And just like that, 10 years are gone.

I can't believe it has been 10 years.

Ten years since I was walking the halls of Wichita Northwest as a Grizzly.

Ten years since I attended high school parties drinking Smirnoff Ice or Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Ten years since I wore my dance uniform to school every Friday.

Ten years since I left Wichita to attend the greatest college in the nation.

And ten years since all my high school buddies were in the same room -- all at the same time.

It feels like it was yesterday.

These are a few of my squad buddies. 

Nickki, the talented business woman who owns Firefly yoga studio in Wichita, and the beautiful Sarah, mama to the cutest little girl and part time Zumba instructor. It's fitting because she's the one I used to shake my tail feather with.

 More friends reunited.

Me and Chas tended to cause trouble together. We broke a few rules, and were always the ones spitting fire. We were both loud, outspoken and brutally honest. 

Who am I trying to kid? We are both still the same fireballs.

 Me and this girl go way back. Her mom was my nurse when I had surgery in middle school. We were meant to meet because Jess and I have heaps of memories together. Came all the way from California.

My brother used to torment this friend. I don't know what it was, but whenever Janea was over, he would chase us around the house with a whip (not kidding) or do something to prove he was my older, meaner brother. She never rocked bangs in hs, but she looks oh so fabulous with them.

My annual snow skiing buddy and blond friend, Missy. I call her blond because she's pretty much the blond we hear about in the jokes to a T. She knows it and we all laugh together at her blond moments.

But I don't laugh too hard, because she probably has more dirt on me than anyone. 

 This guy is Kamerion Wimbley. Recognize him at all?

He's a linebacker for the Tennessee Titans. Used to play for the Raiders and before that the Browns.

He was also just recently a contestant on the show American Ninja Warrior.

He's my celeb friend from high school.

Which is why we danced the tango at the reunion.

I figured it was appropriate he prepared to be on Dancing with the Stars someday.

If you are debating on attending your high school reunion, you should definitely go! I wasn't going to go at first, and am so glad I made it work with our schedule! 

Believe it or not, there were no name tags. I was disappointed at first because I was scared I wouldn't remember any one's name. It's amazing what comes back to you after a few beers!

And surprisingly, I didn't even talk about what I do, where I've been, and my family all that much because most people already knew the deets from facebook Crazy technology!

There were so many people I didn't get pictures with and friends I would love to tell you about.  Like my BFF Mark and my date for the night (Husband was at his best friend's wedding rehearsal dinner).

But, I'm sure another 10 years will come and go just as quickly as these did and I'll have more memories to document. 

Do you think I'll still keep up with this blog in 10 years? 

Carson will be almost 11 by then. And I'll be close to 40. Wowza, that  seems old.

Ok, that's enough crazy talk for one day. Bye Bye.

I'm Back!

Well hello friends! I'm back from a short blog hiatus and life is as hectic as ever.

A lot has happened in two weeks:

• We made a quick trip to Ta Town to visit Nana Jana & Papa
• Spent the whole 4th of July week in Colorado visiting friends and family
• Experienced a few firsts: First time in the Mile High city during the summer, white water rafting & Estes Park
• Tried Lime-a-Rita's finally. Oh my. I have totally been missing out.
• Big Boy now has two teeth. TWO teeth!
• Got family pictures taken
• Visited the doctor/urgent care four times in two weeks. My poor baby was sick with a nasty viral infection:(. High temps of 104 are too scary for this momma to handle!

I'll update further on some of these soon. And by soon, I mean give me at least a week:).

I know what you're thinking...geez, cut me some slack, this mama is trying to catch up at work and has a busy weekend ahead. :)

This Friday, I have my 10-year high school reunion. I can't believe it's been 10 years since I left the oh-so-happening city of Wichita. I mean, why would anyone ever want to leave that place?

I'm sure my reunion will be much like the husbands was. If you remember, it was a room full of old classmates sizing each other up and reeked of judgey behavior. There will be a slight difference.

I'll be attending solo. No husband. No eye candy for my classmates. No drink cop for yours truly.

This is dangerous my friends.

I won't have anyone to cut me off or tell me I'm slurring my words. It tends to happen pretty easily these days.

