Anniversary Weekend

Tomorrow marks our 2nd anniversary. This time 2 years ago, I was getting my nails done and freaking out about how much I had to get done still! I was up until 2:00 in the morning doing last minute stuff... And, in looking back, none of it mattered! But, I thought it did at the time.

Every year, David and I have marked our anniversary by visiting wineries across Nebraska and always going to a special Bed and Breakfast. So, if you are bored, here's a weekend in review - complete with links, pics, and reviews of places!

We went to Soaring Wings in Springfield. My favorite was the Winter White, their dryest semi-sweet. David's favorite was the Falco Red, a semi-sweet red.

Next, we visited Windcrest Winery in Raymond. This is his first year open, but you cannot tell that by the taste of his wines! We took a bottle of the Crest Select (semi-sweet) and Cherry Delight (a semi-sweet cherry wine) home. If you have a little bit of chocolate in your mouth when you drink the Cherry Delight, it makes it taste like chocolate covered cherries! Yummy! And because he is a newer winery, he will actually let you try all of his wines - dryest to sweetest for the same price. He just gives you slightly smaller portions than the other wineries do for only 5 tastings. But, so worth it!

After Windcrest, we checked in at The Anniversary Mansion. Two years ago, David surprised me with staying here the night after our wedding. We have made it a tradition to come every year and have now stayed in 3 of the 4 rooms. Dave is an awesome host and his employees are fabulous! As always, we are looking forward to going back next year!

Before settling in for the night, we dressed up

and headed to Misty's. As if we hadn't had enough wine already, we ordered a bottle of the Riesling. We had the portabello mushroom appetizer. I had the Salmon Choe and David ordered the Petite Prime Rib. Both were delicious!

We headed back to the mansion for the night and enjoyed an awesome breakfast! The jacuzzi tub was nice and relaxing, and the bed was SO flipping comfortable! I told David I want to steal it.

We left the Mansion and headed for the zoo! We haven't been since the weekend of our wedding - we went with family the day after - so it was a nice break. We went to the store beforehand and got stuff for sandwiches. The one thing we didn't do that I wanted to was the Butterfly Pavillion. But, we have a zoo pass and plan to go back next week. The animals were feeling lazy, but it was the perfect day and we had a blast. (All the walking and hills provided great exercise also!)









After the zoo, we decided to finish our weekend with another winery! I won a bet last night, so David owed me another bottle of wine. We went to our favorite tasting room, Too Far North, in Ft. Calhoun. Sandy is always awesome and can pin your tastes perfectly! We tried a few new ones, and I actually liked a dry red! Yes, I, Amanda, liked a dry red! We brought home a bottle of a wine from Hartington, NE (Northeast Nebraska Winery - they aren't on our tour, though). They have an outlaw "series," complete with history on the bottle! I loved the Sam Bass (the dry red), but we bought a bottle of Jesse James (semi-sweet red).

We headed home, made dinner, and played with our puppies! Oh, and had a glass of wine (of course!). We had a great weekend relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Tomorrow starts a new week. It's my first day with kids for summer school. Hopefully the 14 days go by quickly! Look for tomorrow's post.... a blast from the past!

April Showers bring May Flowers

I know you've all heard this phrase. Well, I'm really hoping that our personal "April Showers" will be bringing some awesome flowers soon! This week has been tough, but it's also had some ups. There are days where I just wonder what we've done to piss God off. But, then something good happens, or somebody says something, or I get emails! I know that other people have things worse, but it's been an emotional week for me.

So, a rundown of the week....

Sunday and Monday - spent the day with David's family. I love David to death, and his family is great - individually and in small doses. But all rolled up into one? And at my house (and in some small ass town in Iowa)? Yeah, not so much. Lots of wine was had by Amanda!

Tuesday and Wednesday - packed up my classroom for the summer. I don't know why this always makes me more sad than the day the kids leave. Seriously - I get emotional packing up my room! I think it's the consistency and routine. And the bare walls. I hate bare walls.

Thursday - got my room ready for summer school! I'm at a different building so I had a few things to do. Am I ready? No. I'll go early Monday morning. I'm excited, but at the same time, I just want to be done. The money is nice though!

Friday - got bad news all around the board.... David decided to pull a tooth that needed a root canal. We can't really afford it right now (for several reasons), and he's in so much pain. So he made the decision to pull it. We also finally got the results back from the nuclear test they did on his gall bladder a week ago. It's dying and he needs to have surgery. He goes to see the surgeon on the 10th, but now he can't do his summer classes. So, his graduation is pushed back to December 2010.

I'm glad David will be getting healthy. He'll have a little time off work and then he can get back on track. It also means we have to keep holding out on a baby. We're not sure if we're going to wait until David is completely out of school, or until late fall, after he is recovered and things slow down a little.

