Weekend Recap

Another busy weekend for us. But lots of good times with friends.

Friday night, we met Megan, Jeremy, Kate, Kurt, Julie and Josh up at Tanner's. Newman's boyfriend, Kurt, was in town from Milwaukee, so it was fun to get to hang out with them. Especially since we just found out Kate will be moving to Milwaukee soon! We started the night saying we were just going to have "a couple beers", but it quickly turned into more than that! Had a great time catching up!

Kate & Kurt

Megan & Jeremy

Julie & Josh

 

And us!

 

Saturday, we spent the day running errands and fixing a pipe in our garage that broke. Well, I'll be honest here...Brian fixed it. I had nothing to do with it other than nagging at him to get it fixed for the last week and half:). Brian accidentally left the hose hooked up one night and it froze and busted. And why have we had the hose out during the freezing cold winter? Oh, because our dog gets muddy every time he goes out, so we have to spray him down. It's totally annoying and such a mess.

For the K-State game, we went to the Bowens. Since the weather was so nice and we saw a glimpse of sunshine, we decided to grill out. Yummy food! Thanks for hosting Julie!

On Sunday, we had lunch with Brian's RCIA sponsor after church. Then, we went to pick up my new road bike!! More info to come about how excited I am about that! Whoo-hoo!

The Birthday Continues!!

Well, the birthday hasn't ended yet. When I got home, Brian had a cake for me and the funniest card ever. He didn't really do anything for me yesterday because I already had plans with the girls and didn't get home until late.

So, I have to share the card because I think it is just hilarious. Here's the front. It's a fridge with a note on it.

It says:
1. Happy Birthday!
2. I love you!
   XOXO, Your Husband

Then you open the fridge door...to another note.

It says:
P.S. We need milk.

And Brian wrote underneath it, "We really do!!"

LOL:) Too funny!

And he is so right! I have been putting off going to the store all week long!





And here's my cake. Yum-o! Thanks for a great birthday baby!

 

 

> Quarter of a Century

Today I turned 26, which is greater than a quarter of a century and also another year closer to 30. Boo...but, I don't even feel any older. Just wiser:)

So, Brian asked me what I wanted for my birthday. Here's a few things I said:
1. Cycling shoes or shorts
2. New hardware for the kitchen cabinets
3. New tile on the fireplace mantle
4. Crown molding in the master bedroom
5. An organized garage
6. The trim to be done! (we have been painting all the trim in our house white and are almost done!)

See...I'm getting old, aren't I? And can you tell I like to keep my husband busy? :) LOL

I had a wonderful day; received tons of birthday wishes and cards. And, Momma K sent me flowers at work. It was a very nice surprise and very thoughtful. Thank you! Went to dinner with the girls at Houlihan's to celebrate tonight. Good times spent with great friends. Thanks for coming guys!!

Olympics

We have been spending our nights watching the Olympics and I just love it. The United States is currently in the lead, followed by Germany and Norway. Many random thoughts have gone through my head. Here are a few:

1.Why can't the girls land their tricks in the half pipe? The boys are so much more fun to watch. Pretty much how I feel about girls basketball too.
2. What's the difference between ice dancing and couple skating? Just the axle's and triple loop jumps? Seems pointless to me.
3. Freestyle skiing is really cool.
4. Do kids say to their parents growing up "Mommy/Daddy, I want to be a curler." I just don't see how one develops a desire to do this or gets into it!
5.  The Koreans are mean. All pushy and such in the speed skating. Get up off fool!
6. Does curling even require any athleticism?
7. How do you score in curling? :)
8. Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time! Cool Runnings! Classic.

Weekend Whereabouts

Dear snow,
I absolutely despise you. I would be completely content with never seeing you again. Please melt away, stop falling and stay off the streets. We have seen enough of you this season.

Over it,
Krista

Seriously!? When is this weather going to let up? I have never seen so much snow in my life. A snowfall doesn't even have time to melt before another comes piling down. Geez.

This weekend was pretty busy for us. Friday night we spent the evening watching a movie. We have Netflix, so we see our fair share of movies. This time, we happened to have Paranormal Activity. I don't really know why we wanted to see this, but it was pretty pointless and scary. I had my face covered about half the time.

Saturday, we did stuff around the house during the day and then headed to a friends house to watch the Cats play. Nice win for us! After the game, we went to Danny's out south to watch Missing Kaufman's first gig. For anyone that doesn't know, Missing Kauffman was started by Jeremy Graham (Roback's boyfriend) and Ryan Epstein and they are a two-man cover band. Look them up on facebook and become a fan. They did great and we had a lot of fun!!

Sunday was spent going to Church and house cleaning. I decided to tackle the much needed dusty cabinet tops in the kitchen. I have a bunch of decorative vases and knick-knacks up there too that get really dusty. Not fun, but glad it's done!! This is me standing on top of the kitchen counter and Brian took a pic from down in the living room.

We went to church twice today. Brian was recognized at morning mass for his upcoming baptism and confirmation (he has been going through the RCIA classes since last September). Then, we attended the Rite of Reconciliation in the evening. Very nice service where all parishes in Johnson County gathered with the Archbishop present to recognize baptism and RCIA candidates. I am so proud of my husband for taking this journey and look forward to supporting him on Easter when he confirms the catholic faith into his life!

The Necessary Evil: Taxes

Oh yes, it's that time of year. We went to visit Mr. Tax Man this week. A nice man really. Quiet, but efficient and down to business. Just what we wanted in a tax preparer.

I know there is Turbo Tax and that it's really easy to do yourself. But, I'm rather content with giving my money to a professional to worry about them. We gave him our unorganized stack of documents and he was supposed to make magic happen. Like...poof! Here's a late Christmas present.

But no, I am in pure agony that we have to pay this year. The IRS is taking more of our money. Well, Mr. Tax Man (and other people) told us it was a good thing we owed because it meant that the government took less of our money throughout the year. I understand this reasoning, but why do I feel the money that goes to the government is basically sucked into a financial black hole?

Damn the IRS.

Thank you to the Beatles for describing it perfectly.

"Let me tell you how it will be,
There's one for you, nineteen for me.
Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman.

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street.
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat.
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet."

Ashes Bring 40 Days of Discipline

We attended Ash Wednesday mass today to celebrate the first day of Lent. Brian and I went with a few people I work with over lunch to the cathedral downtown. Such a beautiful church (the one with the gold top) and where the Greens were married!

So, I've decided to give up chocolate this year. This may not be that hard for some, but for me...oh it is. If you didn't already know, I am a sweets fanatic. Especially when it comes to chocolate.

This means I will have to sacrifice anything chocolate: cookies, M&M's, brownies, any candy bar, pie, cake, milkshakes and my ultimate fav...chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

I'm also going to miss out on "Cookie Friday" at work. A gal that I work with bakes homemade cookies at the office every Friday and they are always warm and gooey and oh so good. I normally have about three, or four. No joke. Oh I'll also miss the Dove dark chocolates that a co-worker (sits right next to me) always has available in a cute little dish.

Bye-bye my dearest sweet-tooth treats. Well...until Easter.

Wish me luck. I need it.

Electronics Frustration Solved

So, my husband FINALLY solved my problem of not understanding how to work the electronics. He purchased a universal remote that controls EVERYTHING! TV, receiver, cable box and blue ray player.

I'm not going to lie, I did complain about him having to buy another remote (we have six already), but it is the best invention ever made. You press one button for volume, channel, etc. (no switching back and forth between cable and audio) and if you get stuck and don't know what to push...there's a little digital screen that tells you what to do.

Want to watch a DVD? Want to listen to music? You just follow the directions on the screen, and Woila! It works!! No need to learn how to use it!

Does anyone watch Modern Family? Hilarious show. This post reminds me of an episode a few weeks ago where the mom, Claire, couldn't figure out the remote/electronics and got fed up and destroyed the remote by stomping on it.

I made Brian watch the episode. I think that's why he went and bought the remote. Aw, he felt for me. He now loves the show too.

Thank you to the rest of the female population for being as stupid as me when it comes to electronics.

I've inlcuded the link to the episode if you want to watch it. The electronics tantrum starts out right in the beginning.:) 
Watch Episode

Valentine's Day=Overrated

This is the stupidest holiday ever created. It's just a made-up day for girls' significant others to feel obligated to be all lovey-dovey and buy a gift. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to go out to eat or get flowers every so often, but does it have to be on a certain day that this must happen? Brian and I have never really celebrated this holiday. In fact, I don't think we have ever even went out to eat on this crazy day. We just exchange cards and it works for us. So instead, we spent the day with family!

Brian's mom and grandma came to KC this weekend. It was great having them here and wish they would come more often! Saturday, we had lunch at 5 Guys Burger and Fries at the Legends (new hamburger joint that is very good, but a total heart attack/grease monsoon). Brian just loves this place. Then, we introduced Momma K and Grandma to Nebraska Furniture Mart. Grandma was really impressed with how big it was and really thought it was something:). Then, we watched the K-State game at home, and had chicken enchiladas with tomatillo/poblano chile sauce and a few bottles of wine. Yum! We also discovered that Jake has a liking for apples. He was snooping around in the guest bedroom, found an apple in Nancy's bag and starting eating it! It was the funniest thing ever --  like he had found a juicy steak or something!

