I have chosen an impossible feat, but here goes! 60 reasons why my dad ROCKS on his 60th birthday, or 60 fun things about my dad that I love, or 60 random facts only a daughter would care about:
60. When my dad is sick, he hybernates in his room and curls up in bed, and I always make sure he has his favorite drink: a dash of pomegranite juice in a Sprite Zero, with the good ice.
59. My dad rarely listens to the radio unless it's TALK radio.
58. When I played Abigail in The Crucible in high school, my dad sent me black roses because my character was so evil. I loved that!
57. My dad burps like Homer Simpson, lips rattling and it lasts for a minute. It is gross.
56. My dad loves and hates to exercise, but he does it because it's important for him to be healthy enough to wrestle with his grandkids.
55. My dad LOVES babies.
54. Dad is an avid reader when he finds a series or author he likes. When he started reading The Work and The Glory series, he would stay up almost all night to keep reading.
53. My dad LOVES his employees. The people that work at Mr. Dell's are part of his family, and he works really hard to ensure they have jobs and are happy.
52. In a yearbook from my previous teaching job I noticed there was an ad for Mr. Dell's. I asked him if he paid for that and he said, "Of course I did, it's where you work and I support you."
51. When I worked at Mr. Dell's (all through high school), I called him Kurt because it was just easier. It didn't sit well with him (or Betty) and he always told me "I'm DAD, not Kurt."
50. My dad is really into technology, but if it doesn't work for a SECOND, he gets something new. (Or in the case of the Nintendo, he will throw it against the wall.) Thus why he has 2 cell phones: one for email and one for calling/answering calls.
49. Dad loves having his feet tickled, and for as long as I can remember, it's something I've done for him. I remember once I didn't want to and he offered me $100 to tickle his feet--and when it came time to pay up he wrote me a check and signed it "Elmer Fudd."
48. My dad gives generously and anonymously all the time.
47. My dad's closet is bigger than my mom's.
46. If dad likes something, he will get 2 or more. For example, if he likes a shirt, he will buy it in every available color--there's always a backup. (This is where I get it...)
45. My dad is C-L-E-A-N, and requires others to be clean. Example, he makes us shower BEFORE getting in the pool or hot tub. Before.
44. My dad makes the best ribs you have ever eaten. We call them "Crack Ribs" thanks to Brandon and the Pogue family, who say dad's ribs are just as addicting as crack.
43. Kurt sure looks tough, but he is just as emotional as his dad, granpa Dell, was. He tears up at the mention of his missionary son. Try it sometime, he will either tear up or tell you his name is JOE, not Joey.
42. My dad has not one but 2 memorial bricks at Kauffman Stadium--both given in his honor for a Father's Day gift years ago. To my knowledge, he still hasn't found them.
41. Dad loves his dogs. He's put down 2 who were very special to him, Rocky and Woody, and each time he was so sad to lose his buddy.
40. Dad isn't a giggly guy, and thinks my mom and I are crazy sometimes for being so silly. But then out of nowhere he gets silly and giggly, and it is awesome.
39. Making my dad proud isn't easy, he has high expectations for his kids. We all strive to make him proud of us, and when he does it is glorious.
38. My dad would do ANYTHING for his family to be happy. No price is too high, no errand too hard to promote peace and happiness in his home.
37. A LONG time ago when my dad got hair plugs, I remember him sitting on the couch wearing a bandage on his head and a hat over it. All I could image it looking like was new sod, and he did not appreciate me staring at his sod. (The jig is up if you didn't know he got hair plugs at least 15 years ago My bad.)
36. My dad HATES watching The Office.
35. My dad LOVES watching Two and a Half Men.
34. Dad always had a mustache, until he discovered Hootie & the Blowfish. Since then he has sported the goatee mustache look, just like Darius Rucker (circa 1995).
33. Whenever I've been with my mom and she is debating buying something or not, we always say "What would Kurt do." He would buy it. He is an impulse shopper.
32. My dad refuses to use a debit card. He doesn't even have one. He still writes checks or pays in cash. It's weird.
31. My dad LOVES rasberry pie, as long as it's made right.
30. Every year for Christmas, Betty gives my dad canned food that she has canned. He will NOT share these with the family. He either hides them or threatens us. He loves this gift.
29. Once, for Christmas, my brother wrapped up a diet Coke and put it under the tree for my dad's present. He knew dad would be thirsty and loved diet Coke.
28. Dad is a loyal friend. And he has a lot of friends.
27. This may be a surprise, not many people know... My dad LOVES hunting. Oh wait, pretty sure everyone knows that.
26. Once, a few years after granpa Dell passed away, I caught my dad in his den listening to the tape of granpa's funeral service and just sobbing.
25. Dad used to sleep in tighty whities and a back brace. Often he would get up in the middle of the night wearing just that and get a bowl of cereal. Once, after working a late night, I came home to change clothes and the guy I was dating came too. My dad stumbled out in his underwear and completely ignored my date. They never met again.
24. Also, while eating cereal in his underwear, he caught some of my "friends" TPing our house. The next morning he told me about it and said he chased them down the street but couldn't catch them. I asked if he put on a robe on first, and he didn't respond... I still don't know the "friends" who got an eyeful of my dad that night.
23. My dad texts my brother Sam more than anyone. They are BFFs, and have their own secret language when it comes to sports. It drives Sam's wife and my mom crazy.
22. Once during my first year of college, my dad came to visit and took me and my roommate grocery shopping. He bought us $100 worth of junk and I remember thinking I had the COOLEST dad. We were in pizza bites heaven.
21. My mom tries NOT to send my dad to the store, because he will come back with tons of pop, chips, egg nog, and random items. Usually he gets what was on the original list, but not always.
20. When dad's best friend Tommy moved in right behind his house, dad bought a 4-wheeler thing so he could drive over there all the time. Pretty sure Tommy bought one too, just so they could drive back and forth between the back yards.
19. My dad dries off with a blow dryer. For YEARS I thought he was drying his hair and couldn't figure out why it took him 10 minutes to blow dry his hair...
18. My dad LOVES Idaho, specifically the Teton Valley. He says when he drives into the valley, he feels like he's home.
17. Dad is a diligent and vigilant home teacher. He really loves those he he has been called to serve.
16. My dad is a hard worker. He likes hard work.
15. When my dad comes home early to lie by the pool or swim, what he REALLY means is he will spend 2 hours messing with the filters, the surrounding landscaping, the pool's levels, and will only spend less than an hour in the pool.
14. Dad is the only person (besides my brother Jake) that I trust driving a boat. If it's anyone else, I have to close my eyes and try not to panic.
13. My dad always says to "flip the switch" when there's drama. He can be so mad and hurt and upset, and then he mentally flips that switch and all is forgiven.
12. Dad asked us a long time ago, when his kids all started leaving for college and missions, to refer to his house in Missouri as HOME BASE. No matter where we are living, where he and mom are is home base.
11. My dad isn't a talker, unless it's a lecture in which case he goes on and on and on...
10. Growing up, everyone knew the rule about chips with Dad was: don't open it and don't eat the last of it. Heaven help the kid that broke either of those rules.
9. My dad loves beets. I remember growing up and knowing my mom hated beets but she made them for dad. He also loves asparagus.
8. If seafood is on the menu, Dad will probably order it. Thus why he got violently ill from ordering clams, mussels, and shellfish at Granite City... Just the fact that he likes eating clams grosses me out.
7. When he gets home from work, sometimes he will sweep my mom into a movie star kiss, just to gross us out.
6. My dad loves Milk Duds, and has lost many a crown from eating them. I remember once watching a movie in a theater and dad pulling out a tooth stuck in a milk dud.
5. Dad loves card games and can be pretty competitive. My mom refuses being his partner in hearts anymore.
4. My dad has "a guy" for everything. He has a guy for painting, a guy for glass, a guy for the pool, a guy for the house... He knows so many people.
3. No one talks bad about my mom around my dad. He just won't allow it.
2. My dad attends church regularly and diligently. Unless there's a football game on, in which case he can be found in the parking lot in his car checking the score.
1. My dad used to come say goodnight to each of his kids by giving them a hug and a kiss and sometimes a cuddle. I looked forward to that one on one time with my dad every night.
I LOVE YOU, DAD! HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Work, Dinners, & Grief
Monday, January 21st
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! To celebrate, I slept in and ran errands, and it was great! Justen worked, and I went to visit him to make some copies for my new job. I also spent a great deal of time organizing my jewelry into a fabulous mirrored cabinet Justen got me for Christmas. It was fun and I really liked seeing all the pieces I haven't worn in awhile.
Justen, who worked diligently through the holiday, came home after work and enjoyed eating leftovers and spending a boring night together in our fabulous home.
Tuesday, January 22nd
Today is our 7 month anniversary, wahoo! 7 months of wedded bliss, it has just flown by and yet in the same way I feel like we've been together! Both our jobs were pretty uneventful today, and after work we rushed off to dinner with the family in London. Mom Castle made beef stew and Justen and I had a blast playing with the kiddos! We were there for 3 hours, and successfully taught Justen's mom and nieces and nephew the game of IDIOT. It was gobs of fun and no one ran away crying! Full disclosure, I almost did because I lost so badly all 3 games.
On our way home we stopped at the store and made it home in time for me to crash. I am no good at staying up late during the week!
Wednesday, January 23rd
Working all day, then napping all night, what a great way to spend hump day! Justen had a dentist appointment today. Did I ever mention how he has ridiculously perfect teeth? It seems to be really unfair to me. He didn't go to the dentist for years, and then upon returning was told he had no cavities and his teeth looked amazing. Whereas I have a cavity almost every visit... Boo. It could have something to do with the massive amounts of candy I eat every day, and he only eats fruit. But I DOUBT that's the reason. Tonight we went out to eat with Nate & Erin at Red Lobster. We had a great time with them, talking and laughing. They are a great couple and so fun to spend time with! I could feel my lip kind of getting fuzzy and swollen, but nothing serious. Justen was great enough to get me a piece of red velvet cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and tell me that my lip looked totally fine.
Thursday, January 24th
I spent my day at work today hiding in the corner because I woke up with a food allergy reaction that caused my lip, cheek, and EYE to swell up. I looked like Elephant Man. I didn't take benadryl while at school on the off-chance I fell asleep and drooled at my desk. I think that might warrant termination... Towards the end of the day I did take some benadryl finally, and when I got home I was pretty sluggish. I stopped at the store to get a ton of ingredients for the dinner we are cooking tomorrow night, then when Justen got home we rushed off to dinner at Debbie's.
She made the BEST chicken and some broccoli cheese soup, I ate way too much and it tasted oh-so-good! We played IDIOT at Debbie's house, too, and I continued my major losing streak. It was loads of fun, and afterwards we went home to clean house and get ready for guests on Friday.