I know that we will be great parents when it's time. I just hate that people who can barely afford to raise the ones they have keep getting pregnant. And then pregnant. And then pregnant.

So, the goods for the week!
We're keeping up on the 5K training. We went to the track together Monday night and Friday morning. I went by myself on Wednesday. Monday and Wednesday I made it 2 miles in 30 minutes - jogging half and walking half. Friday, I made it 2 1/2 miles in 40 minutes! The best part.... there were some army guys doing some kind of training. 3 guys were running. When they started, I was about 1/3 of the way around the track from them. 2 of the guys easily passed me. When I rounded the corner, I looked back at the 3rd guy... He was jogging slowly, but going. I don't know how far they had to run, but I know they were being timed by the "guys" on the bench. I keep doing my thing - walk, jog, walk, jog... The 2nd guys passed me a couple times. The 3rd guy? He NEVER passed me! I never passed him either, but I did notice that he was walking some.

Now, granted, he could be recovering from something, or just having an off day. But it felt great that someone in the MILITARY never passed me as I did my "thing" on the track!

I also got my hair done. It was my anniversary present to myself. I haven't been in 3 months and it felt great! I got it lightened up but I decided to grow it out a little. We're going to do pictures this weekend, so I'll be sure to get one of my hair!

I had to have my eyes checked. I haven't been since October 2007. Oops! That's what happens when I don't wear my contacts every day so they last longer. My prescription didn't change! So, I have contacts ordered and they gave me a sample pair because I begged.

So, it was a good and bad week. I was pretty emotional all week, but things are improving. I know things will get better for us. We work our asses off and deserve to have a break! It will come.... It will come.....

Something to think about

I got this through an email from my cousin and after the day I have... I needed something positive (More to come - probably tomorrow)! I don't know who the original author was, but several of the lessons struck home for me as I read it.


To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:


1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey
is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never
blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up
to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an
answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't
save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will
this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

New Progress Pic

This morning I put on a shirt that I got 4 years ago. My mom and I went to see Brad Paisley in KC and I got a shirt thinking it would fit. It was a baby-doll style, with the really short sleeves. I bought it in XL, thinking that's what I wear - it will fit. Right?

Well, it didn't. I think that was one of the first times I realized that I was heavier than I thought. But, I wasn't at the point in my life where I wanted to do anything about it. I hung onto the shirt, thinking if nothing else, it would become a good dust rag someday.

About 6 months ago, I tried the shirt on. It was a little snug, but it fit nice. The sleeves were a little tight, and my stomach looked "okay."

Today??



It is super comfortable! This is now my new favorite shirt! :-) And don't mind my look - early morning, just out of shower... not ready for another day!

I had weigh in today. I gained 3.8 lbs. I knew I was going to go up - 2 bottles of wine by myself over the weekend... Every day, I used all my daily points. I also used all my weekly points and about 1/2 my activity points. I didn't earn as many as I usually do (12 instead of 15-20). On a normal week, I use all my daily points (a few days, I will short myself a couple, but not many), and maybe 5-10 weekly points. I never dip into my activity points. So, now I've learned - the point of maintenance - where my limit is! All daily, some weekly, and I need to earn 15-20 activity points!

I'm okay with this gain. I didn't think I'd ever say that. But, I am! WW has taught me how to live the lifestyle - I can have wine and 2 BBQs in one weekend. Next time, I'll work out more or listen to my body a little better! There is always a next time!

This weekend is our anniversary. I can't believe that we've been married for 2 years! Be prepared for a sappy post sometime next week. I love David more each day, and I never thought I could love him more than I did the day I married him. But I do. Yeah, we have our ups and downs. But our love is strong and we can survive it all together.

Adventures in Gardening

If you know anything about me, you know that I do not have a green thumb. In fact, it's probably black. Anything I've ever attempted to grow, I've killed. When we bought our house, there was an established garden. We left it on the outside of the fence "just in case" I ever decided to do a garden - we don't want the dogs messing with it!

Well, this year, I decided to give it a shot! My mom gave us our anniversary present early, and we used the money to get some gardening stuff. I got 4 tomato plants and 2 green pepper plants. So far, they're doing good. They are growing. I'm not very good at the weeding thing, so I have some work to do today.... I'm excited to have tomatoes and peppers this summer!!!!

So, the point of this post: I'm expanding my gardening skills! The owners of the shop got some herbs for their home. They had more than they needed, so I asked if I could have a few. The next thing I know, I have 8 plants - basil, oregano, 2 kinds of rosemary (creeping and the regular tall one), thyme, curry, sage, and chives! I planted each one in their own pot because supposedly (read, if I don't kill it) they will spread and grow on their own! The chives already need a "hair cut," so we may be using chives tonight in our grilled veggies! I can't believe that I WILLINGLY committed to growing something and by potting them seperately, I'm actually trying to KEEP them growing! Our kitchen window is perfect for growing herbs in the winter, so I should be able to have them all year round.

