Bachelorette Party

Okay, this is way overdue, but I need to write about the bachelorette party Jim's sister, Amy had, a few weeks ago. It was the best time ever!

Of course, the evening started out with her shower at this great Mexican restaurant in Omaha, the Roja Grill. Yummy finger foods! Jim's sisters Mary & Anne and I have already agreed that we'll be going back with our husbands sometime in the near future. Anyway, Amy got a ton of great stuff. The turnout was fantastic, and even her nieces had fun.

Amy received a special gift from future father-in-law, Tom Leuschen.

Jane and Kay.

Jamie, Mary and Anne.

Jim had brought the girls and me into town and then dropped us off at Roja for the shower. He took Donovan over to Oak View Mall and let him play on the indoor playground equipment. Then he came back to pick up Lindsay and Josie, plus he also took Maddie and Sara back to Lincoln with him, so Jane and Mary could enjoy the rest of the evening's festivities. What a great husband!!!

So, on to the REAL party. Our first stop was this real fancy bar (more like a lounge, really) around the corner from Roja (in a strip mall). It was called Parliament Pub. I thought I'd start my night with a bourbon and diet coke, knowing that there may be shots involved later, and it'd be better to lay a nice foundation of heavier liquor in my belly before moving on to beer. (Don't you love someone who really plans out their night of heavy drinking?) Well, the bourbon and coke was $6, and that was the "happy hour" price, whereas everyone's beers were two bucks. I figured one bourbon and coke laid enough foundation--I switched to beer after that!

Anne, Amy and Laura Leuschen.

Amy's special "gift" from Katie Leuschen. Ask Katie what happened to that gift later on that night!

I loved this pic of Sid Vicious, from the Sex Pistols.

Before we left Roja, Amy had passed out disposable cameras to everyone who would be sticking around for the duration of the night, along with a list of things we had to get pictures of, scavenger-hunt style. (We used to do those at LBL once a year, with Polaroid cameras... super fun!) So Jane, Amy and I were on a team, and the rest of her friends made up other three-person teams. We were on a mission!

"Have a team member pose by someone with a mullet." Our bus driver!

"Have a team member pose by someone, other than another player, with a tattoo." A bar patron!

"Have a team member pose with a bartender." Parliament Pub bartender.

After getting quite a few pictures at Parliament (and crossing a few items off our list), we were ready to board the school bus Amy had rented (so nobody had to be DD for the night), and we headed to the Stumble Inn, which has a mechanical bull. You can guess what we were all doing for the next hour or two. Again, Mary & Anne are thinking we'll all come back to Omaha some night, with our husbands, go to Roja Grill and THEN go to the Stumble Inn (possibly on a "less crowded" night), and we'll all ride the bull. I got up on it, and it was definitely fun--a lot harder than some people (read: JANE) make it look. Good times!

Amy looks like a real bull-rider!

Jane and I both look like we're laughing too hard to hold on very well!

Finally, we went to another bar, where we could dance. I apologize, I don't believe I ever knew the name of the bar, and I certainly don't remember it now, about three weeks after the event! Anyway, we spent the rest of the night there, drinking and dancing. I'm pretty sure our team (Jane, Amy & myself) were the only ones to get ALL the items on our scavenger hunt list, except one... we could NOT find anyone wearing either pink cowboy boots or a pink cowboy hat. Dangit! But we got all the other items we needed. I'm still watching the mail for my prize!

Katie was loving her lei!

 

This was not one of the things on the list: "make like a fish"???

 

Amy, Stacy, and Katie are all having fun!

"Get a picture of a team member doing a shot." Of course, it had to be AMY!!!

"Get a picture of a team member posing by someone in a leopard print." Jane and Laura were jealous of this chick's outfit, I think! NOT!!!

Of course, it wouldn't be a GNO (Girls' Night Out) if there wasn't a little girl talk afterwards, a "wet burp" by one or two of us (I'm mentioning no names), a little drunk dialing, and a little noshing on frozen pizza at 3am...

Overall, I think Amy's Bachelorette was a huge success. Thanks for letting me be a part of it, Amy! Love ya!

California, Part 2

Well, as you can imagine, we had the best time in California. We really did.

The first thing we did once we arrived at my brother-in-law's house was to get some food. Jim was just going to run out quick to find something easy, like burgers and fries. The next thing I know, he comes back to the house and says, "I accidentally went to In-n-Out Burger." Well, there is no "accidentally" about it, but it's not like I would argue with him. Hitting the In-n-Out was one of our main goals that trip! (We ended up going there on our last day in CA, too.) There's just something about the In-n-Out burger and fries... So pleasing, so unique, so totally delightful!

We went out to a place called BJ's that night to celebrate Katrina's birthday. The food was great, I thought, and it was fun watching the girls interact with Kalista for the first time in a few months. We had the pleasure of meeting Denene's new husband, Robert--he's awesome! John and Donovan picked up where they'd left off, of course, great buddies as always!

Naturally, the girls swam a bunch in John & Katrina's pool. They even got Kalista Rae to swim with them a bunch, and apparently she wasn't that into it before. They also really enjoyed hanging out in Kalista's playhouse, driving her toy car, and playing on her swing set. It's always fun playing with someone else's stuff!

The day after we got to Riverside, my father-in-law, Mike, arrived. He came to help the boys enjoy the US Open at Torrey Pines. They weren't allowed to take cell phones or cameras, but it seems like the folks at Sports Illustrated got decent enough pictures for us to refer to. Jim says the memories will never fade... in fact, he says it was "the best day ever". It was fun hearing all three of the guys regale their adventures as they followed Tiger, Phil and some guy named Adam Scott. (He was apparently in the top 3 at the time, but I've never heard of him!)

We spent the next day hanging out in Hollywood. It was awesome, because we were able to take a train, and then the subway, right to the spot we wanted to visit. I have to mention first, though, that once we got to Union Station, we took a detour and went for an early lunch on Olvera Street. It's this awesome little area where street venders are set up, selling t-shirts, leather purses and shoes, wind chimes, jewelry, etc. All kinds of cool stuff, right? And towards the end of this little strip, Katrina has a cousin who's got a little street diner. He made the BEST taquitos ever! It was great, having real authentic Mexican food. (I love Mexican food, but the "authentic" Mexican food we have here in Lincoln, frankly, leaves something to be desired. I feel like they've "dumbed it down" for us, and I hate that... I WANT the real flavors! I WANT it so spicy I feel like my face is melting! That's what I got on Olvera Street!) Anyway, we had a good time in Hollywood, looking for famous celebrities. We didn't see any, but that was okay. The girls were excited just to see the real Hollywood sign. We walked around a lot, went to the Kodak Theater (where they host the Oscars), Grauman's Chinese Theater (home of the famous handprints and footprints in the sidewalk, and possibly starting point for the Stars on Hollywood?), and even ate a 2nd lunch at Mel's Drive-In (where the kids hung out in American Graffiti). It was a fun-filled day, and at the end of it, we were all glad to ride the train home, rather than having to deal with traffic.

The next day was Jim's birthday, and while we didn't go out and do anything super fabulous, some of you may have actually heard from us that evening. Jim and John and I enjoyed a few adult beverages and simply felt it was our duty to call some of the people we love and share our joy with them.

Now, you know, no trip to Riverside is complete without a trip to Disneyland! Lindsay and I rode Space Mountain before we did anything else, while Jim, Josie and Donovan enjoyed the Alice In Wonderland ride and the Teacups. We all enjoyed Pirates of the Carribean, the Mickey Mouse House, and the Jungle Tours. I took the girls on The Indiana Jones Adventure (they didn't care for it), and Jim took them on Gadget's Go-Coaster in Toon Town. Lindsay and I went back with Josie for her 2nd trip on the Alice In Wonderland Ride, and the girls gave the Teacups another whirl. Jim went with the girls to Star Tours, while I held down a nice spot with sleeping Donovan to watch the day's finale: "Remember--Dreams Come True", complete with fireworks and Tinkerbell flying around on a zip chord, all narrated by Julie Andrews. One of the best parts of the day, though, was when we went to Story Time in the Live Action Theater. A little "elf" was telling us the story of Sleeping Beauty as we all sat around in a circle. Donovan got up and wandered towards the "stage" area, and Prince Charming helped corral him off to the side so he wouldn't be a distraction. When it came time for the Prince to meet Aurora, he guided Donovan toward her, and she serenaded him. My favorite part, though, was when he jilted Aurora and left her to find comfort in his mother's arms! (Jim got it all on video--it's too precious!)

The whole trip was fantastic, but we were glad, as always, to get back home. It's good to know that we have such wonderful family in California, ready to put us up (or as Jim says, "put up with us") whenever we feel the need for some West Coast action!

California, Part 1

We're leaving in two days for California. Can I just tell you how PUMPED I am?!? We haven't been out there for, like, three years. It's been too long. The great news is that we're flying out this time. We'll be staying with John & Katrina (Jim's brother & his wife) and their daughter, Kalista Rae. They've got a beautiful house and a fantastic back yard, with a pool and everything. Totally the California dream home! Still, they come to Nebraska often enough (2-3 times a year) that they've found the best airline to travel and the best deals. We're going via ExpressJet, which does non-stop flights from Omaha to Ontario, CA, and back. Unfortunately, there hasn't been enough business for that airline, so they're disbanding or whatever in August. But our trip is safe. I'm SO glad I don't have to drive through the mountains again. I get positively sick going through them! The combination of the high altitude and the fear of death just gets to me. I'll have no problem flying over those mountains, though.

So Jim and his brother and their Dad (who's flying out separately and flying home on his own) will be going to the US Open, and hopefully they'll get to see all the big names: Tiger, Phil, etc.

My big thing is swimming in the pool in the back yard whenever I want. Plus, we'll make trips to Hollywood, Disneyland and maybe even Newport Beach. (I prefer Venice Beach, but it's not exactly that kid-friendly, y'know?)

Hollywood

Disneyland

Venice Beach

Will hopefully have some pictures of our trip to post upon our return. See y'all later!

Pet Peeves

I can't remember if I've done this before or not, and I'm not going to take the time to look... I haven't been on here in so long, I just need to hurry up and write while I've got the time and the desire!
Here are some of my pet peeves... some are pretty major, and some are petty. Enjoy!

PET PEEVES
-When people drive too fast down my street, or any other residential street. I don't mind people going a little over the speed limit, but it's 25 on residential streets and if some idiot's in a hurry and he or she is on his or her phone, blaring their radio and smoking a cigarette as they're zooming down my street, they're not going to be focused enough to stop in time if my kid runs out after a ball or something.
-When someone takes the last of the chips from a bag, except the last five or six... It's like they can't quite commit to finishing the whole thing off, but they don't leave enough to satisfy anyone else! (This goes, also, for milk and toilet paper... If you don't have a back-up plan before you ALMOST finish it off, you're going to be hurtin' for certain!)
-When people leave cupboard doors open after getting something out of them.
-Parents who hover over their children at playgrounds... Now, if you've got a baby or toddler, I can understand, but if your kid is four and has been at the playground a thousand times already, go have a seat and let your child play on their own with people closer to their own age group! Sure, they might fall and get hurt--that's part of childhood.
-Parents who don't let their kids get dirty. That's another part of childhood, and frankly, it's one of the best parts! Getting dirty is fun and sometimes it just feels good. Let your kid be a kid.
-Men or boys who leave the toilet seat up. Yes, I know, thank you THANK YOU for lifting it in the first place, but put it back down when you're done. (Lucky for me, this is a huge pet peeve for Jim, too, so it's not an issue in my home!)
-People who act superior, for whatever reason.
-People who get their kicks off excluding other people (i.e. forming cliques).
-People who are mean.
-People who are stupid... I don't mean people who are of a low intelligence, I mean people who just don't use their head.
-When people use their 'position' to get ahead, in life, in work, in school, etc. I suppose that's part of 'survival of the fittest', but to an extent, it's more of that elitist crap, and I really hate that.
-When people drive around with their radios blaring, especially when all you can hear (or rather, feel) is the bass. That makes me crazy!
-People who are rude.
-When people are walking anywhere near me (in the store, on a sidewalk, at the park, wherever) and they slide their feet rather than picking them up and placing them down. I mean, I'm a fairly lazy person, but I can at least pick up my feet, for goodness' sake!
-I know this is still, somehow, fashionable (what, 15 years after it first started being seen!), but I hate the way boys and young men wear their pants down to their butts, purposely showing their "drawers". It's beyond sloppy and in no way attractive. I can't recall ever hearing any girl anywhere say "I LOVE the way _______'s boxers show because his jeans are so low." Puh-leeeez!
-Muffin tops. 'Nuff said.
-People wearing slippers out in public. Jeez, I know they're comfy, and I'm really a big fan of comfort, but let's not get too comfortable in public, please. Next thing you know, people will walk around in their pajamas--oh, wait! They already do that, too!
-See 2nd part of last comment.