Who knows? Maybe me and my dance team friends can bust out our choreographed dance to Slave by Britney Spears.

Oh, you didn't know I used to dance? Or that me and my squad had a choreographed dance to Slave?

Why yes, yes we did. And we used to bust it out at parties.

I'm not kidding. I'm totally serious.

What? A group of girls in jeans skirts and zig zag hair parts dancing in sync, but borderline slutty at a party isn't appropriate?

You're right. It's not. I can't believe our school allowed that behavior.

Good thing we'll be wearing mom jeans this time around. Just kidding, I don't wear mom jeans. Not Yet.

Let's hope I don't run into this guy. Sheesh, god help me to get through a convo with him.

If he thought I was well endowed then, his jaw will drop when he sees this still-breastfeeding mama.


Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is Friday! Hip Hip Hooray!

Wee Wee Weeeeeeee!

[Just like the Geico commercial.]

That's what I was shouting this weekend as I went sliding down a huge hill on a snow sled. Well, let's be honest, the wees only came out after the screams of complete fear had vanished.

When we first arrived at the Shawnee Slopes, we hesitated our pre-determined "great idea" the night before over dinner and drinks of going sledding, with second thoughts almost taking over.

We all stood at the top of the hill, sleds in hand, and watched as tiny little youngsters would get a running start, and send themselves barrelling down the hill mountain head first, with not a fear in the world. Fearless.

I like to think of myself as an adventurous person. But this time was a bit different. I think our whole group (with the exception of Matt) were contemplating our great idea. The hill was a bit steep, and showed some flaws.

Visible patches of grass and mud showing it's obvious excessive use over the past few days and bumps you couldn't avoid hitting. Not to mention the swarms of little tikes all over the place.

The thought process of me sledding at 10 years-old was quite different than the thoughts coming from this almost 27-year old.

The many what ifs about crashing into a child, aches and pains the next day, possible broken bones, injuring a child, not being able to get out of bed the next morning, getting yelled at by a parent after almost hitting their child...you get the drift.

But, we all got over our fears and spent the afternoon drowning our sorrows of the KSU game by sledding. It was so much fun! Even Jake got to partake in the activity. What a great way to wear out the pup!

Cole and Abby

 Getting up the courage to go down the hill.

Matt went first and broke his sled:)

Love this pic. Abby's face proves how much fun we were having!

Me and B. Jake just hanging out.

Jake following every sled down the hill

The Gals

Matt and Heather

Fearless Matt dodging a little girl

Heather and Matt getting some air

Yep, that's Brian and Matt on the tube together. B catching some air.

Love their smiles:)

 

Heather Prepping Jake and Brian to go.

Down they go!

Wee Wee Weeeeeee!

Watch out for the kid!

There's definitely one thing I can say about sledding as a big kid. It's not as easy to get up the hill as I remember.

We counted it as our workout for the day.

Hypothetical vs. Reality

It’s been almost a week since I blogged, although it seems only two days since I last sat down to write a post. Probably because work graced me with an absolutely insane Monday upon my return from Dallas. Not to mention the lovely arrival of snowfall here in Kansas. Have I ever mentioned how much I love snow?

[Insert excessive sarcasm here]

Don’t get me wrong, snow and I would be on better terms if I could do any of the following right about now:

• Sitting on a ski lift headed for the top of a mountain
• Sipping on Bailey’s and hot chocolate while resting at a mountain ski lodge
• Hell, I’d even take Snow Creek. And we all know that place is pretty much a joke. 
• Enjoying the snowy scenery accompanied by my camera 
• Sledding down a hill like a young child 
• Cuddling up on the couch with a movie while watching the snow fall 
• Watching Jake barrel through the snow like a kid in a candy store

HOWEVER, the facts show that Kansas and my real-world 8 to 5 job just don’t offer any of these. The site of snow in this state does absolutely nothing for me. So instead, I’ll show appreciation for the tangible things in my life today:

Reminiscing about our weekend Dallas trip
For a family wedding. Long drive, but great time! Pics coming soon!