Friday, January 25th
Work for me was MUCH better today because I didn't have crazy swollen lips and eye, but the kids were much worse. Oh well, it's Friday so I'll have a break before seeing them again. It snowed today, and the kids (high schoolers) were so giddy! They were convinced we were getting out of school early, and every announcement you could sense their excitement! However, the snow stopped and the roads were clear when school let out. I came straight home and shoveled our driveway and sidewalk so our guests could access our house easily. I sent Justen this picture with the caption "You're Welcome." Ha
Then I spent a good 2 hours cutting and chopping vegetables for Chicken Lettuce Wraps, recipe courtesy of Yang Yang, Jake's wife. She happens to be an amazing cook and I begged her for this recipe. Then I SAW the recipe and knew it would be a miracle if I could replicate it. I mean, one of the steps was to mince ginger. I don't have a clue what that means or is. P.S. ginger looks like tree root, so when you're in the produce section, look for the thing that LEAST likely appears to be ginger. But, I digress. I chopped and minced my heart out, and when Justen got home I asked him to clean up our table and eating area for our guests. Matt & Suzanne were right on time, and I was running way behind. By the time Clint & Krissi arrived the food was ready and smelled pretty good. All in all, the concoction was good, not as good as Yang Yang's, but still edible. We have a TON leftover, so hopefully Justen liked it enough to eat it for the next week. I also made couscous, which I copied from YY's meal, and everyone LOVED that. I actually roasted almonds (burned the first batch and that REALLY stunk) and threw in raisins. It was super tasty. After dinner, we made everyone play IDIOT and they also really liked it! Man, the Johnsen's sure make up the best games! Although, technically it was the JohnsOn family that started it. (My paternal gramma was a JohnsOn and my paternal granpa was a JohnsEn). Matt & Suzanne left to put their daughters to bed, and Clint & Krissi stayed to play with the Wii-U, which was a lot of fun!
Saturday, January 26th
I woke up early and scoured www.IkeaHackers.net for some cool things to look for while at IKEA today. Justen's parents went with us (and drove us because we desperately needed their truck) and it was a lovely drive there and back. It was 4 glorious hours walking through IKEA and filling our cart with all the projects I couldn't say no to! Just about half way through, when we stopped to eat in the IKEA cafeteria, I felt my lip starting to swell... It got pretty bad... By the time we checked out, I was getting all sorts of strange looks. The whole drive home I could feel how big my lip was getting, and took 5-9 benadryl pills. Here's a pic of what the lip looked like when I finally looked into a mirror when we got back home:
Yikes.
Justen and I started watching some of our TIVO'd shows when Justen got a phone call. His great-uncle Charlie, aslo his godfather, had passed away. We knew this was coming, and we were expecting a call, but it was still really hard. Justen and I immediately knelt down and prayed to our Father in heaven. I prayed that Charlie would be received into the arms of our Savior, that he would hear the words "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" and he would enter into his eternal glory. I prayed that his surviving family, mainly his wife and son, would have comfort in the coming hours, days, and months. I prayed in gratitude, that Charlie was finally out of pain, that he now has a body that is whole and healthy, and can no longer hurt him. He is exalted, and perfected. After my prayer, Justen (who was understandably emotional) started to tell me some of his best memories of his godfather. He talked through his grief, and told me how he will keep Charlie's influence alive by living like Charlie lived. Our hearts go out to Justen's gramma Castle-Ison, who has lost 3 brothers in the past year, and the heartache and grief she is experiencing. We are going to make it a priority to visit her this week and try to give her some comfort. It was a sad ending to the day. But, as I bore my testimony to Justen, I felt renewed in my beliefs. I KNOW families can be together forever. I know that through the power of the priesthood, we can be bound in heaven as we are bound on earth. I know that we will see Charlie again, we will be reunited. If you'd like to know more about my beliefs, ask or go to www.mormon.org. Families can be eternal.
Sunday, January 27th
My lip and parts of my arm and neck were swollen this morning, so no church for us. I'm vain I guess, because I would rather stay home and take enough benadryl to put a horse asleep versus go to church and face the stares of the congregation. I crashed until almost 4pm, and my lip is STILL a little swollen. Justen played some video games and did dishes leftover from Friday's dinner. We love this time we can spend together. Sundays are hard days for me, I just miss my family. We always got together after church to have dinner together and play games and watch movies together. Sunday is a day of rest, a family day, and it's still hard for me, after 7 months, to not be with family. In the aftermath of Charlie's passing, I wish there was something more we could do for Justen's family, but that has to come from him. Justen holds in his emotions and grief, and isn't comfortable with discussing this kind of stuff. So, instead of today being a family get-together, today is a family day for my small family and I will comfort my sweetheart.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! To celebrate, I slept in and ran errands, and it was great! Justen worked, and I went to visit him to make some copies for my new job. I also spent a great deal of time organizing my jewelry into a fabulous mirrored cabinet Justen got me for Christmas. It was fun and I really liked seeing all the pieces I haven't worn in awhile.
Tuesday, January 22nd
Today is our 7 month anniversary, wahoo! 7 months of wedded bliss, it has just flown by and yet in the same way I feel like we've been together! Both our jobs were pretty uneventful today, and after work we rushed off to dinner with the family in London. Mom Castle made beef stew and Justen and I had a blast playing with the kiddos! We were there for 3 hours, and successfully taught Justen's mom and nieces and nephew the game of IDIOT. It was gobs of fun and no one ran away crying! Full disclosure, I almost did because I lost so badly all 3 games.
On our way home we stopped at the store and made it home in time for me to crash. I am no good at staying up late during the week!
Wednesday, January 23rd
Working all day, then napping all night, what a great way to spend hump day! Justen had a dentist appointment today. Did I ever mention how he has ridiculously perfect teeth? It seems to be really unfair to me. He didn't go to the dentist for years, and then upon returning was told he had no cavities and his teeth looked amazing. Whereas I have a cavity almost every visit... Boo. It could have something to do with the massive amounts of candy I eat every day, and he only eats fruit. But I DOUBT that's the reason. Tonight we went out to eat with Nate & Erin at Red Lobster. We had a great time with them, talking and laughing. They are a great couple and so fun to spend time with! I could feel my lip kind of getting fuzzy and swollen, but nothing serious. Justen was great enough to get me a piece of red velvet cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and tell me that my lip looked totally fine.
Thursday, January 24th
I spent my day at work today hiding in the corner because I woke up with a food allergy reaction that caused my lip, cheek, and EYE to swell up. I looked like Elephant Man. I didn't take benadryl while at school on the off-chance I fell asleep and drooled at my desk. I think that might warrant termination... Towards the end of the day I did take some benadryl finally, and when I got home I was pretty sluggish. I stopped at the store to get a ton of ingredients for the dinner we are cooking tomorrow night, then when Justen got home we rushed off to dinner at Debbie's.
She made the BEST chicken and some broccoli cheese soup, I ate way too much and it tasted oh-so-good! We played IDIOT at Debbie's house, too, and I continued my major losing streak. It was loads of fun, and afterwards we went home to clean house and get ready for guests on Friday.
Friday, January 25th
Work for me was MUCH better today because I didn't have crazy swollen lips and eye, but the kids were much worse. Oh well, it's Friday so I'll have a break before seeing them again. It snowed today, and the kids (high schoolers) were so giddy! They were convinced we were getting out of school early, and every announcement you could sense their excitement! However, the snow stopped and the roads were clear when school let out. I came straight home and shoveled our driveway and sidewalk so our guests could access our house easily. I sent Justen this picture with the caption "You're Welcome." Ha
Then I spent a good 2 hours cutting and chopping vegetables for Chicken Lettuce Wraps, recipe courtesy of Yang Yang, Jake's wife. She happens to be an amazing cook and I begged her for this recipe. Then I SAW the recipe and knew it would be a miracle if I could replicate it. I mean, one of the steps was to mince ginger. I don't have a clue what that means or is. P.S. ginger looks like tree root, so when you're in the produce section, look for the thing that LEAST likely appears to be ginger. But, I digress. I chopped and minced my heart out, and when Justen got home I asked him to clean up our table and eating area for our guests. Matt & Suzanne were right on time, and I was running way behind. By the time Clint & Krissi arrived the food was ready and smelled pretty good. All in all, the concoction was good, not as good as Yang Yang's, but still edible. We have a TON leftover, so hopefully Justen liked it enough to eat it for the next week. I also made couscous, which I copied from YY's meal, and everyone LOVED that. I actually roasted almonds (burned the first batch and that REALLY stunk) and threw in raisins. It was super tasty. After dinner, we made everyone play IDIOT and they also really liked it! Man, the Johnsen's sure make up the best games! Although, technically it was the JohnsOn family that started it. (My paternal gramma was a JohnsOn and my paternal granpa was a JohnsEn). Matt & Suzanne left to put their daughters to bed, and Clint & Krissi stayed to play with the Wii-U, which was a lot of fun!
Saturday, January 26th
I woke up early and scoured www.IkeaHackers.net for some cool things to look for while at IKEA today. Justen's parents went with us (and drove us because we desperately needed their truck) and it was a lovely drive there and back. It was 4 glorious hours walking through IKEA and filling our cart with all the projects I couldn't say no to! Just about half way through, when we stopped to eat in the IKEA cafeteria, I felt my lip starting to swell... It got pretty bad... By the time we checked out, I was getting all sorts of strange looks. The whole drive home I could feel how big my lip was getting, and took 5-9 benadryl pills. Here's a pic of what the lip looked like when I finally looked into a mirror when we got back home:
Yikes.
Justen and I started watching some of our TIVO'd shows when Justen got a phone call. His great-uncle Charlie, aslo his godfather, had passed away. We knew this was coming, and we were expecting a call, but it was still really hard. Justen and I immediately knelt down and prayed to our Father in heaven. I prayed that Charlie would be received into the arms of our Savior, that he would hear the words "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" and he would enter into his eternal glory. I prayed that his surviving family, mainly his wife and son, would have comfort in the coming hours, days, and months. I prayed in gratitude, that Charlie was finally out of pain, that he now has a body that is whole and healthy, and can no longer hurt him. He is exalted, and perfected. After my prayer, Justen (who was understandably emotional) started to tell me some of his best memories of his godfather. He talked through his grief, and told me how he will keep Charlie's influence alive by living like Charlie lived. Our hearts go out to Justen's gramma Castle-Ison, who has lost 3 brothers in the past year, and the heartache and grief she is experiencing. We are going to make it a priority to visit her this week and try to give her some comfort. It was a sad ending to the day. But, as I bore my testimony to Justen, I felt renewed in my beliefs. I KNOW families can be together forever. I know that through the power of the priesthood, we can be bound in heaven as we are bound on earth. I know that we will see Charlie again, we will be reunited. If you'd like to know more about my beliefs, ask or go to www.mormon.org. Families can be eternal.
Sunday, January 27th
My lip and parts of my arm and neck were swollen this morning, so no church for us. I'm vain I guess, because I would rather stay home and take enough benadryl to put a horse asleep versus go to church and face the stares of the congregation. I crashed until almost 4pm, and my lip is STILL a little swollen. Justen played some video games and did dishes leftover from Friday's dinner. We love this time we can spend together. Sundays are hard days for me, I just miss my family. We always got together after church to have dinner together and play games and watch movies together. Sunday is a day of rest, a family day, and it's still hard for me, after 7 months, to not be with family. In the aftermath of Charlie's passing, I wish there was something more we could do for Justen's family, but that has to come from him. Justen holds in his emotions and grief, and isn't comfortable with discussing this kind of stuff. So, instead of today being a family get-together, today is a family day for my small family and I will comfort my sweetheart.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Bring It On
Monday, January 14th
Today is my first day with my new students. I will see these kids, for the most part, every day for 2 months. They will call me their teacher. I will be a sweaty nervous wreck. It actually went really well! They didn't love me, but they definitely don't hate me. After work, Justen and I went to Easton to make some returns, he is the best husband for going with me on such menial errands. I mean, not many husbands are willing to drive their wives to a mall just to make some returns and then spend an hour in the Brighton store making exchanges... I am a lucky gal!
Tuesday, January 15th
I woke up with a monster headache, it consumed me today at school, I just felt rotten. And the kids were kind of rotten, too. Perhaps that's my fault, but oh well. I told Justen to just head to family dinner instead of coming home from work because I was going to rest and hopefully be asleep as soon as possible to get rid of this darn headache. He said they had meatloaf, so I really dodged a bullet there! I personally find meatloaf repulsive, no matter how you serve it. Meat and loaf are two words that should not go together. However, Justen really likes it! So I'm glad he went and got his fix as I will not be whipping that up any time soon.
Wednesday, January 16th
I worked, Justen worked, we all worked. Blech. After work, I went to Dairy Queen to check out their princess cakes for Suzanne. Her sweet little Liz turns one year old and the theme of Friday's party is PRINCESS!
While I was scoping out cakes, I noticed a sign for Orange Julius--Justen's favorite. It was fun to surprise him with a strawberry banana julius after work!
He knew I was still nursing a headache and a sore throat from talking all day, so he stopped on his way home and got me mini-cheese ravioli, my favorite. We feasted on cheese ravioli and Orange Julius that night!
Thursday, January 17th
Work Work Work... The only thing that got me through the day was a little reserve of peanut butter M&Ms that I found in the bottom of my bag. I am a lazy bum, and this working every day business is wiping me out. I come home and my feet and tailbone are sore... Not a good sign. I love Thursday night tv, though, so the day ended with some laughs.
Friday, January 18th
Hi-ho, Hi-ho, it's off to work we go! Fridays are always great days, I refuse to let them be anything otherwise! And after work? I was so down-hearted that I had to make cookies. I ate so much cookie dough and cookies, it was pretty disgusting. I can't really even express how much cookie dough I ate, except to say that I no longer crave it. At all. When Justen got home, he reminded me that I wasn't allowed to take cookies to Matt's house because I make too many and always leave them there. Oh well. Honestly there weren't that many cookies... Most of the dough didn't make it in the oven. On to the Birthday Party! Matt & Suzanne went all out for this party. The kids that came wore princess dresses, and the birthday girl wore a Snow White outfit. There was a lot of laughter and running around.
They finally broke out the cake, an ice cream cake WOOHOO, and guess what it was? Cookie Dough Ice Cream. I had one bite and coudln't gag it down. Even the smell of cookie dough was making me sick to my stomach! Justen finished my piece for me, like a good husband should. At one point I was so tired, and I thought to myself, "It must be after ten o'clock!" It was barely 8pm... We were the last ones to leave the party, and on our way home we had some good laughs over those crazy birthday kids.
Saturday, January 19th
Justen got some free tickets from work to go to an EXPO of remodeling! We drove downtown and there was no parking and a lot of odd folks walking around. Apparently there was also a convention for Ohayocon--Ohio's form of Comicon--and auditions for America's Got Talent. There was some GREAT people-watching to be had!
We finally found the remodeling expo, and dreamed about the projects we want to do at our house someday. Here's 2 things I would LOVE...
A girl can dream!!! After we walked all through the EXPO and I signed up for dozens of giveaways, we fought our way back to the car through the throngs of goofballs. It would be super fun to dress up and ... yeah, I don't really know what they did. We met Justen's parents for dinner at the Olive Garden, YUM, and then came home in time to watch some SNL. What a fun day!
Sunday, January 20th
Went to church and sat in a bench in front of a family with little ones. Little ones who screamed and kicked the bench. A lot. Justen was fighting a migraine, so we ended up leaving after the first talk. We learned our lesson and will plan on getting to church early to get a better spot. We took a lengthy nap, then had dinner and banana bread. Yum!
Today is my first day with my new students. I will see these kids, for the most part, every day for 2 months. They will call me their teacher. I will be a sweaty nervous wreck. It actually went really well! They didn't love me, but they definitely don't hate me. After work, Justen and I went to Easton to make some returns, he is the best husband for going with me on such menial errands. I mean, not many husbands are willing to drive their wives to a mall just to make some returns and then spend an hour in the Brighton store making exchanges... I am a lucky gal!
Tuesday, January 15th
I woke up with a monster headache, it consumed me today at school, I just felt rotten. And the kids were kind of rotten, too. Perhaps that's my fault, but oh well. I told Justen to just head to family dinner instead of coming home from work because I was going to rest and hopefully be asleep as soon as possible to get rid of this darn headache. He said they had meatloaf, so I really dodged a bullet there! I personally find meatloaf repulsive, no matter how you serve it. Meat and loaf are two words that should not go together. However, Justen really likes it! So I'm glad he went and got his fix as I will not be whipping that up any time soon.
Wednesday, January 16th
I worked, Justen worked, we all worked. Blech. After work, I went to Dairy Queen to check out their princess cakes for Suzanne. Her sweet little Liz turns one year old and the theme of Friday's party is PRINCESS!
While I was scoping out cakes, I noticed a sign for Orange Julius--Justen's favorite. It was fun to surprise him with a strawberry banana julius after work!
He knew I was still nursing a headache and a sore throat from talking all day, so he stopped on his way home and got me mini-cheese ravioli, my favorite. We feasted on cheese ravioli and Orange Julius that night!
Thursday, January 17th
Work Work Work... The only thing that got me through the day was a little reserve of peanut butter M&Ms that I found in the bottom of my bag. I am a lazy bum, and this working every day business is wiping me out. I come home and my feet and tailbone are sore... Not a good sign. I love Thursday night tv, though, so the day ended with some laughs.
