happy birthday to me - it's moving day!

Whoo hoo Happy 26th Birthday to me today!! And it was moving day for me, Jordan, and Paisley which makes it that much more exciting! Since I'm a little too pregnant to be doing the loading/unloading and moving things around, I mostly directed where all of our things should go and unpacked some boxes as they were brought in. Turns out we have A TON of stuff for only being two people, wow! Now we are surrounded with boxes and bags everywhere but at least we finally have a place to call home! And more importantly, a place where we will bring our sweet baby home to and watch Peanut grow up for the first year! Hopefully we can get lots of unpacking and organizing done over the next few days but for now, I'm calling it a night! What a successful day of moving!

Happy 4th Birthday, Kemper James!

Happy 4th Birthday, Kemper James! I can't believe that you are already 4 years old! You are such a little dare-devil, fearless, hilarious, sweet, smart alecky, and fun loving boy! I am so lucky to be your aunt and am thankful to be part of your life. Your Uncle Jordan and I both love you so much! 

I'm super bummed I had to miss Kemper's birthday party today.... for the first time, I woke up last night around 4am with either heartburn or something going on where it felt like I burped in my sleep and something came up (totally gross, right?!) and then I couldn't fall back asleep for a few hours so it made for a rough morning and didn't leave me feeling too hot the rest of the morning and early afternoon. I can't wait to see you in a few weekends at the baby shower!

Happy Birthday Kemp! I hope today is full of fun times celebrating with your friends, family, and that you are spoiled rotten with fun toys and awesome gifts!

Happy Birthday, Mr. E!

Happy birthday to my best friend and better half, Jordan! You are an amazing husband, a wonderful teacher, and you will be an incredible daddy! You fill my life with love and laughter, and there's no one I would rather have by my side everyday! You make me a better person and I know I can always lean on you as my biggest fan and supporter. I would be lost without you in my life! I love you so much and you are simply the best. Here's to a lifetime of birthday celebrations and fun adventures together!

I can't wait to spend the day spoiling you and enjoying some golf together! You're so patient and make the best personal coach ever. Hope you have the happiest of birthdays and I'm excited we will have Peanut here with us next year to celebrate with you on your special day!

Friday Funnies - 5.10.13

Is it just me or did this week fly by? Maybe it's just me but wow, I can't believe it is already Friday! Next week is finals week and next week means that a lot of my close friends will be graduating and leaving Iowa City so they can start their internships. I am so sad to see them go but so excited for their adventures they will have this summer! Like I said earlier, this weekend will be one full of celebrations because Jordan's birthday is Saturday and Sunday is Mother's Day! I hope the weather stays nice and sunny like it's supposed to so that we can thoroughly enjoy the weekend! I'm going to some garage sales and off to do some thrifting before Mr. E gets home and we settle in for the night with dinner and a movie! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! 

image via Pinterest
how (almost) every college student feels during the week leading up to finals
and trying to study for them....

one of the greatest impression reels you will ever watch....

like the 4th of July in Alaska!

Friday Funnies - 1.25.13

It's been quite the week around here and I'm happy it is Friday! School started for me and ended for Jordan along with celebrating the birthday of my Dad and welcoming a new niece to the world....it has been quite the week! I had an internship interview as well (so now I'm crossing my fingers for a second one!) and just received a call from another hospital to set up an interview! I hope things fall into place like I am picturing they will.... Today my cousin Cody is coming over so Jordan and I get to help him celebrate his 29th birthday as well. Nothing like some Mario Kart, Disney PowerHour and cousin shots to ring in a birthday! Other than that, we have a quiet weekend lined up and that's just how I like it! Happy weekend everyone...enjoy some relaxation, lounging and laughing! In honor of baby Lucie, this week's Friday Funnies is dedicated to some cute and entertaining babies!


image via Google
Yeah, dude! It's Friday so cheer up and party on!

Charlie bit me!

That hurted and it's stillllllll hurting!

Happy Birthday Dad and Baby Lucie!

What a special day today is....I woke up knowing it was my Dad's birthday and am going to bed in a little bit  knowing that I became an aunt today for the 4th time! What a lucky girl I am today (and everyday!) to have such awesome family in my life and two special birthdays today to remember that by! I wish I could have celebrated with my Dad and enjoyed a beer with him but I'm beyond thrilled that we got to meet the new little girl who joined the family as well. Jordan and I are going to make a rockstar team together as Aunt and Uncle!

