{partners in crime}

Dan's 27th Birthday

I didn't forget my husband's B-day! PROMISE! October 13th is the actual date!

BUT... Dan had to work on his actual birthday, so we celebrated this weekend!

I didn't get him anything... don't feel bad for him, he actually made a rather large purchase a few months ago on something he wanted. I said that was his B-day present from me... but I did tell him I would cook him a special Birthday Dinner.

He was given this Birthday Menu Request Form to fill out.

On it he was to choose his appetizer, main course, dessert, and special drinks that he wanted for his birthday meal and then returned it to housekeeping... or should I say... ME!

These were his picks...

Appetizer - Cook's Choice
Main Course - Meatloaf with Veggies
Dessert - Nutty Buddy (Dan's Mom makes this)
Special Drinks - Cook's Choice

For his appetizer I made salami rolls! YUM! They are salami, with cream cheese spread on them, and a little leaf of spinach... then you roll them up into a little roll. Dan was in love with these and pretty much ate all 24 of them. Later he even made some of his own.

I also made our favorite meatloaf. Dan loved it as usual. You can find that recipe here.

Dan really wanted me to make Nutty Buddy. I guess this was Grandma Rhoton's old recipe. It was success and Dan said it tasted just like it always does :)

For Dan's special drink I made homemade sangria. This consisted of white wine, Fresca, grapes, nectarines, and strawberries. It wasn't too bad and even tasted better the second day.

Dan said that he had a great birthday... and that his favorite part was getting to spend the whole weekend with his family. Good answer Dan :)

Work Hard when you're Young!

When I was in High School I use to go to the Chiropractor almost every week because of back problems from gymnastics and cheerleading. It wasn't fun... but I learned something during my many trips there. I would often tell the doctor cracking my back what was going on in my life... games, competitions, school, getting ready for college, etc. and he would say to me every time... "Work hard when you're young so you don't have to when you're older!" This quote has stuck to me like glue still to this day.

Every morning when I wake up... and I REALLY don't want to go to work... which is pretty much everyday... I say those 13 little words in my head and it helps me to crawl out from under the warm covers and set my two feet on the ground. I repeat them to myself when things are hectic at work, when I want to quit my Master's Program that is taking forever, and even when I am dreading a workout. I guess you could call it my life's mantra.

As Fall Break slowly approaches with a lovely three day weekend in store for me... I find myself repeating this quote over and over again when I'm working 12 hour days and writing papers for class. It reminds me that now is the time to push myself and then when I'm older I can relax :)

Any of you out there have good mantra's that you live by???

2nd Anniversary : A Year of Dates and Love Jar

Holy Moly! This weekend has been busy! Make sure you scroll clear down to see all the previous posts from the weekend!

Happy 2nd Anniversary to my wonderful husband! We have had our ups and downs this year, but continue to strive to be the best we can be for each other. I feel so blessed to have spent my life so far with you and I look forward to continuing our adventure together as the years go by! Thank you for all the support, kindness, and love you have given me since the first day we met. I love you very much!

I decided not to get Dan anything, but instead make something for "us". What we struggle with the most as a couple is making time for each other. We make time for our work, school, the dog, our friends and family... but we fail at stopping to focus our attention on each other. I made these gifts to hopefully get us to take time out of our busy schedules and spend a little time just being together and connecting again.

Gift #1 : A Year of Dates

I found this idea on one of the "Cop Wife" blogs I follow. What this gift consists of is a box, 24 envelops, and 24 different date ideas. I switched mine up a little bit and made 12 "Stay at Home Dates" and 12 "Out and About Dates".

What will happen is every month Dan will get to pick a date. He either will pick a "Stay at Home Date" if say we are short on cash... or he will pick an "Out and About Date" if say he is feeling like getting out of the house. I wanted to give him a little bit of a choice based on how he was feeling at the time. From there he will give me the envelop and based on what it says inside I will plan the date from there. Sounds fun right?! I plan to blog about our dates as the year goes by! I hope you enjoy all my date ideas!!!! The plan is for the "Year of Dates" to help us take time out for each other more than what we do now.

Gift #2 : Love Jar

I found this idea on a blog I follow called Dating Divas. What this gift consists of is a jar, and a piece of paper for each day of the month. I cut out several pieces to fill the jar up.

What will happen is every month Dan and I will pull a day out of the jar. Whatever day we get, we will have to do something nice for that person. It could be anything from buying a sweet card to let them know your thinking of them... to filling their car up with gas... to taking them out to dinner... really it is whatever you think will show them that you love them that day. I'm hoping this gift will help us to focus more on showing each other that we care and fill up our "Love Tanks" as the author of The Five Languages of Love would say.

I gave Dan his gift when we got home from Muncie. I actually think he liked it :)

Or... maybe he was just really happy to see Remington ;)

Bruce's 60th Birthday Bash!

This weekend we celebrated my father in-laws 60th Birthday! I know, he doesn't look a day over 40 does he??

The party was held in Muncie, so Dan and I packed up our things, took Remington to be boarded, and headed to our old stomping grounds. We were very excited to go not only because of the party, but also because of all the people that were going to be there. All of Dan's brothers, their wives, and their kids were in attendance. YAY! It isn't everyday that I get to see my nieces and nephews all at the same time!

We all met up at the Apple Orchard for some family photos. This is the first time in ages we have all gotten together so Dan's Mom wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Below are just some of the pictures we took.