The comeback of good TV
Thanks to Grey’s, Private Practice and The Bachelor! And Jersey Shore. Yeah, I just admitted that. You know you watch it too:).

My Ugg boots
Oh how I love thee. So much that I wear them into work with my dress pants in the above stated weather and end up wearing them all day. I bring heels, I just can’t seem to make the switch. Pssst, I have them on right now:). And they will stay that way until my 2:00 meeting. Blame it on the sheep skin!

Great books
I just finished the Hunger Games and can’t wait to start the second book of the trilogy. I have a feeling this young-adult series is going to surprise me. Just like Twilight did. Hunger Games=Compelling, entertaining and disturbing all at once. Oh, and an impeccable pace. I couldn’t put it down.

Our new couch
Still loving it. It's so perfect. Pics to come soon, promise. I'm so behind.

No hesitance to just laugh at myself 
Everyone has to laugh at themselves every once awhile.

I had a request for a pic of the zig zig part. Well...since we drove through Wichita on our way to Dallas this past weekend, I was able to snag a few photos of my senior pics from my parents casa. (They were taken from my phone, so don't judge. And I'm not cool enough to have an iPhone, so Blackberry photos are just going to have to be suitable.)

Now, you can laugh.

Just don't laugh too hard.

 Zig Zag part from an angle

 Zig Zag part, front and center

Zig Zag part coupled with Doc Marten sandals can never be good!

HA HA! So there you have it. My lovely zig zag part.

I think this would be a great opportunity for everyone to post a photo of their Senior Pictures. C'mon, you know you want to! Join the fun!

Eight Regrets

This is the time of year for resolutions. The start of a new year to better yourself and change bad habits. Well, I've never really been a resolution type of person. I never stick to them for any notable amount of time and my list is always way longer than I can handle.

So rather, let's talk about regrets. Not that I think anyone should have any, but a recent convo with friends made this post seem worthy. Sounds kinda negative, doesn't it? Well yes, but with these regrets, will come a positive goal or something I will strive for. Not necessarily something I will change about my life or make happen this year, but things I want to shoot for in the future.

First things first. I am a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason." Take chances, make spontaneous decisions, live adventurously, regret nothing, blah blah blah.

But really, I truly believe that everything we endure or experience is a moment in life we were meant to live. It's all of these life lessons and experiences that mold us into the people we are.

Ok, cut the cheesy crap. What things in life do you regret? Something years ago, something yesterday? Maybe something big, maybe something small?

Whatever it is, there's got to be something you wish might have happened differently, something you didn't give up, or something you would change if you could.

With that said, I thought I would share some of mine.

1. Giving up piano lessons
Yep, I took piano lessons for several years. And I gave it up. Because at the time...boys, cheerleading and shopping with my friends at Claire's was more important. What was I thinking!? I would give anything to be a piano playing diva today.

My momma was a piano player, and still can play well. In fact, we used to play Fur Elise together. I would watch her use the pedals as she played the harder part. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Goal: Let's be real, I'm not going to pick back up piano lessons any time soon or anything, so my musically-related goal is to sing at church. And sing well. This might sound really dumb to some of you, but it's my goal. I don't typically make much of an effort to open the book and join along in the songs, so now I will. 

2. Staying close with old friends
I think everyone experiences this at one time or another in their life. My situation happens to be with my high school friends. Don't get me wrong, I love my college friends who have become the best friends I could ever ask for, but it doesn't make me miss some of my hs friends any less. I know there will always be people that come in and out of our lives, but I really miss some of them and the times we shared.

Goal: Make trips back to Wichita not just to see the fam. Make time for lunch, coffee and visits with my fav Ta-town peeps.

3. Living out-of-house my junior year
Although I had a blast being one of the girls with an "out-of-house," the keg parties and beer-stocked refrigerator just wasn't enough for me to keep this one off my list.

I will never forget my sophomore year of college. The year I lived in. The year I shared everything with my sisters. My best friends.

Blue hall. Hampsters. Hanging out in the Blue Lou. Watching The Bachelor in the Rec room. Water balloon fight with the house boys from the study room, Louise & Zaneida. The choo choo skit and being a Chi-O rocker. Class drop offs because we were too lazy to walk. Snow ball fight at ATO. Bursting. Phone & Door. Sneaking in the kitchen late at night because we had the munchies. Date parties. Test files. Fish bowls at Fats. Flip cup tourneys. That wretched blue bathroom. Getting on the speaker and yelling obscenities. Talking about Omega Men. Waking up next to my girlfriends to talk about what happened the night before.

And that's not even half of the memories. The memories that will never be forgotten.

Goal: Give back to the Chi-O house by donating $$. It's only necessary for how much it has given me.

4. Zig zag part
Yes, I had a zig zag part my senior year of high school and freshman year of college. Again, what was I thinking!? I thought it was cool. Something I will never live down. LOL.

No goal for this one:) This was just for fun.

5. The way I treated my parents as a teen
This one is really hard for me to admit and talk about. Simply because I am so embarrassed by the way I acted and treated my mother and father when I was a sassy, know-it-all, rude brat of a teenager. Even worse, my hs friends witnessed my horrible actions on occasion.

I swear, if I am given a little girl someday, and she is even half of the bitch I was, I'll take it. Because I deserve it. I'm sure I won't like it, but oh do I deserve it. I love you mom and dad. You have given me so much and I am so thankful for you. Sorry for what I put you through.

Goal: Do something big for my parents. Like take them on a vacation or something. I don't have the money for this now, but someday I will. I vow to do something really nice for them.

6. Lack of faith during college
I think about this one a lot. I'm sure others have fallen victim to it as well, but it's no excuse. One year at K-State, I think I only went for Ash Wednesday, Christmas and Easter. I was a terrible catholic.

Goal: I think this will continue to be a goal of mine until the day I die. Go to mass every week! No excuses!

7. Moving to Denver
Another one that is really hard for me to admit. And probably even harder for my hubby to hear. But he already knows how I feel about it.

When Brian graduated a semester before me, he really wanted to move to Denver. He had three interviews in Denver and one in KC. He chose KC because of me. We weren't engaged at the time, but he knew I wanted to stay close to family. I didn't pressure him into choosing and I would have followed him to the mountains, but he stayed because he knew it's what I wanted more. Brian, if you're reading, I love you.

Goal: Live in Denver someday. I'm bound to make it happen for my hubby.

8. The Rest
For all the other things I did that I regret. Missing out on a family trip because something else was more important at the time, not being nice to all my classmates in high school, allowing myself to get peer pressured into doing things I shouldn't have, dating a psycho in hs (I'm not kidding), The Goodnight Line (you know who you are!), for all the times I made someone feel unappreciated, when I didn't accomplish things I know I could have.

There are many more regrets I could add to this, but I'll keep the rest to myself:).

Goal: Be a better person. And take the time to tell people I love them. Simple as that.

What are your regrets or things you would change? Think about them and write them down. It really does inspire you to be a better person. Happy Hump Day!

Trip Down Memory Lane

I was on a run last night, when I was suddenly stopped by something that caught my eye. I proceeded to bend down and pick it up as a ton of old memories came flying in.

It's a living thing. It's somewhat pretty. Err..sort of. You probably made something out of them when you were little. Anybody know what it might be?

They were those little white and purple flowers (I actually think they are weeds) that seemed to pop up all over the playground, and you made jewelry out of them.

Do you remember doing this as a kid!? You probably only did this if you are a girl. Rings, necklaces and bracelets. If not, I guess I was a strange kid, but I vividly remembering doing this as a little girl.

So, this post is entirely dedicated to my memories of being a kid in the 90s.

I know I have missed a ton of monumental things of growing up in this era, but these are some of the things that came to my mind:

Slap Bracelets
Totally rock! I loved these. My brother and I used to fight over these. Who am I kidding? My brother and I fought over everything. I'm glad we are finally past that in our lives. Well, most of the time. :)

MASH
Remember when we left the future of our lives in the twists and turns of a swirl on a piece of paper? The career I always hoped for was a news reporter. Ha!

Pogs
I wasn't in to these for very long, but my brother sure was. I would steal his slammers just to piss him off.