Happy Birthday to my amazing and awesome Dad! You definitely make one heck of a dad, father-in-law, husband, brother, grandpa, uncle, and friend! Thanks for always supporting, encouraging, and inspiring us throughout life...We would be lost without your endless love and laughter that you give us! I love you, Dad! 

Welcome to the world, Lucie Jane!  Happy Birthday!
Jordan and I are so lucky and blessed to become your aunt and uncle again today!
Your auntie and uncle love you! We are so excited to watch you grow up, spoil you rotten, teach you things
and be there throughout your life! 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

You are the most amazing and wonderful person 

and I am so lucky that you are my mom.

You make one hell of a mom, mother-in-law, wife, sister, grandma, aunt, cousin, and friend...just to name a few of your awesome roles and titles that you own! Without you, I wouldn't be nearly as independent and goal-driven as I because of you. You constantly support all of us and encourage us to go after what we want in life and that's something I could never thank you enough for. Some of my best qualities are a direct reflection of you and I'm proud to be your daughter and to have you as a role model in my life. You have taught me to always stay true to myself even if that means pissing people off along the way and to always put my family first. I respect you more than words can say and more than I could ever show. You are truly amazing.

Sending lots of birthday hugs and wishes from Iowa down to Texas today!
Love you, Louskilou

Welcome to 25

Whoever said turning 25 is a bad thing? And why do people always say, "wow now you're closer to 30 than 20!" like it's such a bad thing! I am gladly welcoming turning 25 with open arms and if this past weekend was any indicator as to how the rest of the year is going to go, then I know it will be a good one! Janelle got to town late Friday night and right from her bus, we went downtown for some early birthday celebrating. What started out as "just a few drinks," turned into staying out until bar close, going to aftie's with some friends, a trip to Wal-Mart at 4am for wings and fries...and of course, The Hunger Games on blu-ray!!!! Needless to say, it was a fantastic start to the weekend! Saturday we got to Des Moines and hit up the State Fair for some drinks, people watching and fried food before the concert. Fried pickles and beer were a huge hit. So soooo good!!! Then we headed into the concert... It. Was. Awesome. Loverboy went on first then Pat Benatar came on stage and totally rocked it. Jordan and Scott got a kick out of how many of her songs that Janelle and I knew! I mean, who doesn't know "Heartbreaker" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot!" Throw back 80s jams are the best! And then the real entertainment of the night hit the stage....JOURNEY!!! They were amazing! I am not sure if any of us stopped singing and dancing and rocking out right with them and everyone else there! The best songs were definitely "Faithfully" and of course, "Don't Stop Believing"....they ended the song with confetti and streamers blasting everywhere! Epic concert and we all loved every minute of it. Big shoutout to my parents for the tickets for all of us! It was a blast for the 5 pack to be together so thank you for the fun outing!!!!

early birthday celebration!

Sisters at Brothers!

State Fair Fun!

Awesome electric guitar solo playing
The National Anthem!

Don't Stop Believing!!!

The Fab Five!

Birthday Week!

Whoo whoo it's time for another birthday week!!!! Of course, I know this year won't live up to last year's birthday considering Jordan proposed and between him and my parents, I got the most adorable puppy to really top off the day! Seriously, it was the best birthday ever! It's so weird to think that we've had Paisley for a year already this Saturday, that we got engaged a year ago and two weeks ago, got married! We're celebrating my 25th birthday by going to the Journey concert at the Iowa State Fair along with Pat Benatar and Loverboy. It's going to ROCK!!! And The Hunger Games comes out on DVD....on my birthday! Looks like the odds are in my favor! Here's to a great birthday week and a fantastic weekend of celebrating with Jordan, my siblings and our friends!

Sew Cute: tank top dress

Before my parents left to continue their roadtrip around the midwest before heading back to Texas, we did a little early birthday celebration here for me with Jordan, my parents and Janelle. My mom first gave me a present that left me super confused. It was a sewing kit and a huge book called "Guide To Sewing" and she had wrote a really sweet note in it. The only reason why I was confused was because I didn't have a sewing machine....and she knew I had been wanting one for a long time! Mainly thanks to all of the awesome projects I have seen on Pinterest and also so I can start being awesome like she is and just make my own stuff when I can't find what I want in stores! Anyway, so in my head I was all like, "gee thanks a heap for the sewing kit and sewing book...just rub it in that you have a sewing machine and I don't!" until she totally blew my mind and handed me another box with a sewing machine in it!!!!!! Ah yesssss!!!! Is this seriously my life now, married, turn 25 and freak out about getting a sewing machine?!! Yes, yes indeed it is and I love it. So, I practiced for a little bit with a test piece of fabric that I had and then scoured Pinterest to decide what my first project would be and I decided to go with a tank top dress! 

