Jan 30

Just Wait ‘Til We’re Out With Someone We Actually Want to Kiss

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Normally I don’t blog about my dates. I consider it bad form. You see, my family has to deal with the fact that I blog about my life. (Yes Dad, I’m still going to blog about our family, much to your chagrin.) I don’t think dates sign up for that kind of intrusion.  So great dates, bad dates, bleh dates, good dates, mediocre dates, horrid dates, fantastic dates… I leave them all alone when I’m blogging. Even if I could tell some great stories. ;)

This week I am making an exception. I went on a date that I have to blog about. And I went with not one, but TWO handsome guys. We didn’t do anything expensive. We didn’t drive very far. But man, we had a great time.

These are the gentlemen:

Flattering pictures of both, I know. You recognize them now, don’t you? Logan and Reece. AKA Manly Men.

So how’d I end up on this date? Well, first of all, I hadn’t eaten much all day. I had a caramelized apple cider for breakfast/lunch and wheat thins for dinner. Caramelized apple cider is fantastic. And I am addicted to it. But it is not very filling. Wheat thins are not a very good dinner. When my stomach was contemplating all this (and loudly protesting the day’s events) I announced to my brothers that I wanted to go someplace and eat something totally unhealthy. So we went out. They opened the car door (after fighting about who got to do it), let me pick the music in the car (easy, because we all agree on loud country music), and didn’t mind that I had the heater full blast (in Missouri, I am always cold). We went and picked up some beautiful greasy cheeseburgers at Sonic. And then we drove to Wal-Mart and ate in the parking lot.

Classy, I know. Reece is the one who coined it “date night.” We hung out and laughed our heads off. And then Reece made the observation of the century – “This is so fun already! Just wait until we’re out with someone we actually want to kiss!”

The. Date. Was. Awesome. And maybe one of these days we’ll all go out together – with people we actually want to kiss. But if we do, you won’t hear about it. Remember? I don’t blog about those dates.

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Jan 16

This Whole Country Thing Was Just An Accident

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You’d think that was me talking, right? After all, I didn’t plan to move out to the middle of nowhere where it’s normal to get your eggs from the backyard. Technically, it’s not the backyard – it’s the chicken coop.  But you know how I feel about technical. I was an English major, remember? Maybe I shouldn’t bring that up – maybe then you’ll be expecting some Jane Austen quality work. Forget it. This is a blog.  So back to the post…

This was Reece talking on our way home the other night. (Right before our car started smoking. Yikes. Dad, Reece and Logan fixed it. Manly.) When Reece lived in Utah, he liked country MUSIC. The rest of it – boots, hat, Carhart jacket, chicken coop, cows, guns, pigs, etc. – were not exactly on his radar. I mean, take a look at him. Does THAT picture look like a country boy waiting to happen? I think not.

(Reece is the boy in the picture. The only boy. Duh.)

But check out the afters… and before you ask, YES, it is the same boy. But I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t recognize him. After all, I didn’t! No, I’m not kidding. When I came out to visit after the “transformation” a cowboy came up to me to hug me in the airport. I thought that was rather forward of him. And then I realized it was Reece. Ooops.



The Cowboy Casanova has arrived.

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Nov 30

Cowboy Casanova

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This is my brother Reece. The pictures need no explanation.* Cue Carrie Underwood now.

*Oh. You actually wanted an explanation? Reece is my 15 year old (soon to be 16!) little bro. “Little” is kind of a misnomer. (And no Reece, that is NOT a fat joke.) He is taller, stronger (just ask him), and infinitely more good looking than me. He is also a total poser. (Hello, did you see the pictures? Speaking of, you can see the pictures bigger if you click on them. I am not enough of a computer genius to be able to tell them how to appear when they are in a gallery. Which is why his head is chopped off in one of them. Sorry. If you click on it, you’ll find his head is still attached.)

Reece loves meat, country music, shooting things, staying up late, and me. He is sometimes a snot (he IS a teenager after all), but he also opens doors for me, tells me I’m beautiful, and doesn’t like boys who are mean to me. As an older sister, there’s not a lot more I could ask for! Reece, I loff you!

AlishaPS – We can’t leave Alisha out today – it’s her 22nd birthday! Holla. The whole family misses her tons and we are trying to find a way to trick her into staying out here for forever. Any handsome men care to help persuade her?