Friday, January 18th
Hi-ho, Hi-ho, it's off to work we go! Fridays are always great days, I refuse to let them be anything otherwise! And after work? I was so down-hearted that I had to make cookies. I ate so much cookie dough and cookies, it was pretty disgusting. I can't really even express how much cookie dough I ate, except to say that I no longer crave it. At all. When Justen got home, he reminded me that I wasn't allowed to take cookies to Matt's house because I make too many and always leave them there. Oh well. Honestly there weren't that many cookies... Most of the dough didn't make it in the oven. On to the Birthday Party! Matt & Suzanne went all out for this party. The kids that came wore princess dresses, and the birthday girl wore a Snow White outfit. There was a lot of laughter and running around.
They finally broke out the cake, an ice cream cake WOOHOO, and guess what it was? Cookie Dough Ice Cream. I had one bite and coudln't gag it down. Even the smell of cookie dough was making me sick to my stomach! Justen finished my piece for me, like a good husband should. At one point I was so tired, and I thought to myself, "It must be after ten o'clock!" It was barely 8pm... We were the last ones to leave the party, and on our way home we had some good laughs over those crazy birthday kids.
Saturday, January 19th
Justen got some free tickets from work to go to an EXPO of remodeling! We drove downtown and there was no parking and a lot of odd folks walking around. Apparently there was also a convention for Ohayocon--Ohio's form of Comicon--and auditions for America's Got Talent. There was some GREAT people-watching to be had!
We finally found the remodeling expo, and dreamed about the projects we want to do at our house someday. Here's 2 things I would LOVE...
A girl can dream!!! After we walked all through the EXPO and I signed up for dozens of giveaways, we fought our way back to the car through the throngs of goofballs. It would be super fun to dress up and ... yeah, I don't really know what they did. We met Justen's parents for dinner at the Olive Garden, YUM, and then came home in time to watch some SNL. What a fun day!
Sunday, January 20th
Went to church and sat in a bench in front of a family with little ones. Little ones who screamed and kicked the bench. A lot. Justen was fighting a migraine, so we ended up leaving after the first talk. We learned our lesson and will plan on getting to church early to get a better spot. We took a lengthy nap, then had dinner and banana bread. Yum!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Back to Work
Monday, January 7th
Today Justen worked and I stayed home, basically did nothing. Caught up on some TV, took a nap, stayed in my pj's all day, and looked at my phone for pictures of Echo and Tysen. When Justen got home from work we went to Menard's and bought some storage shelves for our basement. Justen got to work right away putting them together while I made fish tacos for dinner that night, something different, and they were delicious!
Tuesday, January 8th
Justen worked and I stayed home. Ideally I would've cleaned bathrooms, dusted, gone grocery shopping, vacuumed, etc. I did none of that. I dilly dallied, or as Justen would say, I farted around all day. It was glorious. We went to dinner at Justen's parents' house for Tuesday night dinner. Sam & Kayla taught us a new game and it seemed pretty fun so we bought it and took it to dinner. It was okay, good not great... I should've paid more attention when Sam taught the family. The kids were cute, as always, and it was good to be with family. We came home and snuggled and watched some tv, and took goofy pictures.
Wednesday, January 9th
Today is my last day of "freedom" before I start a 2-month job. I tried to get organized and prepared, but I mostly moped around. I say I love staying home, but I get so depressed being home and alone. I sleep too much, each too much, and mope too much when I'm home alone. I made Justen some delicious chicken enchiladas, YUM, and I went to bed super early to make sure I got up and got to work on time!
Thursday, January 10th
Today was my first day of a long-term gig. I'm an OGT tutor at a huge high school. I have my own classroom and everything! All I did was plan and take notes and write curriculum. I made file folders for my students, did a cute and simple bulletin board, and took a long lunch with Justen--they told me to! That night I didn't do any cooking, I claimed exhaustion. :) And I went to bed really early again. Working is tough! HA
Friday, January 11th
Another full day devoted to planning my curriculum in a small, empty classroom... Today went by significanly faster, I had so much to do! Took another long lunch, then had an assembly with all the students who would be in the tutoring classes... They didn't revolt, but they weren't too happy about it. That evening we had dinner and games at Clint & Krissi's house. When I asked what they were doing for dinner, Krissi said "Italian" which Justen translated to "spaghetti and garlic bread." It was so fun to hang out! We played a new game that Debbie gave Justen for Christmas, Quelf. it was so fun!!! Around 8, my eye started getting really itchy and I was CONVINCED I was getting pink eye. I made Justen take me home where I flushed out my eye, took loads of benadryl, and apparently text everyone to come over for a movie...? I was out like a light by 8:30.
Saturday, January 12th
Justen and I ran errands this morning, and acme across this fabulous mustache shirt that I couldn't justify buying. Of course, now I want it even more...
I said I could send it to Joe, my missionary brother, but somehow it doesn't seem appropriate for a young man who has pledged 2 years to God... Justen came with me that night to a Paparazzi open house in London. My newest consultant had her first party and did so awesome! I was so proud of her and had a great time meeting her family and friends. I thought I took a picture, but I guess not. Afterwards, Justen and I went to eat at Steak & Shake, then went to a movie. My husband is the best at doing date nights.
Sunday, January 13th
We got up for church today, wahoo! And actually, we were kind of early! Afterwards we napped and then had dinner at our friends Joel & Katie Gardner's house. We had a delicious breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, and then played games! We played Quelf again, man that is a fun game! And it was totally age appropriate for her little daughter Caroline, who was cute as all get out! When I was single, I never got invited to have dinner with my married friends... I think a single gal at the table made them nervous. But now that I'm married, Justen and I have really enjoyed going to friends' houses for dinner and having friends over to our house. We stayed at their house pretty late for a school night, Caroline was thrilled that she got to stay up later than normal. Another lovely week in the life of the Castle family!
Today Justen worked and I stayed home, basically did nothing. Caught up on some TV, took a nap, stayed in my pj's all day, and looked at my phone for pictures of Echo and Tysen. When Justen got home from work we went to Menard's and bought some storage shelves for our basement. Justen got to work right away putting them together while I made fish tacos for dinner that night, something different, and they were delicious!
