Friday Free for All!

Today is Homecoming at my old high school. I've been out for 10 years....doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was getting ready to ride in the parade, decorating the float, and preparing to dance at the big game. I will have to get pics of the parade for you all for next week!

Life- This week has been rough :( I hurt my back at work (not sure how!) on Tuesday and had to take Wednesday and Thursday off. I spent the afternoon on Wednesday in the ER trying to get relief...no such luck :(

C Dude- