Ozarks Version 2.0

Last weekend,  I went to the Lake of the Ozarks for our annual girls trip. It was a small group this year, with two of us being prego. But that's not to say we had any less fun.

I call this trip version 2.0 because we have somewhere along the lines converted to a much more tame group resulting in a different version than in the past.

Let's face it, we are getting older...we beer bong less, we can't handle quite as much liquor and we now find the raunchiness of Party Cove a little less desirable.

Maybe it was because I was completely sober this time around, or maybe it's just the soon-to-be-mommy in me, but it was pretty rank. If you aren't familiar with Party Cove, it's a place where more than 3,000 boats string up for the world's largest floating party aka an outrageous spectacle on the water.

Don't get me wrong, we still know how to kick back some brewskies and get a little wild, it's just different than our typical crazy lake trip. And you better believe if I wasn't with baby, I would have surely busted out the beer bong or jumped off the boat while it was moving at 20 mph. It's just how I roll, sorry for partyin'.

We arrived at the Connor's lake house early Friday to eat lunch and relax. The dock, friends, the sunshine and pure relaxation was exactly what I needed. It was SO nice to get a day away from my job and simply catch up with my girlfriends. Absolute divinity. 

I seriously have the best girlfriends in the world. I know I've rambled about this before, but I just can't help but appreciate the experiences and memories I have gained from them. The hormones are totally doing the talking right now:).

But really, I get a little emotional thinking about how far we have all come.

Everyone is all spread out these days, but it's an indescribable bond we have when we reconnect. It's like we never skipped a beat. And even though a lot of the girls weren't there, they were there in spirit.

The lake trips just wouldn't be the same without gobs of stories from our past. Stories we have all heard a thousand times, but we still think are SO funny. I just have really cool, amazing friends. That's all there is to it.

There's always a ton of memories that come out of these trips, things that I will cherish forever.

Introducing Version 2.0 Attendees...

 Connor - flew in from San Antonio, always the responsible one

 Ado - My twin and prego buddy. Tells a great story involving her fist colliding into the palm of her hand.

 Dr. Alex - road tripped solo from Des Moines with a case of Trader Joe's wine

 Amanda (Connor's lil' sis) - the professional dougie dancer

 Schools - flew in from Denver, the old lady of the group, all she's missing is a cane

 Smack - the hot single of the group with a smokin' bod

 Whitney aka Goldy - known for putting lemon juice in her hair and providing a lot of laughs - the kind that make your stomach hurt.

And...Yours Truly. Pregnant and hormonal.

A few things about this year's lake trip:

- Connor's dad (aka Captain Molly) and her sweet mom - what would we do without them? They continually put up with our shenanigans, cook for us and parade us around the lake. Love them. Appreciate them. 

- Friday night out at Frankie & Louie's- Goldy was our entertainment and we had a blast. It involved crazy dance moves, walk offs in the bar and a bucket.

- The raunchiness of Party Cove: It was just insane this year. In the 4 hours we were there, we witnessed two old topless women (right next to us) let three different men constantly lick whip cream off their boobies (I think one of them was her husband because they kept making out throughout the day), a man take his goods out of his swim trunks and flop it all around while girls enticed him (Brian told me this is called "floppy cock"), a girl get fingerbanged on a boat, and two people doing the dirty. And I don't know what it was with whip cream this year, but everyone was lovin' this alcoholic whip cream.

- Our annual meal at Doc Knockers: Fried shrimp and crab legs, yes please!

- Amanda and Whitney: They taught us how to dougie, Do the Bernie and WOP. I felt so disconnected from the music/dance world. Leave it to a college student and Whitney Goldy to show us what was up. Hilarious.

- The Hobbit making his usual appearance at Party Cove: This guy midge is a legend at Party Cove. He literally drives around on his jet ski waiting for girls to ask him for a ride. One year, our dear friend Hans took a ride with him. Priceless.

- Priceless Trips: Irreplaceable time with friends, great conversation and a whole lot of fun!

 "We still haven't busted out our bushes!" 

Not that bush...get your mind out of the gutter people:), this Busch...

 Busch NA: drink of choice for the pregos

 Airing up the Mega Station

 Amanda showin' us her dance skillz. I was really envious of her dougie.

 The infamous Mary Kate and Ashley

 Typical Whit move:)

 I really love this pic. So candid. And includes the bucket. I have no idea how we got her to wear that for so long.

 Trying to do the KSU, but the K is a little off and I'm really not sure about that S...

 2nd Try: KSX??

 "Get your mind right waiter" -Goldy

 Third times a charm (It was really like the 5th time, but who's keeping count?).

 Headed out in the boat

"Let's go to Party Cove, it will be better people watching."

Please make notice of the two topless women to the left. These were the ones getting crazy with the whip cream. They may not look it here, but they were my mother's age. Dirtiness I say.

 The Hobbit!

Love the reflection coming off Whit's glasses

 Heading home for the night to sit around in comfy clothes and tell stories.

