Run for your life....luckily Kenny's a track star!

Saturday was a beautiful day! I had the windows wide open letting the fresh fall breeze blow throughout the house, I had set to work doing a ton of cleaning, getting ready for Kenny's Mom and Dad to come down to stay with us for a few days and my sweet hubby was working hard getting the lawn (front and back) all mowed and spiffy. *grins*

Well, we had worked all day and when evening time came I was really hungry and not wanting to dirty up my freshly cleaned kitchen so we decided to go grab McDonald's and a redbox movie! What a treat!

I grabbed my purse, we hopped in the car and were on our way. As the garage door was closing and we were turning down the street we saw two big teenage guys walking along the road. Not an uncommon sight as there are lots of shade trees on our street and some apartments are about a mile away on either side of our neighborhood.

McDonald's is only a couple of minutes from our house so we picked out a great movie, ordered up my favorite Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad and headed back home. We opened up the garage door, were walking through the garage and happily chatting about what the movie would be like and what we were going to do tomorrow.

Kenny ALWAYS opens the door and allows me to go in first, but somehow this time he ended up in front of me. He had merely stepped a foot and a half inside the door when, at the top of his lungs, the loudest I've ever heard him, he shouted "HEY!!" Then thrusting him arm backwards towards me yelled frantically "go,go, get out,get out!"

My heart leapt out of my chest and thoughts ran chaotically through my head, "our house is on fire....a bear is inside....man with a gun...." I focused on the latter of these three, threw my hands in the air and ran for my life out of the garage with all the speed I could muster on my shaky legs. Kenny tells me I was yelping "what!? what is it!?!"

We darted out of the garage and I ran North around the side of our house. If it was a gunman I wanted to be out of the direct line of fire. Then glancing up I noticed Kenny had dashed out of the garage and headed SOUTH, in the opposite direction! "Where are you going" I thought panicking...

Then I saw those two big teenagers sprint out our back gate and head South. The smaller of the two had Kenny's laptop dangling under his arm. Like a bolt of lightning straight from the heavens Kenny shot across the yard and grabbed the big guy by the front of his black hooded sweatshirt. Then face to face, eyeball to eyeball, Kenny growled with rage "WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!?"

If you can only imagine, my heart was doing the Spanish flamenco in my chest and I was shaking like a leaf. The smaller guy threw Kenny's laptop down in the grass and holding his sagging pants up with both hands, took off down the street. I shrieked at the top of my lungs "YOU BETTER COME BACK HERE OR WE'RE CALLING THE COPS"

At this point I whipped my cell phone out of my purse and was paused like a cat, ready to dial, "Kenny, I'm calling the police!" I said.

"No, wait, hold on a second" Kenny replied and was such a man, continuing to forcefully confront the big guy..."You better call your friend back here or we're calling the cops. What were you thinking!? Do you know if I had a concealed carry permit I could have SHOT you both!?! You were in my house!"

The big guy was scared stiff and shaking from head to toe. "I was not in your house sir, I did not crawl through your window sir" he nervously lied to Kenny. "CALL HIM BACK HERE NOW" Kenny roared, and he submissively obeyed.

Unbelievably the smaller guy came back... Kenny continued his lecture "I'm a teacher and I deal with guys like you all the time. What are you, high school kids?" (they nodded) "What were you thinking? You're better than this..." Then Kenny turned and told me to go inside the house and make sure nothing else was missing.

I just knew the moment I left him alone with these two thugs they were going to whip out a knife and try to fight him so I said "wait, Kenny...make them empty their pockets before I leave you alone with them and make sure they don't have any weapons!"

They quickly turned their pockets inside out while feebly pleading "we didn't take anything else, all I got is my cell phone..." So I rushed inside and made sure Kenny's wallet, our TV's and video game systems and anything else of value was still in tact. I dashed back outside and let Kenny know it looked okay...

Finally releasing his death grip on the big guys lapel Kenny finished "You guys, this is your chance.of.a.lifetime.... I'm letting you go without calling the police, but if I ever see you around here again, or hear of something like this, you won't be so lucky!"

And heads down they walked off down the street...

Kenny and I gathered our composure, walked inside the house, and just wrapped our arms around each other shaking. We looked at each other in disbelief, "I can't believe that just happened!?" We were in no condition to sit down, eat and watch a movie!

We were both feeling foolish because it turns out that after mowing Kenny had left the lock off our gate for just a moment, and I ALWAYS close the front windows (so as not to tempt anyone to break in), but I had left that back window wide open and those boys slit the screen to crawl into our home.