Oh – and that’s Reece’s arm, by the way. That way, he’s even in the PS part of the post. Remember, he’s a total poser. Even his arm. :)

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Nov 22

Ok, I Admit It

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I might miss the city more than I thought. If you look at how much I am driving lately, I miss it a ton. I’m about an hour and a half away from Kansas City – one way. That hasn’t stopped me from making the drive at least once a week, normally twice. Sometimes three times.  (Something’s gotta give. Obviously.) A few things I miss having close:

  • Concerts. Especially free concerts.  UMKC has a pretty talented crowd and you can check them out often. Here’s the performance calendar. I’ve been to a handful of their concerts and wasn’t disappointed at a single one.
  • Restaurants. I like variety. In a small town, your options are limited. Sushi, for instance, is pretty much out. And if you really don’t want to cook, it’s nice to not have to resort to Pizza Hut.
  • Movies. One screen, one movie, one showtime.  Not exactly the best way to catch the latest. (That makes the assumption you want to see any of the latest,  but it’s nice to at least have the option.)
  • Workout Facilities. Running on the street is awfully nice, when it’s not freezing outside. But sometimes a girl wants a nice gym with lots of machines, a few exercise classes (kickboxing anyone?), and access to a personal trainer. And bikram yoga? Don’t even get me going on how much I miss having a class fifteen minutes away.
  • Education. It’s not even just the “formal” education that’s accessible in the city that I miss, but the other options that are part of city life. Hula dance classes for example. (I used to hula and I’ve started dancing again. I am still very bad. Which is why classes are important.)
  • Shopping. I. Like. Clothes. Now, as a preface – I CAN live without them. But I like them. And the shopping in Kansas City is fantastic. (On second thought, maybe I should move farther away…) It’s not just clothes either – City Market totally rocks.

Looking at all this, I realize that I might be (gasp!) a fake “country mouse.” (Some people might call that a snob, but I’m not one of those people.) Of course, whenever I pictured myself living in the country (before I actually lived here), it involved a husband and a few kids. Living single in the country is a little (okay, a lot) different. Sometimes life turns out different than you planned. So you adjust. For now, I’m happy that I can entertain the idea of adjusting. We’ll see where it leads me.

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Oct 12

My Life According to Jason Aldean

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Jason AldeanThis weekend was absolutely amazing! My sister, a friend and I all went to see Jason Aldean perform in St. Joe and he was awesome. And Love & Theft opened for him – what more could you ask for? They both sounded great in person and had a fun time up on stage. I loved it!

A version of this questionnaire has been floating around on facebook for awhile now… you’re supposed to answer the questions using the titles of songs from just one artist. And you’re not supposed to use the songs more than once.  So in honor of our fantastic time, I’ve used titles from Jason Aldean to answer them for my own life.

1. Are you a male or female? A Grown Woman

2. Describe yourself: She’s Country

3. How do you feel: Good to Go

4. Describe where you currently live: Hicktown

5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go: On My Highway

6. Your favorite form of transportation: Big Green Tractor

7. Your best friend: Laughed Until We Cried

8. Your favorite color is: Amarillo Sky

9. Your fear: My Memory Ain’t What It Used to Be

10. My motto: Not Every Man Lives

Jason Aldean 005 Jason Aldean 016

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Sep 29

Sometimes I Miss the City

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Or Not.

Missouri SpaceI was sitting here tonight thinking about my blog post, and thought I’d make a list of the top ten the things I miss about living in the city.  Turns out, I couldn’t come up with ten.  Sure, I miss the convenience of having some things right there – Whole Foods, Bikram Yoga, Cool Art Galleries, Great Restaurants and Good Shopping – but for most of those things, 40-60 minutes really isn’t a bad drive.  (It’s not like I’m facing lots of traffic on that drive.) I’m debating whether it’s worth the trade-off.  You see, I have “space” issues. Eventually I want my own space.  Like acres of space.  Enough for at least two pigs (see About Me).  And two big dogs.  And room to grow my OWN organic wonderful fresh local produce.  And maybe even raise my own steaks.  (aka, I could create my own Whole Foods.  And it wouldn’t even be nicknamed Whole Paycheck.)

It’s a toss up.  If I found a way to put a Bikram Yoga studio somewhere on my space, I think I’d have a clear winner.  For now though, I’ll just drive.

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Sep 22

A Little Vegas in the Country

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A Little Country BlingSo I used to live in Vegas.  Now I live in the country. Definitely a switch.  A welcome one for sure, but a switch.  Here’s my nod to Vegas – a little country bling from the local dairy.  I saw this shirt and had to have it.  I guess part of me will always love a little extra sparkle.

Now this is not just any dairy.  It’s the Shatto Milk Company and they keep some very happy employees – of both the two-legged and four-legged variety.  I LOVE Shatto!  Which is kind of funny considering I don’t drink milk often – and most of the time when I do, I drink soy milk.  Their branding is just so fun!  I love their moosletter and their milk soap is fantastic.  And for the times when I do drink regular milk, theirs is the only one I’ll drink.

I went on a tour of the dairy during their annual Family Farm Day. I was surprised how spotless it was – it is a DAIRY after all. Even more surprising – that’s the way it is ALL. THE. TIME. My sister Jessie works as a bottle washer at Shatto, so I stop by on a regular basis. And every single time I do, it’s still spotless. Love it!

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