Whether it's Version 1.0 or 2.0, we always have a damn good time. I wonder if there will ever be a 3.0?? Not sure what that would entail though...maybe someday when we are in our 50's, we'll feel the need to go topless at Party Cove.

Nah, we'll keep it classy and just be the people that stare at those crazy women.

18 weeks

I hit the 18 week mark this week and boy is the belly starting to protrude! I still haven't felt any kicks/movement yet, so hoping that comes soon :-|.

Here's what being pregnant has been like lately:

• Where's the pickles? I want one dammit! I have always loved pickles, it's not just a prego thing for me, but seriously, I really have been craving them. It's probably the only craving I have experienced thus far. Other foods will taste really good, but I haven't had that urge or craving that most pregnant women speak of.
• More people at work are starting to notice the changes in my body. I'm not kidding...four people today said "Krista, you're really starting to show!" They said it in a nice way of course:).
• The sickness has pretty much completely subsided. I still gag/dry heave some in the mornings, but nothing bad at all.
• I miss my coffee:(. My fabulous cup of caribou morning blend made from my wonderful Keurig maker. I haven't cut it out completely, but I would prefer to have my normal one cup of day. There are a ton of different opinions on the whole caffeine thing, but I believe everything in moderation.
• I have a new appreciation for flats. I just haven't wanted to wear heels much at all.
• Maternity Shopping: I haven't done much of it yet, but I did pick up a few things online at Old Navy. What do you think?

17 Weeks and Still No Time

Wowza, I am so behind on blogs it's not even funny. I don't know what's going on in all of your lovely lives.

I am really trying to keep up, I just can't find the time! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's driving me nutso! I really don't know how I ever had the time before, but hoping that some day I will have the time to commit to my blog again. Praying that work slows down soon!

Anywho, a quick update on a few random things:

This human being growing inside my belly
I promise to get better about posting pics of my expanding belly. I'm 17 weeks today and feel as if I'm growing faster than ever. Boy, I am so not ready for my body to change...mainly for my ass to get fat, my clothes not to fit and my husband to not think I'm hot anymore. Don't get me wrong, pregnancy is a beautiful thing and I couldn't be more excited for the little bambino to come, but I would be lying if I didn't question these things.

Here I am at 15 weeks:

And 16 weeks...

Some outfits definitely make the belly appear larger. I feel like these are two of those:)

If you're wondering, I haven't purchased any maternity clothes yet, just the "Belly Band", which allows me to wear my normal pants unbuttoned. The band holds them up and keeps them from falling off. None of my pants can be buttoned anymore:(

Source

My lush of a husband
I think Brian is reverting back to his college days. Seriously, it's like, "Krista gets prego and I get a perma DD." He's actually said this very statement before. While I love driving the three of us around (yes, three, I'm trying to get used to saying three rather than two:), I don't think I was fully prepared for how he really has been taking advantage of the whole pregnancy thing -- going out with the boys and not coming home. I will so get him back one of these days.

Two weekends ago, the hubs went on the annual float trip sans Krista. See a pattern here...Brian and more drinking. I didn't know how I would be feeling, and sleeping in a tent just didn't seem ideal to me, so I opted to stay home. Anyways, I was sad to miss good times with great people, but I'm pretty sure Brian did enough drinking for the three of us, yes I included baby since he or she can't drink either.

BRGR
We had dinner with my uncle and cousin last week and tried BRGR in Prairie Village. A modern burger joint with a comfortable atmosphere. I have heard great things about this place and how it is similar to Blanc. I love me some Blanc, so I had high hopes.

I had the turkey burger, what I also order at Blanc, and I thought Blanc's was better. However, the fried pickles and zucchini strings were to die for! Brian ordered the Road House and really enjoyed it. I'd definitely recommend this place.

Ok, enough about the food, let's talk about the strange bathrooms. As I was entering the bathroom, I immediately turned around and walked out when I saw a dude washing his hands at the sink. Then, I realized it was a unisex bathroom. I was so confused! Has anyone ever seen this before? I sure hadn't and it was very strange to me. A guy entering as I was washing my hands did the exact same thing.

Two stalls for girls, two stalls for guys

The women's stall had a cute changing station:) 

Strange Dreams
I have been having the strangest dreams since being pregnant, I have no idea why this is happening, but it is so bizarre.

Last night's dream included Molly (the runner up on this season's of America's Next Top Model - yes I'm guilty of watching), but she wasn't normal in my dream. She was a crazy person and kept stalking me and Brian. She chased me around the grocery store and then broke into our house. This doesn't sound that strange, but it was freakin' weird, especially since the finale of this show was weeks ago so I can't believe I was thinking about it when I fell asleep.

Another dream, last week, Brian and I were on the verge of getting a divorce. At one point, there was a fat girl that he was cheating on me with, but then all of a sudden she changed to a hot girl. Anyways, this girl was his girlfriend and he expected me to just be ok with it. Well, obviously I wasn't and was trying to get him to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Anyways, I wanted to work it out (without the girlfriend in the picture of course), he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. I didn't like the dream at all but it was a little more tolerable when the cake was fat and not hot. So, as we were talking about our situation, I was pretty much begging him to stay and work it out. All he said was, "Nope, I want a divorce, peace out."

Brian now thinks it's funny to throw in the words "Peace Out" when we are saying bye to each other.

The Past Few Weekends

We've I've been pretty lame lately, mostly due in large part to how I've felt. But, good news folks -- I haven't vomited in a whole week! I think the hangover is finally diminishing. Thaaaaaaank the lord.

Sick or not, life hasn't stop for us these past few weeks. I may not have felt like cooking or even watching much TV lately (can you believe it?), but our travel plans forced me to stop being a hermit crab.

Two weekends ago, we went to Grandma's to help out around her house. She recently had her foundation fixed and had some major damage to her grass. So, me, Bri, Momma K and Aunt Kathy from Denver all stepped in to help out. Well, not so much myself, but I did what I could:).

Brian also got to complete the annual spring job of cleaning out the fish pond.

 Those are some sexy pants. It doesn't look cold out, but it was.

The damaged grass that had to be tilled and reseeded.

The finished fishpond. So pretty!

While they worked really hard outside, I opted to help cook and clean inside. Momma K brought this to-die-for Raspberry Oatmeal Bar recipe that I'll post soon. They were so freakin' good, the five of us finished the whole pan in one weekend.

Last weekend, we were off to Clay Center, KS, for my oldest niece's high school graduation. My half sis put on a great graduation party.

Isn't my niece Britt so cute? I used to think she sort of resembled Brittany Spears, until our celeb of a roller coaster shaved her head and went crazy. I guess she's made a comeback, but I somewhere along the lines stopped thinking my Britt resembled her.

I used to change this girls diapers. I can't believe how grown up she is. She will be going to Butler CCC on a full ride dance scholarship. So proud of her! I bet my parents are wishing I could have landed a scholarship...

The graduation was outside on the football field. It was a little hot, and I left with a sunburn on only my left shoulder and left knee, but I thought the outside ceremony was a really nice touch.

More nieces and nephews. Any of you recognize Kenzee? She was the flower girl in our wedding and also the one who was breakin' it down on the dance floor.

Ahhh, to think back to the carefree days of finishing high school and going to college. If we could all go back for just a day...I would choose a warm day in Aggieville over cheap booze and bar food, when the only thing I had to worry about was getting myself home to then rally and make it out again that night.

Oh how life changes and how college really doesn't prepare you for the real world much.

So, my mom leans over to me during the graduation and whispers, "The baby will graduate high school in 2030, that's a good year."

While my mother was thinking about when the baby will experience his/her high school graduation, I was thinking about how I will be 46 years old when my first child leaves home. Which means, I probably will be around 50, when all my kids leave the house.

I couldn't help but think, "damn that's old!" Not entirely true, but getting old is so depressing. I definitely don't feel my age, and I really can't believe that I have been out of college for four years. And that was on the 5-year plan people. I just simply don't feel as old as I am.

Do we ever truly feel our age? Or will I feel 30 when I'm 40?

Coming Out of My Hole

I know what you're thinking...FINALLY! Right?

It's fine, I deserve the "Major Suckage" Award. It was brought to my attention last Friday at a get-together with the girls, that's it has been more than a month since I updated this blog. Yes, this one, that is collecting some major dust bunnies. I bet most of you don't even remember that I used to be really good at this whole blogging thing.

I actually never thought I would be one of those people that didn't blog for a long extended period of time, but certain things in life can make this happen.

One, I have been EXTREMELY busy at work. Like the pull your hair out, almost in tears, question throwing in the towel kind of busy. It's been brutal and not very fun, but that's just life. I've got just a little under three months of this crap left until the other coordinator decides to come back from maternity leave to save me.

So, amidst all this craziness at work, I have been quite sick. And tired. And somewhat miserable.

Why do you ask? Well, because Baby Kutter is the now the size of an apple and growing in my belly. Yes folks, I'm going to be a mommy!

I'm at 15 weeks as of yesterday, due in November and finally starting to feel better. Let me tell you, this pregnancy stuff is NOT glamorous! At least my experience hasn't been. Nausea, vomiting and feeling like you have a hangover 24-7 is the worst feeling in the world.

Literally, all I have been doing is sleeping, eating saltine crackers, getting sick, trying to find something I can eat (and keep down), and being moody with my hubs. He sure does love me these days. Actually, he's been an angel. He still manages to get in lots of "Moody Woman" comments:), but other than that, he has been extremely helpful. Grocery shopping, bringing me breakfast in bed (helps with the nausea to eat before getting up), and dealing with the fact that I haven't cooked in over a month.

But, it will all be worth it! So there you have it, the real reason why I have taken a long hiatus from the blog. I hope to get back into it though. And I promise not to bore you with too much mommy/baby stuff, although our lives are about to significantly change. For the better of course!

We're super excited about his next chapter in our lives! More posts to come on what we've been up to the last few weeks.

Until then, enjoy a glass of wine, a nice cold beer or a turkey sandwich for me. Did you know you can't eat deli meat when you're pregnant?