Weekend of Surprises

The first surprise came on Wednesday of last week.  Here is how it all went down :) I'm sitting at work minding my own business when my dad calls with exciting news and a secret.  Kevin, my little sisters boyfriend is proposing on Friday and my dad just wants me to know before hand that they will all be meeting (surprising) Lauren and Kevin afterwards for dinner to celebrate.  So before I know what I'm doing I buy a plane ticket for Wichita, I didn't think about it or worry about money I just bought a ticket.  I'm NOT a spur of the moment kind of person, I'm an accountant for crying out loud.  I only do things after weighing all my options consulting with Luke and sleeping on the idea for a few nights. NOT THIS TIME!

MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!

That is the point of the story incase you didn't get it already!  

Now, you are caught up and I can tell the story........

Friday I arrive in Wichita around 10:30am, my mom picks me up from the airport and takes me home.  We meet dad and Taylor for lunch and kill time waiting for Lauren to get off work and ultimatly for her hysterical phone call we know we will be getting soon!  While killing time Taylor and I decide that we want to go wedding dress shopping while I'm around so we schedule a few appointments for Saturday and continue to wait.  Soon after 4:30 Taylor gets the call.  We all have to keep quiet because Lauren still thinks I'm i LA.  I get the call next and play it off GREAT! She has NO idea I'm in KS!  We all pile in the car and head to P.F. Changs to meet the happy couple.  We were seated at the first table so they couldn't miss us when they came in. It was a great surprise!  Lots of tears from me and Lauren. This may have been the first time in my life I've kept a secret long enough to see it pay off in the end! 

Saturday was a much needed Raleigh girls day! Can't remember the last time we had a day to do as we pleased!  It was so refreshing.  I needed some mom and sister time more than I would ever admit!  Lauren tried on some beautiful dresses and may have even found THE ONE!  She will be the most beautiful bride ever! Can't wait for May 20 2011 to roll around!   

one happy family!

the happy couple

and THE RING!  he did Good!

Hope your weekend was one to celebrate as well!

-Morgan

Bull Shoals/White River

On Friday of Labor day weekend Luke and I packed up the car and dogs and headed to Bull Shoals, AR.  We rented a house on the White River with Matt, Allison, and Brian.

view from our deck!  That little blip out there is Luke fishing.

This was our first family of 4 road trip!  As you may know Buddy is an excellent traveller.  He made numerous trips from MN to KS last year, I guess you could say he is a travelling veteran.  Kato, on the other hand is scared shi+less of the car.  (I mean this quite literally.)  So we were a little worried about her. But, she did GREAT, until we hit middle of NOWHERE Arkansas.  The roads were 2 lane, slow moving and windy as all get out!  She threw up for the first time about half way through the drive, # 2 and 3 were both within the last hour!  3 times!  I'm not sure if it is the mom in me or the fact that I'm growing up but I was able to make it the entire trip with out getting sick!  Thank goodness I layered the back seat in towels and the rental house had a washing machine.  The car made it with out too much damage.  We arrived about 4:30 so we took the dogs down to the river for some swimming.  They LOVED it.  Luke did some fishing and I enjoyed some cool weather while we watched from the beach.  The fishing was pretty short lived.  Buddy has been fishing enough times with Luke that he knows what the pole can bring in.  He wouldn't leave Luke alone.  He sat beside him the entire time and stared at the line.  I've never seen him so intense!  While this is pretty cute it also makes me nervous. Once while fishing in Stillwater, Luke "caught" Buddy.  The hook went right through his back leg.  Now, I didn't know this but those little hooks have a barb on them so they don't just slide out. I freaked out and provided NO help.   Luke had to carry Buddy around the lake looking for someone with the right tool to cut the hook so we could get it out.  We made it through the ordeal with no infections and a dog that learned NOTHING.  Ok, so back to the white river.  Matt, Allison, and Brian arrived about 11:30 that night, which means it was a late night of catching up.

Buddy LOVES fishing.  Luke is trying to keep him beside him and nowhere near the hook.

Saturday started out perfectly, Luke made biscuits and gravy for all of us and then we headed to the lake.  We rented a pontoon boat for the day so we were lazy all day.  We fished, swam, the boys jumped off some cliffs and mostly just relaxed!  It was just what we needed.  That evening we went out to eat at one of Luke and I's favorite restaruants Picante's.  It is a little mexican restaurant that has a store in Hot Springs, AR and one in Mountain Home, AR.  THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD EVER!