total time: 4 hours....this really IS a simple project BUT since it was a first one, I admittedly used the seam ripper a lot more than I would have liked to and spent more time rethreading the machine than probably necessary.

total cost: $9.00. The tank top was $3.50 from wal-mart and I found the fabric in the 60% off section at JoAnn's Fabric

tutorial: I followed this tutorial from A Small Snippet Blog and it worked out and was pretty easy to follow along with actually! I changed the sash by adding elastic to it and used snaps instead of keeping it long enough to tie. 

And here's my final product.....

my first handmade tank top dress!

Happy 1st Birthday Paisley!

special puppy birthday treats for the birthday girl!

Dad and His Other Girl

My furbaby is 1!

Wow! Celebrating a 1st birthday is exhausting!

Happy 1st Birthday to my sweet and crazy furbaby, Miss Paisley!!!! She is the goofiest and silliest puppy at times! And she always makes the best little spoon when it comes to cuddling and snuggling. She helps motivate us to go for walks or runs and she's always down for sleeping in on the weekends. She makes us laugh each day and truly has changed our lives. I'm so happy we found each other and that Jordan and my Mom made her part of our family! Jordan has said before that mine and Paisley's souls were meant to find each other and I think he's right. She's definitely a mama's girl and I love her so much! Happy Friday everyone and Happy Memorial Day weekend! 

Day 11: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

It's Day 11 and that can only mean one thing.......HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY JORDAN!!!!!! Yipeeee it's not even my birthday and I'm so excited it's finally here! Clearly, it's almost 1:30 in the morning and I'm updating this. Between Jordan's birthday celebration and the start of family fun weekend, I'm so antsy and anxious to leave town tomorrow that I feel a restless night coming on! Jordan's big gift was a cookie cake from Great American Cookies and money for a new hybrid golf club. First off, if you've never had cookies from GAC, you're 100% missing out. They're like crack, so soft and thin and so incredibly delicious. And for the money, I had to get a little creative with it because I'm not his parent or grandparent so I wasn't going to be lame and just put it in a card. So, I got a giant wad of one dollar bills and started to make it rain. No really, it happened. I taped all of them together, then accordion-style folded them and put them in a tall kleenex box that I had decorated to resemble a golf hole. Jordan's face while opening the gift was classic. I wish I had been recording it and not just snapping pictures...it went from excited, to confused, to realllllly confused, then to excited then to thinking, "what the hell?!!" because the money just kept coming and coming and coming and coming out of the "golf hole" and it was priceless! He was very pleasantly surprised and I'm sure was wishing we weren't leaving for the weekend because I bet he would have went to Scheels the next day to get the new club and test it out! Good thing there's all summer to play with the club....

money scarf!

Happy 24th Birthday, Jordan. You are truly amazing and simply the best. You make me laugh and smile each and everyday and show me unconditional love. Thank you for always supporting me, encouraging me and helping me become a better person and woman. You are the best and I'm the lucky one to have you in my life, which is why I can't wait to be your wife! I love you so much...here's to a lifetime of celebrating birthdays together!

Now I should try to get a few hours of sleep....we have a busy weekend ahead of us! Eeeekk it's finally here! I can't wait to see my parents, have some cold drinks with my siblings and cousins and be surrounded by the love and laughs of my whole family! What a great Friday! I'm so blessed to have the life I have and the people in it!

Day 10: Thirsty Thursday

Thirsty Thursday is like a holiday around here. Even if we have a drink or two each night, we always seem to make sure we have something stocked up to indulge in on Thursday. So since Jordan has had one hell of a week with a paper due everyday and I had finals earlier, it was only appropriate for another two-fer....I mean, another gift that I knew Jordan and only Jordan would enjoy! For Day 10, I picked up a 6-pack of 312 for Jordan to have once he got home from class. There was no cute little note on it because turns out no grocery store or liquor store sells 312 warm or not stocked in a cooler so I had to pick it up on my way home from work. I tried to make a grand entrance through the door but between Paisley attacking my legs and Jordan watching ESPN and typing a paper, the grand entrance went slightly unnoticed and I just slammed the beer down saying, "Happy Day 10! Let's drink!" And drink we did....I even pulled out an old trick and drank a Sparks out of a Big Gulp cup at Jordan's slow pitch softball game later then we came home and enjoyed a few more cold ones. And he did enjoy all of the 312 while I had some wine so it wasn't a two-fer at all! And on that note, I better call it a night so that I can work in the morning then hit the road! Family fun weekend extravaganza here we come!!!!

