Jenny and Pat

This weekend we went to an unbelievable destination wedding! We were lucky enough to be friends with the happy couple and to be a part of their big day. Jenny is a good, good friend of mine since the first day I moved to Brookfield. She showed me the ropes and I learned much more about life from her than how to navigate the hallways of good ole Brookfield Middle School.

Anyway, this weekend she married her best friend, Pat in beautiful Keystone, CO. We knew immediately that we wouldn't miss it for the world. So Thursday, we loaded up and headed out for the 12 hour drive. We drove through the night and rode into a beautiful mountain sunrise and cool temperatures.

The sights were beautiful, yellow Aspens, rocky mountains and gorgeous hardy lanscaping. There was a crisp blue sky and never one cloud to marr the view. Jenny was lucky enough to have the most beautiful canvas to compliment her lovely fall-colored wedding. We enjoyed the local food, a brewery, and a couple of local restaurants. We took a hike in the mountains. Everything was in walking distance so we could enjoy the jacket weather temperatures!

Having Colorado as a backdrop was definitely a perk of the weekend. But the best part about all of it was the reunion of friendships. We roomed with Mary, Eric, Clara, Lesley, Drew and a couple of Jenny's friends; Angela and Mike. Having some one on one time with old friends is always my favorite thing to do. Some other friends were there too and Dustin and I commented all weekend on how much we felt a part of their clan as well. It was great partying atmosphere for sure!

So as we danced the night away to Jenny's blue grass band, visited with old friends while making new ones, we can easily say this Colorado weekend was memorable. We both feel so happy to have been a part of this great weekend!

Alumni Weekend

This weekend was the first ever Brookfield High School Alumni weekend. It was also the hottest weekend I can remember for awhile. Hot, you know stick your head in the oven and turn it up to "Hell" hot. But that didn't stop us.

Friday we went uptown to the park. Yes, we say things like "Let's go uptown" or "I guess we can drag Main for a couple of minutes before we go" or my personal small town favorite; "Do you want to go to the show tonight?" Anyway, we went uptown to the park where there were beer and wine tents set up. There were TONS of people there, despite the heat, ready to listen to the bands that came out of BHS.

We heard a couple of bands, but I have to say, my favorite was Takedown. They are some friends of ours and we were very excited to watch them play. They were so great, I just can't say enough about how fun they were. We jumped up and down and screamed like teenagers.

We were able to see tons of friends who we don't get to see very often. We stood and talked and played with people's kids. There were some little boys in the park with air guitars that I took about a bajillion pictures of, but didn't think it was all that ethical to post them.

We really enjoyed seeing everyone and mostly just having a babysitter and getting out of the house. I would say that the first alumni weekend was quite a success, although hopefully next year my hair won't be wet for 2 days due to humidity and I'll be able to take my daughter to the park so she can hear the legacy that is Takedown.

On another note, Reese is staying at her Aunt Marsha's for a couple of days for her first overnight stay. I slept for over 12 hours last night. I am sure that by tonight I may be a crying blubbery mess but I think it was good that we waited for so long because I can REALLY appreciate having some time to myself.

Our Busy Weekend

We had a lot going on this weekend and we were exhausted by the time it was over! But there were lots of fun moments in the meantime. Here is a little timeline of our festivities.

We started out at the pool on Thursday. Reese didn't hate it but it was really loud and hectic, not quite the haven of our back yard pool, but fun nonetheless.

After the pool, we knew we had a party to go to! So Reese put on her party popsicle dress and we hung out at my parents for the Pepsi Tournament Kickoff. Here's Reese with my step-sister Alyssa's kids hanging out. They are in LOVE with Reese and she really had fun with all the attention.

The next morning Reese went and stayed at TT's all day while we went out on the golf course. Here are a few party pictures from out on the course. These are really it, I guess I was preoccupied. We had a great time out there, the weather was awesome, and the beer was really cold.

After we went out all day, we then had a wedding to dance it up at. I had my dancing shoes on (okay, my flip flops, but I was excited). We headed out there and enjoyed some time with some friends we don't see nearly enough.

Our weekend was really fun and it made us sad that we don't live closer to some of our best friends. But it also helped us remember to enjoy the time we do have with them.

I get by with a little help from my friends.

John Lennon's lyrics have always inspired something in me. Even when I was in high school this quote always seemed to just sum it up. I couldn't get by without them. I've always been a people person, I thrive best when I am around people I love.

When I was in high school it was Jenny, Mary, and Amber. I loved going out with them. We drank more than any boy, we painted banners and hung them on the underpass for each other's birthdays. We dragged Main until we got dizzy. We sang this horribly dirty song that causes me to blush now (OMG if Reese ever sings that I will kill her!). And when I needed something they were there. I look back at high school with such fondness because of those friends.

In college, I made tons of new friends. Including my best friend, Marsha, who introduced me to my now best friend, Dustin. I made work friends at the church day care who really helped me along my moral journey. I made school friends who I griped about classes and studied with. I made going out friends who I partied with (a lot). As I went through my journey, I never really lost anyone, I just picked some up as I went. But without them I don't know where I'd be.