Sunday was a LAZY day.  We went on a float trip down the white river in the afternoon and then out to eat for dinner.  I don't have pictures of the float trip or the day on the pontoon boat yet, I'm awaiting them in an email from Brian!

It was a great weekend with great friends.  We need to make this happen more often!

- Morgan

  

Have you heard of this?

Ok, so I'm a BIG fan of Overstock.  I don't even really buy that much from them but I can spend hours just browsing.  The other day I got an email from the O with a link to ideeli and I've fallen in LOVE.  I got a few cute Jessica Simpson dresses the other day during the featured sale.  I've copied a description from their website:

ideeli is the fastest-growing online shopping destination. Our 2.5 million members enjoy limited-time sales featuring the most sought-after brands in fashion, home and beauty–at prices up to 80% off.

Access to new sales in fashion, beauty and home every day.

Designer brands at up to 80% off

Extraordinary Giveaways

New brands are featured each day in sales starting at 12 p.m. EST. Sales last 40 hours, or until items are sold out. We also have weekly giveaways. They have a surprise start time and last 7 hours (in most cases). Our members are notified by email, Facebook and Twitter each time a new sale starts.

Now who doesn't think this sounds amazing!  I am always looking for nice dress clothes for work but hate spending an arm and a leg, now I don't have too!

Here's a link if you wanna give it a try

 www.ideeli.com/invite/morgan.simmering

happy shopping

-morgan

Drumroll Please.........

It's time for me to share that secret I've been keeping!

I'M GONNA BE AN AUNT!!!

I'm gonna be a first time AUNT in April!

April 22 to be more specific!

You have no idea how excited I am for these two

I can't wait to spoil my niecephew!  

Now I just need to know if I need to buy blue or pink!  or maybe I'll just stick to gender neutral colors, I need to go shopping for this little person!

Now we just got to get to work getting this baby a cousin to play with. 

And I vote sooner rather than later, the Dr. gave us a green light to try again so maybe we'll have another 'secret' to share soon. :)

Here's to wishfull thinking

-morgan

Happy Post

Ok so I am feeling a little bad for unloading last time.  I'm not an uphappy person! I promise!  Here are some good things that happened last week/weekend

- today is Luke's 25th Birthday

this means I'm no longer older than him.  I like being the same age :)

- painted our laundry room turquoise

(Luke was gone and I was worried he may not be a fan but he LOVES it)

- organized/cleaned our bedroom closet and dressers

- organized/cleaned the laundry room

- organized/cleaned out our important papers file

- organized/cleaned our pantry

- made cute little garden stakes to identify our veggies

- made Luke a carrot cake from scratch for his BDay

(we will salvage it by cutting off the part Kato ate)

- finally made a collage with scrapbook paper for some 16x20 frames I have hanging in our hallway

(one of my favorite projects I've done to date. I'll have to try and get a pic of it to share)

- took a hot shower and a steaming hot bath!

- started and finished Hunger Games! I LOVE this book

- started Catching Fire book II in the Hunger Games trilogy!

P.S. I have a secret I'm hoping to share soon!  No it isn't what you are thinking, but still a fun one!

Hope you have a WONDERFUL Day too!

- Morgan

Pity Party

Do you ever have one of those day, or weeks, etc. where it seems NOTHING goes your way.    Well I've had a string of those days recently.  I think the score is life: 50000000 v morgan: 0.

I like to think that I handle stress pretty well, I really kinda thrive on it a bit.  But there comes a time when enough is enough.  

