Sturgis, South Dakota

Sturgis is not just a small town in South Dakota-no, no, no...For those of you who have not heard of it, it is the namesake of the largest Bike Rally in the United States (possibly the World, but I'm not positive), boasting an attendance of 500,000+ in a state where the population of the ENTIRE state is only 755,000.  That's a LOTTA people and a LOTTA bikes! 

I'm sure you are wondering why lil ol' me is blogging about such an event...Well...

As of next Wednesday, I will be an attendee of this insanity against my will for work.  Don't get me wrong- I hear it's an amazing experience and life-changing- but I wouldn't really say it's "my scene".  Plus I am leaving Will and Weiser behind, which is a double negative.

(I am excited to see Mount Rushmore!)

In order to get myself through this, I'm going to try to look at it as an adventure.  It's always good to get out of your comfort zone and try something new, and if this doesn't count, then I don't know what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks, does.  Did I mention that I'm going with five girls that I have never even met?  What's worse is that they all know each other, which makes me a TOTAL outsider. Yikes.  I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a true test of my character, and hopefully I can rise to the challenge!  I've learned that it's not the situation you are in, but how you react to said situation that determines the outcome.  I plan on making sure this trip has a GRAND outcome. Even if it kills me. ;)

Wish me luck on my first trip to South Dakota, and for my dad's sake-pray that I return safely! 

(Fear not, though- we have our own security!)

I'm Not A Vegetarian, These are Just REALLY Good!

I diligently check my Costco Coupons for savings, and recently their happened to be a coupon for these:

I had been too lazy busy to make the Black Bean Burgers that I found a recipe for, so when I saw these I got excited!  I still plan on eventually making my own because I love making things just the way I like them and with ingredients that I trust, but for now-  I am really enjoying these.  They are so convenient, lower calorie option (vs. a beef burger) and so FULL of flavor.  For lunch today, I popped one in the microwave, as per the microwave directions, and then broiled it with some Deli Thins:

The broiler crisped up the bread and the burger very nicely.  I ate it with some BBQ sauce and good ol' ketchup-

But in the future, I plan on adding some Gouda or Pepperjack cheese and most likely some fresh vegetables from the Farmer's Market.

On a lazy Sunday, it made the perfect lunch ;)

Ps. You don't have to go to Costco to find them.  Just go to the Morning Star website and you can look up the stores near you.

Happy Sunday!

The Bucketlist

Things I HAVE or WILL HAVE accomplished during my lifetime:

(As well as the lil' things we should remember to keep doing ;)

(*) Gone on a blind date
(*) Skipped school 
(*) Been to Canada
(*) Been to Mexico

( ) Been to Hawaii
(*) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans

( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch

(And I'm pretty bitter that I haven't! Drove by it, though)

(*) Been on a plane

I don't just fly ON planes- I fly THE plane ;)

( ) Been on a helicopter

This will change now that Will is becoming a pilot...eek!

(*) Been lost

(*) Written a letter to Santa Claus

(*) Been kissed under the mistletoe

(*) Gone to Washington, DC

(*) Swam in the ocean

(*) Recently colored with crayons

(*) Sang Karaoke

(*) Paid for a meal with coins only

(*) Played cops and robbers

The Hubs picked these out for my surprise birthday party last year!  It's Halloween, F.Y.I.

(*) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't-just because you deserved it.

(*) Made prank phone calls

(*) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere

(*) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

(*) Watched the sunrise with someone

(*) Blown bubbles

(*) Gone ice-skating

This happened in Canada, so this pic covers both!

( ) Been deep sea fishing

(*) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(*) Driven across the United States

The Army'll do that to ya...

( ) Been in a hot air balloon

(*) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets (and cicadas)

(*) Seen a falling star and made a wish

( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser

(*) Seen the Statue of Liberty

( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle

(*) Been on a cruise

5 to be exact, but only one with him, which makes this one the best <3

(If you tell my sister I said that, I'll deny it)

(*) Ridden on an elephant

( ) Ridden on a camel

(*) Traveled by train

(*) Traveled by motorcycle

(*) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR

Also covered Napa, LA, and Annaheim (Disney Land) on this trip!

(*) Been in a rain forest

(*) Seen whales in the ocean

( ) Been to Niagara Falls

(*) Been horse back riding

I could ride horses before I could walk.  No lie.

(*) Swam with dolphins

( ) Been to the Olympics

( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China

(*) Saw and heard a glacier calf

(*) Been water-skiing

(*) Been snow-skiing (boarding)

( ) Been to Westminster Abbey

( ) Been to the Louvre

( ) Been to the Eiffel Tower

( ) Swam in the Mediterranean

(*) Been to a Major League Baseball game

(*) Been to a National Football League game

(*) Been to Disneyland/Disney World

I'm from Florida, so yeah...This was the go-to Vacation.  Not that I'm complaining....

(*) Taken a vacation without really knowing the destination, going on a whim.

(*) Decide you want to go on vacation and hop a flight that day.

(*) dipped your toes in the sandy beaches of 2 or more countries.

(*) Been to at least half of the states in the U.S.

(*) Climbed a mountain

(*) Been Ziplinin'

(*) Been to Vegas

( ) Gone on a safari

(*) Sang the National Anthem

In front of our military during Fleet Week

(*) Achieved a Bachelors

( ) Acheived a masters

( ) Had something published

(*) Married the man of your dreams <3

I'm feelin pretty good about my progress!!

I reserve the right to add more in the future...Your list should grow as you do.  Speaking of which-

Want your own bucketlist? (Everyone should have one)  Copy and Paste what you like/applies for you and mark all the things you've done.  Add or subtract any items that you like, to create a list that is perfect for you!

Happy Listing!!

A Parable to Live By

This was my inspiration this morning from my pal Ryan Spear over at Clear Channel...Hopefully it gets me through hump-day and the rest of the week!

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. As every shovel of dirt hit his back, the donkey did something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed, as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off.

The Moral:

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1.Free your heart from hatred.

2.Free your mind from worries.

3.Live simply.

4.Give more.

5.Expect less.

O.K., that's enough of that B.S. ... The donkey later came back, caught the farmer out in the field and kicked the snot out of him. Then he went over to each of his neighbors farms and kicked the snot out of them too for helping.

The REAL Moral:

When you try to cover your ass, it always comes back to get you.

I am proud to say that I harbor no hate, I try not to worry about people and events that do not deserve my effort, I live very simply (with a little flair of course), I give my all to family friends and work and I try not to expect too much, so as not to be let down all too often...If everyone could live like this- we could all be a lil' happier ;)

Weiser's First Vacation!

This past weekend, Will had a soccer tournament in Breckenridge.  We had planned on sending Weiser on a playdate with his best bud Ace, but we had missed him while we were in Florida and didn't want to leave him again.  As far as we knew the condo that we had rented did not allow pets, but we decided to live on the edge and sneak him in!  Luckily, the place was pretty quiet, so we were able to get him in and out without any issues, and he is not a barker, thank goodness!  We couldn't have asked him to be any more well-behaved and everyone enjoyed his company, but not as much as we did ;)

Look at those eyes!  Just try and look at him and not fall in love...

He seemed to get more excited as we got closer!

He loved the condo just as much as we did...

Especially, his playtime with daddy.

I'm pretty sure this lambskin rug was his favorite thing of the whole weekend.  Will says that we have to get him one for Christmas.  Can you say spoiled rotten?

Breckenridge is very dog friendly, so we got to take him almost everywhere.  Some restarants and bars even let doggies in.

We stopped for lunch and he was still rarin' to go! Which is crazy because he typically sleeps 20 hours a day and we were cutting into his nap time.

He didn't care for the rushing (freezing mountain) water. Big surprise.

But did enjoy relaxin' at the soccer tournament.

And he definitely didn't mind the attention from everyone. People couldn't walk by him without giving him a pat.  He didn't even flinch at the tail pulling from the little devil Aaron.  At least now we know he is kid friendly...

Diligently watching daddy play.

How cute are they together?!

Love my boys <3

Will made it all the way to the finals on Sunday, so we were all tired on the trip home.  Especially Weiser!

Don't worry, he caught up on his sleep coma today ;)

Can't wait for our next family vacation!

xoxo

Trip picks!! We're Baack!

I can't even explain how incredible I feel in Florida...

I mean, I know that everyone loves to vacation there, but it's more than that.

It's my home <3

This would be my Mother-In-Law:

I <3 HP

My happy place.

My favorite city, St. Augustine:

And my true home, Pensacola:

My DADDY!

My BABE:

And family fun:

So blessed to say Florida holds my roots.  

For the time being- where ever Will is stationed, is my home, but hopefully we will eventually end up in Florida and WE will put down roots there.

Paradise.