Tuesday, January 8th
Justen worked and I stayed home. Ideally I would've cleaned bathrooms, dusted, gone grocery shopping, vacuumed, etc. I did none of that. I dilly dallied, or as Justen would say, I farted around all day. It was glorious. We went to dinner at Justen's parents' house for Tuesday night dinner. Sam & Kayla taught us a new game and it seemed pretty fun so we bought it and took it to dinner. It was okay, good not great... I should've paid more attention when Sam taught the family. The kids were cute, as always, and it was good to be with family. We came home and snuggled and watched some tv, and took goofy pictures.
Wednesday, January 9th
Today is my last day of "freedom" before I start a 2-month job. I tried to get organized and prepared, but I mostly moped around. I say I love staying home, but I get so depressed being home and alone. I sleep too much, each too much, and mope too much when I'm home alone. I made Justen some delicious chicken enchiladas, YUM, and I went to bed super early to make sure I got up and got to work on time!
Thursday, January 10th
Today was my first day of a long-term gig. I'm an OGT tutor at a huge high school. I have my own classroom and everything! All I did was plan and take notes and write curriculum. I made file folders for my students, did a cute and simple bulletin board, and took a long lunch with Justen--they told me to! That night I didn't do any cooking, I claimed exhaustion. :) And I went to bed really early again. Working is tough! HA
Friday, January 11th
Another full day devoted to planning my curriculum in a small, empty classroom... Today went by significanly faster, I had so much to do! Took another long lunch, then had an assembly with all the students who would be in the tutoring classes... They didn't revolt, but they weren't too happy about it. That evening we had dinner and games at Clint & Krissi's house. When I asked what they were doing for dinner, Krissi said "Italian" which Justen translated to "spaghetti and garlic bread." It was so fun to hang out! We played a new game that Debbie gave Justen for Christmas, Quelf. it was so fun!!! Around 8, my eye started getting really itchy and I was CONVINCED I was getting pink eye. I made Justen take me home where I flushed out my eye, took loads of benadryl, and apparently text everyone to come over for a movie...? I was out like a light by 8:30.
Saturday, January 12th
Justen and I ran errands this morning, and acme across this fabulous mustache shirt that I couldn't justify buying. Of course, now I want it even more...
I said I could send it to Joe, my missionary brother, but somehow it doesn't seem appropriate for a young man who has pledged 2 years to God... Justen came with me that night to a Paparazzi open house in London. My newest consultant had her first party and did so awesome! I was so proud of her and had a great time meeting her family and friends. I thought I took a picture, but I guess not. Afterwards, Justen and I went to eat at Steak & Shake, then went to a movie. My husband is the best at doing date nights.
Sunday, January 13th
We got up for church today, wahoo! And actually, we were kind of early! Afterwards we napped and then had dinner at our friends Joel & Katie Gardner's house. We had a delicious breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, and then played games! We played Quelf again, man that is a fun game! And it was totally age appropriate for her little daughter Caroline, who was cute as all get out! When I was single, I never got invited to have dinner with my married friends... I think a single gal at the table made them nervous. But now that I'm married, Justen and I have really enjoyed going to friends' houses for dinner and having friends over to our house. We stayed at their house pretty late for a school night, Caroline was thrilled that she got to stay up later than normal. Another lovely week in the life of the Castle family!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
2013 will be a good year!
Monday, December 31st
It Snowed!!! Today we woke up to flurries, and those flurries continued all day. Sam & Kayla, Tommy, Mom, Justen and I went to see the movie Les Mis, and it was amazing! I was air clapping, crying, laughing, sobbing, awe-struck, and mezmorized! I noticed during the film that Justen took a 20-minute bathroom break... my mom was on her phone a lot... my brothers were falling asleep... So I don't think they had the same experience I did. I drove us home and man were the roads slick! The Johnsens had family over for New Year's Eve, and Justen and I stayed and played games. My fabulous friend Mandy had a party, but we didn't have a way to get there, so we partied at home. Tysen was REALLY feeling crummy, so he was super cuddly. I got to hold him and snuggle him for a little while and it was precious.
I also got to hold my Echo Bonnie A LOT, we really bonded. She is so dang cute, and so alert! She screams all night, BUT all is forgiven in the morning when I see her smiling face. Then, in THIS outfit? I mean, really, who could refuse this angel?
If you're not gritting your teeth, you have no sol. I can't stand it, she is so perfect.
As a family, we played a lot of games, drank a lot of diet Coke, and ate a lot of junk. So, pretty awesome.
Oh yeah, I kissed and hugged my hubby at midnight. LOVE HIM.
My mom made a big breakfast of waffles, eggs, hashbrowns, juice, bacon, you name it, and after gorging ourselves on breakfast food, we crashed. Happy New Year!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
I woke up today to a strange sight: Jake and Tommy were both up, awake, and dressed by 10am. What the....? Jake said the guys were having a GUY DAY, and so I woke Justen up and pushed him out the door. I think they went to a game store, a movie, played video games, and did GUY stuff. My mom and I took Kayla, Yang Yang, and sweet Echo shopping! We went to Oak Park Mall since it's inside and had a great time walking around, checking out the sales, and watching Echo. While they ate lunch, I held her and walked around the store. I love having stolen time with my sweetheart.
Wednesday, January 2nd
Tommy went back to Utah today, sad, but we still have 2.5 more days to party in Missouri with my family! Justen, Mom, and I went out that "morning" and stopped at Sugar Mamma's (the place that made our wedding cake) to get Justen's mom some cupcakes for her birthday (she loves their red velvet cupcakes, and she will NOT share so don't even ask, ha!). We went to Oklahoma Joe's for some delicious BBQ, and only waited 45 minutes in line, pretty good! It was way worth the wait, too. That night Caleb & Erica hosted dinner for Jake & Yang Yang, Mom had a young womens' activity, Dad was sick, and Sam & Kayla invited us over but we decided to have a nice quiet night just the two of us. Sam had just started his new job, too, and was pretty worn it. It's the first evening since the day after Christmas that Justen and I were alone and could just veg in front of the TV. AKA, awesome.