I am so incredibly thankful for my brave, manly, track star husband, Kenny you are my hero! And we are blessed that they didn't damage anything more than our screen. They could have torn up our house, or had a gun and shot us, wow!

Needless to say, I've contacted ADT and we're getting a working alarm installed soon!

My Buddy

If any of you guys were born before 1985 you probably remember the cute commercials for My Buddy. Here's a refresher in case you need one...


Well, Sunday afternoon Kenny and I were watching some football on TV and they were discussing the heightened security at the professional stadiums because of possible terrorism. This made me recall an OU vs. K-State football game where a small bomb actually went off outside the stadium!

"I was AT that game!" Kenny proclaimed recalling the days events to me.

"Wow!" I said shocked that he was actually there in person. "Who did you go with?"

"With Neil of course" he said matter of factly and began to sing this song....

My buddy, my buddy, my buddy, my buddy...
wherever Neil goes, I go...

At which point I fell over on the couch laughing and had to regain composure and smooch him on the cheek! He is A-DOR-ABLE!!

Neil is Kenny's best friend, a fellow History major at college, they both taught eighth grade History and were roommates for several years! Not to mention that they are now brothers-in-law (Neil married my little sister Julie! Amazing, I know!) I am so thankful for Neil and Kenny and their friendship!
And now, I have thought up the second verse to his song...

Kid sister, kid sister, kid sister, kid sister...
His wife's my kid sister Ju-lie!

*grins*

The grass is always greener...

I have a slight obsession with green grass. From the earliest I can remember my parents lawn was always fresh and green. My Dad takes extra care of the lawn, keeping it fertilized, mowed and edged, and all the leaves and debris cleaned off; and my Mom is blessed with an amazing green thumb. Her plants and flowers always look healthy and spectacular! *grins*

Only now am I starting to understand how much work goes into that beauty!

Kenny and I are doing a pretty good job of upkeeping a large lawn, but we had a couple of small spots that just wouldn't stay green and healthy. Turns out our sprinkler system just needed a few more sprinkler heads to fully cover the area.

So, my amazing hubby and fantastic Dad got those heads installed!

My Dad even did a lot of the installation by himself while Kenny and I were at work. Wow, we don't deserve you Dad! *winks*
I'm pretty proud of this perfection trench that I dug for part of the sprinkler tubing *grins*

I think I'm employable in the army as a trench digger, except that I don't like being dirty and I'd probably get kicked out of boot camp for crying! *laughs*

(I always tell Kenny that I could be a Trucker as long as he was with me to do the driving *winks*)

Here is Kenny filling in some dirt over the newly installed tubing.

He's such a sweetie. It drives me crazy to have dirt under my fingernails so he took care of the "dirty" work for me!
We worked all the way past sunset. Kenny's holding a flashlight in the photo above! But we got it all done and I can't wait to see that perfect green grass greet me everyday!

First game of the Season

Kenny's soccer team had their first game of the season yesterday! Actually, they had one scheduled for earlier in the month, but it's been raining so much that the field was flooded. So, this was the first game they actually got to play *grins*

They were so excited to be on the field playing an actual competitor rather than scrimmaging in practice. The sun was warm the grass was crisp and green from the earlier rain and those bright blue uniforms were sailing up and down the field.
When I arrived they were about ten minutes into the game, but neither team had scored yet. Yay! I like to see all the goals *smiles*
I could tell they were being cautious and getting their courage up in this first game.
But, before long....zing! Ball to the net and
G-O-A-L!! You should have seen the sideline erupt with cheers! All the players on the bench leapt to their feet, pumping their fists in the air and shouting!
Parents, friends and teachers on the sidelines were smiling and cheering with glee! I was so glad, every year they're getting more and more fans on the sidelines *grins* It must be hard for working parents to pick up little brothers and sisters and be at the game by 5:00!

Well, the action continued and they scored another goal bringing them up two to nothing. Then, minutes before halftime one of our players zipped around the offense, then dashing back and forth, wove inside and scored an amazing goal!

He must have jumped four feet in the air, flung the front of his shirt up over his head and shouted with joy! (I must say, I was feeling pretty joyful about that goal too!) Of course the whole team had to join in on the excitement... but we all glanced sideways at Coach Schell to see what he'd do.
Whoa "Tommy" (name changed to protect the innocent *winks*) he said and told the ref he needed to swap out players. Tommy came off the field and another player went in for him and Kenny had to be a grown up (when inside I know he was jumping in the air too *winks*).

"Tommy, you can't be celebrating like that. If this was a high school game you'd get a yellow card. But, that was a great goal" and he gave Tommy a heartfelt pat on the back. He also kept Tommy out for the rest of the game...
I love getting little glimpses of Kenny's future parenting like that. He is going to be an amazing Dad. The perfect blend of compassion and authority. His players all love and respect him and in instances when I'd probably be a push over he knows how and when to stand his ground.