Day 9: Happy Hump Day

Whoo whooo Day 9 and it's Wednesday so the week is half over already! I've got a lot to do in the next two days but thankfully I'm done with finals so I don't need to be studying and can chip away at my to-do list! Paisley has been wrecking havoc lately on all of Jordan's socks and underwear like it's her job and she sometimes gets into mine too...I don't know what it is about dogs and their obsession with socks and undies but it's gross and needless to say, she's put a few holes in them that we don't notice of course until we go to put on whatever she found to chew! So today for Day 9, I knew that Jordan was in dire need of some new underwear and plus, I'm just not ok with his mom still buying it for him. It's just weird and either he can buy it himself or I will. Anyway, so Dillard's was having a sale and I was able to use a 20% off coupon so I found a 2-pack of his go to kind at a ridiculous price! The tag on it said, "I'm happy I have my own Calvin Klein model, you're such a babe! Now don't let Paisley get ahold of these!" So we'll see how long they last....whenever we sort out laundry on Sunday's, the bedroom is off limits now for Miss Paisley so she can't keep rummaging through the dirty laundry! I have also been working on a project this week for the wedding...it's turning out really cute and I'll post pictures of it when I'm done! Can't believe how fast the wedding is creeping up, eeeek! But, only two days until we get to spend 3 days with my family! I'm so excited that I can't stop smiling!

"Smiling is my favorite!"
-Buddy The Elf

Day 8: Peanuts! Geeeeet Yo' Peanuts!!!

Today is Day 8 and I can't believe it....that means that Jordan's birthday is almost here and while I am excited for his birthday, I can't wait for Friday to be here because that means I get to finally see my family!! Ahhhhhh!!!! Yipeee! Jordan is a big Cubs fan and since they had a baseball game tonight, the Day 8 gift was a big jar of peanuts saying, "I'm nuts about you!" Very simple, sweet and true. Jordan finally said today, "I feel like all of my gifts have been a two-fer so far...candy, a movie, a game......hmm I thought this was MY birthday?!!" Hahahaha whoops, you caught me. BUT! I told him that the final 3 days are in no way a two-fer at all or a benefit to me and they're just for him and only his enjoyment so now he's all excited about that and trying to guess what it could be for the last few days.... I'm just happy I only have 11 days of this! I'm not sure I could keep up with or afford to do it for 20+ days! 

In other news, today I had an appointment with the dermatologist to have some "suspicious moles" examined. The one mole in particular was discovered in the fall while dress shopping with my mom and sister. How was I supposed to know I had a giant, dark as night mole in the middle of my back?!! Anyway, my appointment today started out with them looking at the original culprit. Then an upper body scan. Then a FULL BODY examination for moles. Then in a span of 5 minutes, next thing I knew, I was being told to lay on my stomach, was numbed up and they removed the mole!!! And I left with 3 stitches....so what started out as an innocent, paranoid appointment to calm my nerves about the giant mole resulted in a battle wound and an impending scar. Perfect. That's just what I wanted for my cousin's wedding this Saturday was 3 stitches in the middle of my back! I mean, I'll take that any day over the mole developing into something more serious but couldn't I have taken a raincheck and came back next week to get it removed?! Buncha punks those doctors, I tell ya. They're on my list! Now I just have to wait until I get the results from the biopsy....I haaaate the waiting game!

Day 7: Manic Monday

It's Monday. It's the last week of class for Jordan and final's week for me. It is manic and crazy around here to say the least. I'm running on about 3 1/2 hours of sleep so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Today was Day 7 and since I knew Jordan would have a hectic week finishing up stuff for class and getting ready to leave for the weekend, I planted some Mountain Dew in the fridge for him to find this morning! The note said, "I hope this gives you the energy boost you need to make it through the week. Almost free for the summer!" I am 70+ days of being pop free and I know Jordan is trying to not drink as much pop but hey, everyone needs whatever it takes to get them through studying and the night. And well in that case, I'm going to enjoy this delicious glass of wine and call it a night. I picked up a bottle of "Strawberry Blonde" wine and it's from a local Iowa winery, mmm it's so good! I might have to make it two glasses! I hope no one had a case of the Monday's and that Tuesday is a better day...