Thursday, January 3rd
Justen and I got a gift card to the Hereford House for our wedding, and since they are only in Missouri, we invited everyone to come out to eat with us. Caleb & Erica didn't come because at this point Tysen was not feeling well at all. Jake & Yang Yang came with Echo, and she promptly ate and fell asleep--good girl. We made a reservation for 5:30, and Justen and I got there early and waited until almost 6 for everyone else to arrive.
Dinner was delicious! I love going to a fancy dinner with my family over the holidays, and this year they went before Christmas so I missed it. I was really happy to have most of my family on our last night in MO. After dinner everyone went home except for Mom & Dad and me & Justen. We stopped over at the Jameson's and played games with their crew. Man, the Jamesons are such a fun family!!!
Caleb called my parents and told them that Tysen was so sick and they took him to the ER. At first they said it was bronchitis, but it was later diagnosed as RSV. POOR BABY!!! They immediately quarrantined themselves to protect his health.
Friday, January 4th
Justen and I woke up and packed up early. I wanted to spend as much time with my mom as possible. Jake had to do some work, and Yang Yang and mom went to the store toget food so she YY could cook for everyone, so that means I got Echo! Oh man, I love holding her! We had a great morning just talking and cooing and yawning.
Yang Yang made lettuce chicken wraps and it was amazing!! I begged for recipe to try and replicate it, it was that good! We ate A LOT, then headed to the airport. I cried holding my Echo for the last time, I cried big crocodile tears. I may not hold her again for a year. I hope she remembers how much I love and adore her. I hope she remembers her Aunt Bunny's voice. I cried the whole way to the airport, in the airport, and finally stopped as our plane took off.
I was glad to get back to my Ohio house, but I was sick to leave my Missouri home.
Saturday, January 5th
We slept in today, which was great. Lazed around all day like bums. Justen left the house in the afternoon to get the thermostat he's been talking about for months. He used his Christmas money wisely, whereas I totally blew mine. He installed that while I continued being lazy. I finally got up and we got out of the house to meet Justen's family at the Spaghetti Warehouse for mom's birthday. There was a balloon artist going around making creations for people. I asked him to make a crown for the birthday girl, and this is what we got...
It was still fun, and mom was a great sport, wore her hat and kept it long afterwards. Justen's neices and nephew got cool stuff--Kirsten got a penguin, Douglas got a sword and a sheath that went around his waist to hold the sword, and Kaylee Jay got a horse. It was a good dinner, and of course I bragged on my babies, Tysen and Echo, and showed the hundred or so pictures I took of them while in Missouri.
Sunday, January 6th
We didn't go to church today, I would claim jetlag but Missouri is only an hour time difference... So I guess I'll claim lazy. We did laundry, cuddled, napped, and prepared ourselves for the next week. Back to the real world.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Resolutions... PAPARAZZI!
This is an email I sent to specific family members and friends, but I thought it can't hurt to post the contents here as well:
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In case you've blocked me on facebook or instagram, you are WELL aware that I'm recently, finally married to my sweetheart! We wed last June and moved to Ohio in July, where we currently reside. I know NO ONE here, it was really lonely at first (and still can be) so I was looking for ways to get out of the house and meet people. Also, it's not a huge secret that I want a family, like yesterday, and so part of my search for something social also included a catch--I need to make some money, honey. I signed up to be a Paparazzi Accessories independent consultant in early October and haven't looked back!
So, one of my many New Year's Resolutions was to put myself out there with my friends and family and spread Paparazzi. What is it about home parties that immediately make people screen calls and delete emails?! haha
In a very abbreviated summary, here's why I love Paparazzi:
1. All the accessories are only $5 each and in this crappy economy, it sells, all the time, to all age groups
2. At least once a week I get out of the house to meet new people and talk about girl stuff
3. I love being a part of a woman's accessorizing, everyone feels pretty with new accessories!
4. There's no sales pitch, catalog, or deliveries, Paparazzi is just so easy!!
5. The gal above me has sold Paparazzi for a year and a half, and she makes $1500/month--I want to do that a year from now!
For the few of you that work at or own a boutique, Paparazzi is a line of accessories you should have because it sells! Image getting your hair done, you look fabulous, and as you are "checking out," you see a beautiful necklace for $5... You'd buy it! If you have the opportunity to sell Paparazzi through a business forum (like at a hair salon), you won't have to do any work and you'd be successful.
For those of you that are still reading this email, Thanks! I'd love to go on and on about how much I love Paparazzi, how selling it is both the hardest thing I've done and the easiest thing I've done at the same time. Every time I drive to a stranger's home for an open house, I'm a ball of nerves. Within minutes after I arrive, I lose the nerves and start getting giddy about all the cool jewelry! If you are interested at all, even the tiniest spark of interest, I'd love to answer any questions you have and tell you more about my Paparazzi enthusiasm.
I will say, Paparazzi is an investment at first, that's why I wasn't profitable until my second month. There are 2 starter kits for the average independent consultant, one is $300 and the other is $700. I started a new credit card and got the $700 starter kit, then made it my goal to pay off that balance--which I did within 45 days. The initial cost can seem high, but it is quickly and easily replenished. (In one week last month, I had 3 open houses and made $750, and all I had to do was show up, set up, and eat cookies.)
Please check out the website, www.PaparazziAccessories.com/
Okay, thanks for letting me put myself out there to you, and even if you aren't at all interested, thanks for supporting me in this adventure!
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