Sunday, Brian flipped pancakes for breakfast and we ate at Spin! Pizza for lunch. Very good pizzas and salads. They were hoping to stay longer, but the random in-and-out blizzards had them leaving early. But I think it was a good thing because when Brian and I were headed back home on 435, the highway was closed right near our exit! It was nuts! It was really backed up and apparently 435 north bound at holiday, 35 and 87th and 70 at the K-7 hook up were all closed for several hours due to 25+ car pile-up wrecks. Another reason why we all need to pack up and head to the beach!! Snow, go away already!

 

Look for the pancake slightly in the air! :)

 

Get that apple, jakey!

Craigslist First Timer

So, Brian and I had our first experience with Craigslist yesterday! We have heard great things about posting items to sale and making some mu-lah, but never really had anything to post. And we've never purchased anything off the site, but have looked before. Well, we got a new oven/range and microwave to install above the stove top (more to come in later posts about how busy we have been with home improvements), so we needed to get rid of the old one. Brian is currently managing a renovation at Nebraska Furniture Mart for work so we got a killer deal on the appliances.

Anyways, Brian posted the oven for sale at 2:00 on Friday afternoon and it was out of the garage by 7:30!! Not to mention, we had four other people interested in it. It was awesome! We didn't even have to haul it anywhere or hassle with getting rid of it. I was a little nervous about the guy coming to the house to look at it (you never know about the crazies out there:), but all went well, and Brian was very careful and made me have my phone right by me at all times. Easiest money we've ever made. I highly recommend it to anyone.

The Playa Awaits Us...

We just renewed our passports today because we are headed to Playa del Carmen, Mexico in May. Whoo-hoo! I am in dire need of warm weather (I am so over this snow) and can't wait to experience the all-inclusive vacation. Both me and Brian are first timers to the all-inclusive and are looking forward to every margarita, pina colada, miami vice, mojito or mixed drink we can think of for those bartenders to whip up! Here's a pic of our resort.

Side Note About Passports:
If you plan to go to Mexico or any bordering countries, make sure you get a Passport Book and not a Passport Card. A guy Brian works with and his wife were supposed to go to Mexico this week and they got no further than Atlanta due to the absence of a passport book. The passport card is valid only via land and sea. So a cruise would probably be ok with the card. But really...wouldn't that really ruin your vacation?

Jakey Boy Is Too Needy

We opened the mail today to find a lovely letter from the City of Shawnee Police Dept. It was giving us a noise violation, which was submitted by one of our neighbors.

Who is responsible for this? Of course, who else!? Our one and only -- Jake.

Well, it's not entirely his fault. I need to be easier on him:). He did get left outside all night (which we have never done before), but he had his warm kennel and the garage to go in and out of (via his doggy door) at his own leisure.

Anyways, to catch you up on the story, for the K-State/KU game, Brian went to Manhattan for a boys weekend, while I stayed here and went out with some girlfriends. Well, we ended up going to P&L and I couldn't make it back to my house in BFE, so I stayed at Roback's. I did have Lyndsey and Brennan go check on him and feed him (I'm not a horrible mother) so he wasn't too deprived of attention. Apparently, he was barking and moaning from 2:30-7:00 AM. We really didn't think he would bark considering he stays in the garage all day while we are at work. He just lays down in his kennel and sleeps (lazy dog). He normally doesn't ever bark for attention unless we are there. But I should have known because he is a VERY needy, dependent dog. So, great, now we are seen as the neighbors with the annoying dog. The best part, is that my father-in-law (he's a vet) asked us if we wanted to solve the problem by permanently removing Jake's voice box!? HA! The thought did cross my mind... but look at that face. I couldn't imagine having my bark taken away from me! Although I bet Brian might enjoy it so I couldn't nag at him:)

2010 Brings a New Blog!

What!? Yep, that's right; I have decided to start a blog. I have wanted to create one for awhile now, but just never knew if I had the time to commit to it. After convincing from several people, I decided to take the plunge! I don't know if our life is interesting enough to blog about, but I hope this will give our family and friends a little glance at what goes on in the Kutters' world. Enjoy!

Choosing a Blog Name
I mean seriously...how hard can it be? I like to think of myself as a creative person, but when it comes to coming up with something that represents you and your husband’s lives, well, it's pretty tough:) I totally stole reality tv show title "Keeping up with the Kardashians", but it totally works with our last name, and I really couldn’t think of anything more engaging. Plus, Kim and I can relate to each other because we both have a really big booty, ha! Love this show!