I am so thankful he's on my team and that we'll get to share all those moments some day!
Well, the Titans ended the game four to nothing and are looking forward to their next game on Thursday!!

Man-gagement

I probably should have been born a "blond". This is just one example why...

The Real Estate office that I work for is also involved in Property Management. Meaning, people who own rental property hire us to find tenants, handle repairs and receive rent money. So, a large part of my job is accepting rent money from tenants and doing all the book keeping involved.

This morning a really nice older man who lives in one of our properties came in to pay his rent. I always try to be friendly and a kind, encouraging person to everyone I meet. And, even though I'm shy, I'm trying to work on my outgoing-ness. I see him once a month when he pays his rent, so we're kind of friends. *grins*

Anyway, he said hello and handed me his rent money and while I was getting him a receipt he held up his hand and said "I got something new this weekend"...
Noticing the gold ring on his finger, I leaped to my feet, squealed with joy and exclaimed "you got engaged!?!"

His head slowly turned like a quizzical puppy, one eye squeezed almost closed and he paused for a moment and said "ummm, no, I got married"! (DUH Karen!, men DO.NOT.GET. engagement rings!)

"Oh, congratulations, how exciting!" I said while blushing bright as a cherry tomato.

In the future I will try to remember that that whole engagement ring thing is for GIRLS only! *winks*

Happy Birthday Lisa!

Happy 30th Birthday to my beautiful sister Lisa!!

Lisa is one of my BEST friends! We have always been the best of buds! She was the fairy princess and I was prince charming when we were little *grins* I love the way she is always so open and honest about everything. If I ever had a crisis or even just a crazy question she would be right there with a big hug and a great answer.

Lisa has ALWAYS been the pioneer of our family. I am SO incredibly thankful I have her as an older sister to experience things and test the waters before I have to jump in. I have followed her to school and in playing the violin, got braces after her, met boys after her, got married after her *laughs* She is always looking out for me!

Lisa and I always laugh when we're together and I love making her laugh! And although I'm responsible for several scars on her knees (sorry about those freak tricycle accidents) *winks* she has literally saved me from drowning at least two times!

Lisa is such a wonderful mom! I am so proud of her and her two sweet boys. That is just one more thing that I can't wait to follow in her footsteps. I love the way she researches everything and knows so much about things, childbirth, politics, exercising, cooking, everything!

I love you Lisa and I hope you have an amazing birthday!!

Freda Burritos

OH.MY.GOODNESS. my Mom makes THE best burritos! Mouth watering, savory, cheesy, warm, can't stop eating them good!

She made some of her famous "Freda Burritos" while Julie was down visiting and I begged her to share her recipe.
They are really flexible, in fact, she said if you didn't have one of the ingredients on hand, like the pinto beans, you could just leave that part out and they'd still be good!

So, here you go *grins*

Freda Burritos

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef, browned
1 can Chili (10 oz)
1/2 can Pinto Beans
3/4 cup instant rice, cooked
1 can Rotel
3/4 cup Picante Sauce or Salsa
Burrito mix (may need to add some water)
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Tortillas

After browning the beef add the Burrito mix, chili, pinto beans, rice, rotel and picante sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Spoon the meat mixture into the tortilla with a dab of sour cream and shredded cheese.
Roll up and put in a microwave safe dish.

Once all the burritos are in the dish sparsely cover the top of them with a bit of reserved meat mixture and top with shredded cheese, pay attention to the corners and edges.

Microwave on high for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve up and enjoy! I like to have these with some chips and salsa or maybe even a Mexican rice mix....oh boy, my mouth is watering *grins*

Thanks Momma!

Labor Day Weekend

Kenny and I had a fun filled Labor Day Weekend in Kansas visiting his family.

We drove up on Saturday morning and got to Topeka just in time to pick up Taco Casa for lunch, Kenny's favorite *grins* We ate lunch at Kenny's Mom and Dad's house and got all caught up with them and then decided to go for a run at Iilif Commons Trails.

OH! It is such a great place! It is a large park like area with some ponds and a large 5k running trail that one sweet lady takes care of all by herself. She even mows the trail by hand every week! Wow, she must be in great shape *grins*

Denny and Kenny both went at their own pace, I think Kenny ran the ENTIRE 5k! And Cecilia and I jogged the trail together (but not the whole thing)! It really was a fun time. The trail winds in and out of a little forest and some parts of it are REALLY steep there is even a rope "hand rail" that you can use to "climb" your way out, Wow! I really had a fun time!