The last straw was this weekend.  I'll condense this store into the short version to help save some time and frustration of me reliving this series of events.  Luke and I got home from a weekend at the lake late on Monday.  We each took a shower and didn't think anything of it.  When I woke up the next morning for work there was NO hot water for my shower!  We blew it off and figured the pilot light was out for some odd reason.  Luke was gonna take a look when he got home that afternoon.  When  I met him over lunch he was frustrated because the pilot light wouldn't stay lit.  He had tried everything.  I called our home warranty company to schedule an appt. for Wednesday.  No luck, they can't be here until Thursday morning.  We deal with it and take freezing cold showers on Wednesday.  Thursday I head off to work a little early knowing that I'll have to come back home to meet the plumber when they arrive.  I get to work and I'm just trucking along when I realize its almost lunch time and NO plumber yet!  I call to check on them, they were supposed to be at my house by 8am.  Regardless I come home that afternoon to let them in and they fix it!!!  I go back to work and don't think anymore of it.  When I get home Luke has it apart again and is getting madder by the min.  The pilot light was out again when he got home and won't stay lit.  The plumber did NOTHING and I paid him for it!  I called back and got the run around by the secretary.  I finally got her to schedule me an apt with the owner of the little plumbing company for first thing Friday morning.  Friday morning was a nightmare in and of itself trying to get Luke to MN for fall conference so when the plumber still hadn't shown up by 10 am I was not happy.  I had a meeting with our department heads in which I was to be explaining financial statements so that they can work on their budgets.  I missed it!!  Did I mention I missed the last two leadership meetings because I was out of town!  This meeting was called last min. and I didn't know since I was sitting at home waiting.  I finally decide to go back to work and wait there.  By the time I leave a 4 there is STILL NO PLUMBER!  We have now been with out hot water for almost 4 days!  There are dishes piled up, dirty clothes needing washed, and me...... I feel gross. A cold shower may be doable for some people but I am not a fan.  I don't feel clean when I get out and I'm frozen not relaxed and renewed like you are supposed to be when you get out of the shower!  Needless to say I have called Lowes and they have the part I need and I will have Luke replace it when he gets home.  I WILL be calling both the company and the home warranty company to complain.  I painted and worked outside in the LA heat all weekend thinking that I would have HOT water by the end of each day.  NOPE!If you live in the Ruston, LA area I recommend you steer clear of ROWE Plumbing from Jonesboro.  Terrible customer service.  They have promised me 3 days in a row that they will be there and then no show.

Ok, lets see what else.  Luke has been gone all weekend.  I normally enjoy some time alone and I had plans to spend the day in Monroe on Sat. but with the plumber fiasco I had to stay home and wait.  Cancelled my me time in Monroe.  Those of you that know Luke, you know that he doesn't talk on the phone so I was on my own this weekend.  I mean that, I believe I called him close to 20 times trying to get him to call the plumber and he doesn't answer.  I know this about him but it is still FRUSTRATING when I'm stuck at the house.

and the event that caused me to break into tears...... Kato took a nice big bite out of the Birthday cake that I made for Luke today.

Homemade carrot cake, his favorite.  3 layers with cream cheese frosting and covered with pecans.  And she did this!  That is when I lost it.  

I had a good cry, everyone needs one every now and again right.  I've been holding this one in for a long time and it was time.  I cried for my last 2 miscarriages, I cried because everyone is pregnant but me, I cried for the cake, and the unwashed dishes, and dirty laundry, I cried cause I miss Luke and because I'm mad at him for leaving me on my own even though I thought I was ready.  I feel so much better.  If you haven't cried in awhile - do it.  It is almost as rejuvenating as a hot shower.

-morgan

CAKE

As promised

My Cake.

Don't worry too much, I think I could do better! I was rushed.  Next one will be better!  Don't know when that will be, anyone need a cake for anything?

Did I Mention...

I know that this bragging is going to get old fast but here is a list I emailed Luke today.

-SMALL TUB OF FROSTING. SAME KIND AS LAST TIME JUST GET THE SMALL TUB, IT IS A DIFFERENT CONSISTENCY.

-CAKE MIX – FUN FLAVOR

-EGGS

-VIVA PAPER TOWELS – NOT THE SELECT A SIZE IF YOU CAN FIND THEM. I NEED THE FULL SIZE SHEETS.

-CLEAR PLASTIC CUPS

-IN THE CRAFT DEPT. I NEED AN ANGLED SPATULA. THEY WILL HAVE ONE WILTON BRAND. I GUESS I NEED THIS TO ICE MY CAKE.

I just realized how demanding I am.  I don't just ask him to pick up some things I get speific. As if the world will stop turning if I don't get the exact type of paper towel I want. WOW! 

I also left instructions for him this morning to have my cake batter all mixed up and ready for me when I get home from work at 4 so I can finish baking, level, and (hopefully) ice them before class.  (I won't be providing my address on here for fear he may be kidnapped at some point :) 

Tonight is graduation, we will be decorating a cake from start to finsh TONIGHT! 

be prepared for pics of my attempt at being artsy.