The owners also gave everybody working yesterday a hanging basket. We've had them for a while, and they aren't dying, but the hanging-basket-season is basically over. He would rather them go to a good home than to die in the greenhouse! So I got a beautiful basket with red geraniums and something white (who knows what!). I bought a shepherd's hook at Walmart and put it outside the front door. I think I want to get another hook for the other side of the porch and get matching hanging baskets next year!

When we bought the house, we had pretty nice landscaping - lots of hardy plants, shrubs, etc... I didn't do anything with them last year, and the dogs have eaten some of the plants and dug holes in the landscaping. But without anything, my peonies have started blooming - I haven't even watered them! I do want to rip up the majority of the landscaping in the back just because nobody can see it and the dogs just track the mulch and rocks into the house. I want to get some perennials or bulb plants for in the front. They will come up on their own with little help from me and add some nice colors!

We are looking into getting the huge pine trees in the front yard cut down. One of David's co-fire fighters owns a tree service, so we may be able to get a discount! These things have been here for ages and it's actually not safe - they are pretty close to the road and we can't see traffic coming one way because of them. Plus, I'm allergic to the pine, and we like having the windows open.

So, I'm becoming a gardener! The only thing I've killed are the things I haven't done anything with - and alot of our "pre-existing" landscaping came up on it's own. I can't wait to cook something with OUR herbs for the first time (hopefully some will get used tonight!).

And if you've read all the way through, I'm proud of you!! This was totally random but I'm avoiding mowing and cleaning the kitchen! David's family and my dad are coming over tonight to grill. Then, all of his extended family is getting together tomorrow at his uncles. Totally taking the wine and anxiety meds with me! Say a prayer that I survive and don't say anything that I might regret later! :-)

Monterey Jack Turkey Burgers

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe before! We make it all the time and it is SO yummy! My father-in-law, who "refuses" to eat ground turkey ate 3 of these one day. When we told him what was in it he said "Oh, these are actually good!"

POINTS® Value: 6
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 20 min or so

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground skinless turkey breast
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 TBSP ketchup
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 strips turkey bacon (we don't usually use bacon and adjust the points accordingly)
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
1 tomato, cut into 4 slices

Directions

In large bowl, combine the turkey, shallots, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and pepper. Blend in the cheese, then form into 4 burgers.

Heat an indoor ridged grill sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. (Obviously, we use the outdoor grill when it's nice out but it takes a little more time to cook) Cook the burgers until cooked through, 6-8 minutes on each side. When you turn the burgers, add the bacon to the grill; cook until crisp, 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve the burgers in the buns, with the bacon and tomato slices.

We also add lettuce and cucumbers (instead of pickles). And I usually add a little ketchup or mustard to my bun.

Weekly Check-In

Last night was weigh in! I really watched my points this week because I wanted to win the Biggest Loser competition at work. I lost 2.8 lbs this week!!! Leah was proud of me, but now I'm .6 under the maintenance "window." So, over the next 4 weeks, I need to gain a little. Gain weight? Really? How? I'll figure it out. At least I won't have to watch myself quite as much over Memorial Day Weekend and our anniversary!

So, Biggest Loser at work.... I have lost 23 lbs since the 2nd week in January - 11.05%!!! Was it good enough? Not quite! I got 2nd place. The person who won lost 25 lbs, 12.56%. 3rd place was 10.5%. Everybody else was right around 4%, and a few 1%.

The biggest frustration about the day? Having to DEFEND my weight loss to my coworkers. The other day, I had a coworker tell me it wasn't "fair" that I was still in the competition because I got sick. She didn't understand that I actually gained while I was in the hospital - being chalked full of fluids and greasy hospital food. I made her realize this, and she dropped it.

Today, that coworker and a couple others and I were talking. They asked me about WW - how it works, etc... I was talking to them about it, and coworker #3 says "Well, you haven't lost ALL your weight with WW." WHAT?????? She says, "Well, when you were sick this summer you lost a ton of weight." Yeah, and then I didn't lose for the next 2 months because my body was catching up. I had to defend myself and my weight loss to this teacher. I was SO upset. I think she finally got the point when I got an attitude with her. I wanted to say "You can't say anything to me when YOU have gained at least 20 lbs back from your weight loss."

Nobody has the right to tell me about my weight loss. I know I get defensive about it. I've worked my ass off for my 25% weight loss! I know I need to "gain" a little for a few weeks, but then I can lose it again. I like that number. And I'm NOT gaining the weight back until I'm pregnant.

I'm not letting these people upset me, or make me feel like my weight loss isn't as "good" as their's just because I was sick. And I'm sure as hell not going to turn into them and gain it back! Their comments kind of ruined my high from getting 2nd place. But, I did it! And I'm proud of what I did.

Any thoughts on how to gain .6 in 4 weeks? :-P