Day 6: Lazy Sunday Movie

By the time Sunday night rolls around, Jordan and I are usually both pretty exhausted from the weekend and we try to relax and rest up for the week ahead of us. Of course, we can't lounge around every Sunday night because of studying and other school obligations but when we can, we never pass it up. It usually results in renting a Redbox movie and getting a Subway sandwich to split. $6.00 for a date night in?? Done and done! So today for Day 6, I decided to find a movie that neither of us had seen and one that would be good to watch together. Jordan loves chick flicks, thankfully, but since it was his birthday, I didn't figure he would appreciate The Vow or Footloose so while browsing the shelves at Target, suddenly one movie stood right out at me. Cedar Rapids. See, Jordan is from the real city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa so it just makes sense. I always make fun of him for it because it always smells SO bad there. Typically, I just refer to it as "smelling like hot ass" because there's a few factories and plants there of some sort so with all of their smells combined it is absolutely awful. We can sometimes smell it here and we're a good 25 minutes away! I've read some really great reviews about this movie and it has a funny cast so hopefully it lives up to the reviews! As soon as I get through this study guide for my final exam this week, we'll cook up a giant bowl of popcorn and post up on the couch to watch the movie! Here's to another quality lazy Sunday night! Hopefully you all can enjoy the evening too before going back to the grind tomorrow!

Day 5: Sour Patch Kids

Well last night's celebration was a big success. So successful in fact that so far today I've watched three movies and have been cuddling with Paisley on the couch while trying to recover. Jordan and all of his buddies went golfing today too so I've even had full control of the remote all day. Bonus! Anyway, today's gift is one of Jordan's favorite candy...sour patch kids! The note said, "Thanks for always making me laugh and smile everyday. You make me feel like a kid again!" And plus, now I'll get to enjoy a few too! Nom nom nom I love sour sugary candy!

It's less than a week until my parents are back in Iowa and my whole family is together! We haven't all be together since Christmas, which sucks, so to say I'm super excited to see them is an understatement!!! It will be a jam packed awesome weekend celebrating Jordan's birthday, my cousin Jenny's wedding and Mother's Day! I'm so excited I could pee my pants!

Day 4: In case you get cold feet...

3 months from today and we'll be saying I DO!!!!! :) So it only makes sense that today's gift be a two-fer and something for the wedding as well. I love the fun wedding pictures of the bride and groom standing beside each other but the shot is only of their feet/shoes. Especially since I have these beauties from DSW, I knew Jordan needed a fun pair of socks so we could have a cute photo op! I found these argyle socks from Younkers and they are sage green and have khaki on them! They will be the perfect compliment to Jordan's overall wedding day attire and they'll go great with my purple shoes. And plus, the skinny lines on the argyle pattern is blue so will be our small "something blue!" I love when things all come together so smoothly and perfect like that without even trying very hard! Especially when it's something wedding related since it hasn't all been rainbows and butterflies so far! We're celebrating being 3 months out tonight by having dinner together then partying with some friends! I'm so happy it's the weekend and that we're going to have some beautiful weather to enjoy! Happy Weekend!

Day 3: Skip Bo

Jordan and I have a love-hate relationship with playing games of any kind together. Love because we have a fun time and a few good laughs. Hate because if it's not a team game, only one of us wins obviously. And Jordan is most definitely the most competitive person I know which sometimes back fires while playing games. So, we've been playing a lot of Phase 10 lately and I have a winning record of, if I had to estimate, 20-2. Somehow, and I don't even know how, I just always win. Which really pisses off Jordan and I find hilarious. Or if we're playing Scene It, especially the Disney edition, it's no competition and I could do laps around the board before Jordan finishes. Clearly, he always wins at the Harry Potter edition, Mario Cart and anything sports based so I relish in a good win whenever I get one. Today for Day 3, I gave Jordan the card game Skip Bo. It's pretty fun and entertaining and like all card games, winning has to do with what you get dealt. I thought it would be fun to add to our game collection and hopefully Jordan wins the first game so he doesn't hate it! And like the note said that I had attached to it, "May the odds be ever in your favor....game on!"