Now that I am an adult, I have a new version of what friendship should be. Now I have made some friends who help me in ways that I didn't know I'd ever need. These are friends who listen without judgment (or with judgement when needed), they are the ones you call with questions about diaper rash, or the ones who send you a beautiful Christmas ornament with your new family's names on it. They are the friends who comment on your 5,000 facebook pictures. But most of all, when you are getting ready to face a tough day they are the ones with quotes, words of wisdom, and words of love ready to cheer you on.

I am proud to say that my next generation of friends still has all the important ones there but has also added a few great ones. And I am just as proud to know that new or old, I have the best friends a person could ask for. And tomorrow, when I face a difficult day, I will know that, I get by with a little help from my friends.

Weekend at the Lake

My cousin turned 50 this week so our family got together to, as we do, party. Well, I can promise you, our family is a lot more fun when I'm drunk! It started out harmless enough, Labor Day weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks with a few of my favorite people and some good outlet shopping. Those needs could've been met in one day but we were scheduled for 3 and I had to toughen up or be forever remembered the grouchy pregnant lady. (If you don't believe me, ask my God Mother, Marcia. She was pregnant 30 years ago and my mom still comments on how bitchy she was....)

Friday night was a blast, it was just a small group and we hung out at a small bar. We danced and sang old country songs. Marla smoked her pipe and we told stories. Saturday morning we got up early and hit the outlets, I found tons of baby clothes and Dustin got some deals on clothes that were much needed. We got back to our hotel and the large group started to arrive. Lesson #1: A small, intimate group is always best.

I let everyone shower ahead of me to show my generous nature, and do you know what that got me? Left is what it got me. I got out of the shower and everyone but Lulu was gone! My own husband didn't even come say "see ya in a bit." I knew right then that the feeling of being left behind because I was sober wasn't going to let up. After getting ready I headed down to the pool to meet up with everyone who left me and immediately the pregnant molesting began. Lesson #2: People love a fat belly, pregnant or not, people just love to rub all over a big, round stomach.

We sat at the pool and enjoyed the weather and good company, everyone took shots and I was beginning to think that this was going to be a breeze, I mean, I love these people, so what if they drink a few beers, it's not like anyone was being belligerent. That's when the auctioneering started, not only do people love a pregnant belly but they love talking to it too or auctioneering in the case of some. If my child comes out screaming, "5, 10 now 15, 15, who will give me 15" I may cry! But it was all in good fun and I know little Baby Neal loved the attention.

We spent the rest of the weekend at Dog Days, a bar right on the water. I drove the herd a lot and surprisingly Dustin was very patient with my driving; we were a good team getting out of tough parking spots. Marcie completed her scavenger hunt and we took tons of party pictures. There was a lot of laughing, singing, and dancing and everyone had a great time. Surprisingly, enough I learned Lesson #3: It is possible to have sober fun.

All in all it was a great weekend. We had some hilarious moments and even funnier comments. I hung with the crowd and even outlasted a few. My nickname for the weekend was "Trooper" because I really was. I have a great family, how many others can get 25 people together and actually enjoy each other's company? Not many, and that makes me feel pretty lucky to bring a little girl into this world, she's already got quite a fan club. I'll just start praying now that she doesn't start smoking a pipe, telling dirty jokes, or negotiating in her auctioneer voice on the playground! And if she does, it will just add to the charm of this family I am lucky enough to call my friends.

Here are a few hilarious moments from the weekend, being sober does have it's advantages, I wrote down some of the finer moments....

• Marcie before getting up to hear her birthday poem says; "I'm not going to cry!" And then immediately cries before the introduction is over!!


• Marla: "Okay, I'm going to give my disclaimer...I'm going down early tonight, I'm wasted."


• Dale Blue, the singer, "Wow did you bring a rod to go with those curtains you call a shirt?"


• Dale Blue: "Is that your boyfriend?" (pointing to a 40 year old Shaun) Diane: "No, he's back there in the orange shirt." Dale Blue: "That old dude? I thought that was your dad!" (Marla and I proceeded to deem that "a classic")


• Dale Blue to Marla (paraphrasing): Is that old guy your dad? Marla: Yep, that's my Pa. Dale: And he dates her? Marla: Yep, that's my sis. Dale: Your family is f!@#-ed up! (Family joke, Diane is NOT Marla's sister, but they were mistaken as that once and it never died)


• Shaun: "Nobody has H1N1 do they?" Walt: "No but I put it in one last night!"


• Dustin (to Bill): "So, she'd give you her viriginity if she still had it?" Bill: "Yeah, we talked about that but she said I was too late, I did ask if I could check though. I told her that if you don't have enough for everone then you shouldn't give it out."


• Lindsay: "Hey!" Bill: "That's the first stage of bullshit." (good point)

Lesson #4: Being a good sport is sometimes hard work, but those bitches will eventually drive your drunk ass around someday; or at least babysit for you because if you can't count on family, who can you count on?

St. Louis Weekend

This weekend we went to St. Louis to see Lesley and Drew. Mary, Eric and Clara Jean rode with us and we had such a great time. We had lazy days and fun nights drinking. One of the highlights of our weekend was going to the arch. It was so neat to be able to see so much of St. Louis. We hit up a local bar that was awesome and ate some great food. Including Syberg's pizza, which was definitely worth the trip all by itself. Overall we had a great weekend and can't wait to see our new favorite baby, Clara Jean!