, the day after Mike's birthday, we were able to celebrate Connor's birthday with him.

Afterall, it was a big one. Turning five is a big thing, and means a lot of changes . . . things like going to a new school, starting kindergarten . . .

. . . and most importantly, finally being old enough to take care of your very own pet.

Because of this, we were lucky enough to get Connor his very own pet for his birthday.

So that morning we trecked out to the pet store in a hunt for the perfect guinea pig.

Connor searched the cages over and over again, and eventually found the perfect one.

And in the end, there were nothing but smiles . . .

And Connor is now the proud new owner of Tina the guinea pig.

Happy 5th Birthday Connor!

Easter 2011

This year, Easter was spent 'house-hopping,' as most holidays are with us. It actually works out really well though, as we are able to spend time with both of our families!

Our afternoon started at Joel's parent's house. We were lucky enough to enjoy a wonderful lunch, watch an Easter egg hunt with some of the biggest eggs I've ever seen, and just hang out with family.

We then moved on to my grandparent's house, where we were again able to enjoy a great meal (the benefit of 'house-hopping' . . . lots of food).

I even managed to find some time to make some little goody-bags for everyone . . .

Click here to see last years Easter festivities . . .

Mike's Birthday . . .

Over the weekend, we celebrated once again . . .

Happy (belated) Birthday Mike!

Home Project #2

So I apologize for the delay in posts. We had a small mishap with our laptop, involving a virus (kind of a long story, but I'll just say that it's not a good plan to Google random pictures of whales . . . remember, I did say I had a weird fascination with them . . .)

Anyway, in the meantime, we've made another upgrade to our house.

So here's the before . . .

. . . and the after.

Let me just tell you that I am in love with this couch.

We'd been looking for some new furniture for a while . . . we were thankful to get the other stuff from my parents when we moved and they upgraded, but I had been wanting something of our own. When I saw this, I immediately fell in love with it . . . I had wanted a sectional, something to fill the room up a bit more, it was the perfect color.

Plus, it was a bonus that the entire thing is filled with down, and is probably the most comfortable thing I've ever sat on.

So, when the store happened to be having a pretty good sale, we bought it. It was finally delivered last week, and I'm really happy with how it turned out looking. Definately a good upgrade . . .

Coupons . . .?

So I've heard a lot of things about 'couponing' lately. I know people have been doing it for a long time, but this is something that's completly new to me.

Somebody I work with was talking about it the other day. She said it kind of feels like gambling . . . you become completly addicted, and it feels good when you come out with a 'win.'

My sister-in-law does it, and seems to save a lot of money.

Multiple people on my Facebook talk about it.

So I figure, if it saves so much money, and makes you feel better about yourself in the end, why not try it myself? Afterall, it can't be too difficult, can it?

So I started researching it a bit. And boy was I wrong.

After reading about it a little, it seems pretty complicated to me. I've heard that it takes a bit to get it all together, so perhaps this is why it's so overwhelming-looking . . . ?

Either way, I've decided I'm going to give it a shot. Who know's how far I'll get . . . it seems awfully time consuming. But at the same time, maybe I'll really get into it. It can't hurt to try, right?

Anybody have any suggestions for me? Afterall, I really have no idea what I'm doing . . .

A Weekend Getaway? Yes, Please!

A couple of days ago, I got to thinking . . . which is always a scary thought . . .

. . . that it's time for a little weekend getaway.

Life has been busy lately. Work has been fairly stressful to me, as my mind is constantly terrified while I'm still on orientation. Joel and I hardly see each other during my long stretches . . . maybe for 5 to 10 minutes a day if we're lucky. Other times not at all. It's normal to us at this point, but can get old at times.

Since my my orientation is nearing it's end, I figured we could celebrate a bit.

So in a few short weeks, we will be making our way here . . .

. . .to Cannon Beach.

I haven't been to the beach for years. I can already hear the waves, feel the wind, and smell the fish . . .

And let me tell you that I'm already ecstatic about it . . .

The Perfect Piece . . .

How to eat the perfect piece of cake . . .

#1: Find a cake . . .

#2: Find a mischevious child . . .

#3: Give the small child a piece of the cake and see what happens . . .

Happy Birthday Joel!

The party . . .

The cake . . .

The presents . . .

Joel was lucky enough to receive some clothing, tools, and even one of these . . .

. . . more to come on that.

Happy 27th Birthday to Joel!