Okay, that's all I can come up with. I know it seems like a lot, but if you sat down and wrote out all of YOUR pet peeves, I bet you'd have a lot, too. Am I right?

Some of the Things I Love About Donovan

Okay, now it's time for me to list things about Donovan. The girls don't think I'll be able to come up with as much stuff, since he's still so young and doesn't talk (much) yet, etc. But I'm not thinking I'll have a problem with it.



1. He's laid-back. This guy has one of the most easy-going temperaments I've ever seen in a child.

2. He's almost always happy.

3. When he's not happy, his sadness or anger or frustration is short-lived.

4. He's able to get his point across, despite the fact that he's not speaking actual words yet.

5. He babbles constantly.

6. Some of his babbling is hilarious--I swear he says "deedle-deedle" in a way that sounds just like Ned Flanders! And his tone is the perfect mimicry of tones we use when we speak. He THINKS he's saying something.

7. Donovan has the tiniest little cleft in his chin. It's adorable!

8. He has the same chocolate-y brown eyes that his sisters have, and they twinkle when he smiles.

9. He's got a GREAT smile!

10. His smile is contagious.

11. He is very affectionate, even willing to blow kisses to strangers!

12. He LOVES his Mommy!!!

13. He's a fast learner--he learned to walk at 9mos.

14. He makes decisions and sticks to them. (e.g. When he decided to walk, to wean off the breast, to stop using the pacifier, etc., it was as if he said "this is it" and that was IT.)

15. He's got a great squeal.

16. Donovan loves to play games, e.g. peek-a-boo, "I'm gonna get you," etc.

17. He already shows preference for certain songs--some of his favorites are "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Old McDonald" and "Bingo".

18. He loves bath-time.

19. He's a gift--we tried for years to get pregnant and even had a miscarriage before we got pregnant with him, so we truly know that he was meant to be in our lives... as were his sisters, of course!

20. He's got a magnetic personality--he knows he's entertaining to be around, and he makes the most of it!

21. He is a good boy, y'know? I mean, some kids are just naturally ornery or just naturally well-behaved. Donovan is the latter.

22. He loves to dance--he's an especially big fan of "Cotton Eye Joe" (as sung by Daddy, complete with hand claps and foot stomping), but he enjoys dancing to anything with a good beat!

23. He's independent--he's quite good at entertaining himself when Mommy is doing "clickity" on the computer, or whatever.

24. He's like a puppy: he's always happy to see you return, whether you've been gone for days, or hours, or minutes.

25. His joy is infectious!

26. He smells fantastic!

27. When he hugs you, you feel like the most special person in the world.

28. He's so forgiving--of me, of the girls and Daddy, of playfriends who hurt his feelings or otherwise injure him.

29. He's very funny.

30. He's my Bobo--I know, I know, 'that nickname is gonna stick'. Well, who the hell cares? I love him, and he IS the Bobo!!! Not some clown, not some goof, but just a sweetheart, gorgeous, amazingly smart, wonderful Gift of God whom Mommy chose to nickname Bobo.