Origami Folds
Remember when it wasn't cool to pass a note if it wasn't folded in an origami fashion. Oh, and can't forget how you always wrote "pull" on the little tab. :)

Not sure about you guys, but I was a note-writing freak. So much that I kept many of them from my middle school/early high school years as "keepsakes." I went through some of them a few years back and it was a hoot!! The things my friends and I were concerned with back then are just sooooooooo different from today. Sigh.

Another origami activity I was reminded of when thinking about folding cool notes was the fortune teller game.

L.Y.L.A.S
I wrote this at the end of all my notes. Love ya like a sister! LOL

Skip It
I was obsessed with the Skip It. I think I went through a couple of them because my pesky brother broke so many. This is probably similar to what I looked like.

Little Sally Walker
Did anyone else play this relentless game at recess? Or was it just me and my girly cheerleader friends in the 5th grade? Here's a funny tidbit, we even got the boys to play! They liked is just as much as we did! No lie.

New Kids on the Block
I wasn't quite as obsessed with this boy band as some of my childhood friends, but it probably was only because I was putting on a front. I was insanely jealous of the girl down the street who had a decked-out NKOTB bedroom. Sheets, pillows, bed skirt, comforter, curtains, rug, posters, barbie dolls. You name it, she had it and I wanted it. Let's just say my mom didn't ever let me turn my bedroom into a NKOTB fan fest. Thank you mom.

Caboodles
You know, that big plastic, really convenient carrier that held all your blue and teal eyeshadow and bright pink lipstick?

TV of the 90s
Clarissa Explains It All, Double Dare, Saved By the Bell, 90210, Melrose Place, Boy Meets World. There were so many good ones. I'm not sure I should have even been allowed to watch 90210 and Melrose, but I sure loved them.

I can only imagine how many young girls are obsessed with Gossip Girl these days. Surely, the average high school girl can relate to everything S and B experience in that show, right? Getting into NYC clubs under age, excessive drinking, paparazzi, trips to Paris. Totally relative.

I wonder if any of these childhood memories will be making any epic comebacks? Or maybe kids today are still playing MASH, have a skip it, own pogs, pass notes in between classes and carry a caboodle?

Yeah right! Who am I kidding?! Today's teens don't give a damn about pogs!

A kid in the 21st Century is worried about updating their status on their facebook page (with their iPhone of course), watches Gossip Girl, carries a Coach purse and has carpal tunnel from texting.

10 years, already!?

We all know that any kind of reunion can initiate those awkward situations that nobody enjoys. You know, those conversations where you act like you are listening and care, but you really don't.
 
I'm being quite blunt here, but you all know exactly what I'm talking about.

There's certain people from your past you care to talk to and there are ones you don't care to have anything to do with. 
 
We attended Brian's 10-year high school reunion this past weekend. Yes, my hubby is getting old:).

We had nametags and everything

Besides the fact that I was really tired from my triathlon that morning, I was surprised with how much fun I had. Oh and did I mention he went to Wichita Southeast? Not exactly Northwest, but let's just say he was more "cultured" than I was.

Let's face it, reunions are prime places for judgey behavior. Everyone is checking each other out, and the spouses/significant others/random dates aren't immune to the judgemental-ness.

I felt like each and every person was checking me out. Or maybe it was just Brian's old girlfriends and make-out friends. HA HA. C'mon, we all know we have a few of those:).

Either way, people wanted to see what Brian had been up to.

Not gonna lie, I was a little worried about being the tag-along spouse and having a really boring time. To my surprise, it was an enjoyable time. We closed the bars down and had lots of fun. However, the majority of the people we hung out with were Brian's closest friends from high school.

This guy was the best man in our wedding

Let's get real people, there will always be cliques. And you will always gravitate to your cliques. Reunion setting or not, you will sit at the same table with the people you know you can have a conversation with.
 
Nevertheless, both Brian and I had to bust out the "help, get me out of here" looks. Don't you just love having a sidekick for situations like that?

Anyways, it ended up being a great night consumed by cocktails, shots and a 5-hour energy! I wouldn't have made it through the night without it. Looking forward to mine in 2012!

 Momma K was our ride home, so she came out for a drink!