After jogging we went home and had burgers and fries and watched some sports on tv. Then Kenny opened up his birthday gifts. He got a really amazing gift card to Home Depot and a Jayhawks pull over jacket from his Mom and Dad and some wonderful Calvin Klein after shave and a generous gift card from his Grandma.
Sunday morning we got up bright and early and had a delicious breakfast casserole that Kenny's Mom made for us! The boys weren't too excited about the red and green peppers on top, but it was yummy!

We all enjoyed a really great sermon at Denny and Cecilia's church, Mayetta Christian Church. The people there are always so welcoming and kind. The pastor always comes and says hello to us and even remembers mine and Kenny's name! They also had a birthday card for Kenny! Wow!

After church we stopped by to visit Kenny's Nana and have lunch with her. She is so very sweet. I always love getting the chance to spend time with her.
Kenny had to leave a little early to go with his Dad to a Fantasy Football draft, so we girls, Cecilia, Nana and I finished lunch and then Cecilia and I headed off to do some shopping! We went to the Mall and to a KU/K-State store and even to Wal Mart *grins* we just had a blast hanging out!
After the shop-a-thon we went back home to meet up with the boys and then Jeff and Jessica and the kiddo's brought Via's pizza over for dinner! Oh-o it was GOOD! I got to try the Caribbean Pizza with Jerk Chicken and pineapple and olives mmmmm it was good *smiles*

After dinner the boys were all playing a bit of basketball and then everyone played a huge game of Ultimate Frisbee. I got one amazing catch in, but then I got drafted by Olivia to play a different game....we played a My Little Pony puzzle and I must say, I was better at that than Ultimate Frisbee *laughs* It's always fun to spend time with Kenny's family!

Monday morning we had a tasty pancake breakfast! We just spent the morning chatting and lazing about and finally got our bags together and headed off to see Kenny's Grandma.

We ran some errands and picked up Taco Tico for lunch then stopped by and chatted with Grandma while we ate. She is such a special lady! Such a great hostess and easy to talk to! I want to be like that!

We left Grandma's about 2:00 and started the drive for home. What a great way to spend Labor Day Weekend!!

Birthday and Fantasy Football

I just wanted to share Kenny's birthday with everyone...

After work I made a cake for him, so it was making the house smell all yummy by the time Kenny got home. *grins*

It just so happens that he had a live fantasy football draft online on his birthday *winks* Kenny is actually in THREE fantasy football leagues this year, one with his family (I'm in that one too!! woo hoo), one with his brother and friends, and one with the good old boys from college...this is the one that did a live draft online.

You should have seen him typing back and forth, cracking up and having a great time catching up with all those boys! Man what fun!

Well, they got the draft all done and he's got the SAME quarter back in all three leagues, Tom Brady. That's an amazing coincidence *laughs*

After fantasy fun we ate dinner and Kenny opened his gifts from me...
A "Throw ball" tee-shirt (this is kind of a joke on football because soccer is "real" football, I mean, really...how often do NFL players touch the ball with their foot? *laughs*), a bunch of football trading cards (he loves to buy and sell those on ebay), a new video game for his xbox 360 called Bioshock (this is a creepy game! I can only play for a few minutes before I have to turn the reins over to Kenny to finish up for me!) and I made him a photo scrapbook of our Yellowstone Vacation adventure. He was so sweet looking at the book, exploring every page and admiring the writing and quotations! I love that guy!!
We enjoyed some cake and played his video game until it was time for bed *grins*

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Today is a very special day!!! It's my sweet hubby's twenty eighth birthday!! I remember when I was younger I always thought twenty eight was the perfect age to be. Like a mature gorgeous barbie doll or something. You'd be out of college, married, successful, happy and just perfect. Of course now that it's only months away (for me) it seems like it's just pretty close to thirty...eeeek! *grins*

But, you know...thirty actually doesn't seem that bad either. *smiles*

I can't even begin to describe the love that I have for my sweet Kenny. I just feel so utterly blessed that he found me and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him! Wow!

*photo by Stephanie Weeks

One of my favorite things about Kenny is his loving heart. I get to see that love demonstrated on a daily basis. I am amazed that he LOVES me!?! His first thoughts are always about what would make me happy or more comfortable.

I also get to see his love demonstrated at his school. The way he honestly sincerely cares about each and every one of his students. He often gives up his free time and even lunch to make sure that they are successful. He spends every evening after school coaching his soccer team and often stays even later to make sure everyone is picked up or he'll give them a ride home!

I love the way Kenny loves his family. He loves spending time with them and gets so excited about a chance to visit home. His precious heart for his Grandma and Nana just makes me melt.

I love the way Kenny loves my family. He always has a great time when we all get together. He loves the chance to just sit and talk with my Mom and Dad and is just "one of us" now. *grins*

I especially love Kenny's heart for God. To see him follow God's calling on his life, watch him read his Bible, and know his passion for Christ. I love when we're able to discuss things and am just blown away that we share so many values and are alike in so many ways.

In case you couldn't tell, I really love this guy! I could go on and on about how great he is! But, I'll just end with one more sweet gesture that he did for me...

Last night when we got home from our drive back from Kansas I wasn't feeling too great. I was achey and sinus-hurty and just tired. He whisked into the bathroom, ran a bathtub full of warm water and bubbles just for me, lit a yummy pineapple candle (thanks Julie we love it!) and told me to soak my cares away.
Wow!! What a perfect surprise!! I was just amazed! Who could ask for a sweeter husband?? *grins*

Kenny, I love you more than you'll ever know! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and that each passing day just gets better and better!

Banana Bread

I don't know about you guys, but every time I go to the grocery store I convince myself that I need to buy some bananas. I love bananas and they're good for you, you're supposed to eat lots of fruits and vegetables....I could definitely start eating one a day!

So, I buy them and eat one occasionally and eventually end up with a fruit bowl of over ripe bananas. I think the problem is I'm overly picky about the ripeness of my bananas. They have to be barely yellow, maybe with just a hint of green still showing, absolutely NO brown, not even brown spots or they're too ripe to eat.

But....not to ripe for banana bread!! Yay! So, in my quest for the perfect banana bread recipe, I discovered this one over at simplyrecipes.com. It makes a really moist yummy bread!

By excitedly requesting the recipe, my Mom and sister Julie actually inspired me to share it here on my blog *grins* So, without further adieu...

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

I usually end up cooking it a little longer than an hour, but I think that's because my oven is older than I am *laughs* I just insert a toothpick in the center to check it for doneness.

My Mom also adds some nuts to the recipe, walnuts or pecans. It's really tasty!

So, if you ever see a fruit bowl of over ripe bananas I hope you can try this one out!

Jeff & Jessica

Oh what a FUN time we've had hanging out with Kenny's brother Jeff and sister in law Jessica!! They came down from Kansas to spend a few days with us and we've just loved every moment.

We FINALLY got that guest bathroom finished, so they got to sleep in their own bedroom and have their own bathroom too!! Woo Hoo! *grins*

They arrived on Wednesday evening and after we toured them around our house we enjoyed dinner. Then Jeff and Kenny got to try out Jeff's cool soccer video game and Jessica and I decided to have some girl time!! *smiles*
We painted our nails and I painted my toenails and we just talked and laughed and had a blast! She is such a fun gal! We were having too much fun, we all finally went to bed about 1:00am.

Kenny and I had to work on Thursday and Friday, so Jeff and Jessica were on their own, but hopefully they got to relax and swim in the pool and just enjoy some rest. *smiles*

Thursday night we all went out to eat up in Edmond at Goldie's. We were trying to find the awesome restaurant that was featured on Diners Drive-in's and Dives on the Food Network....it turns out the one they featured was actually Nic's Grill, but we had a fun time at Goldie's anyway. *winks* (I think Jeff and Jessica got to eat at Nic's on Friday for lunch!)
After we got back home Jeff and Jessica went for a swim. Jeff eventually came inside to re-challenge Kenny to the soccer video game, so I went out and swam with Jessica. I was afraid the water was going to be a little chilly since the weather is starting to cool off, but it actually felt great! Nice and refreshing, and we got to talk again for a long time!

Jessica had to get back to Kansas on Friday evening, so Jeff and Kenny and I all went downtown to see Doc Blues and his band play some blues music.
We discovered them last year when Jeff came down to visit us and just had to go back. They have a patio outside right above the bricktown canal and it's fun to just sit and relax outside and enjoy some live music.

They are so fun and really talented! I actually discovered that the lead guitarist (on the left in the photo up above) used to go to church with me at Putnam City Baptist Church! Wow, it's a small world *grins*

Saturday we all had some fun time in the pool playing Swimming Pool Baseball! I was a newbie at this, but it's a game that Kenny and Jeff created in their Nana's pool when they were kiddo's! You have a "pitcher" throw the beach ball and the "batter" hits the ball with their arm and swims all around the pool to touch each of the bases! Wow-o-wow! It is so much fun! and harder than you'd imagine! We just had a blast!!

We can't wait until they come down to see us again!! We love you guys!!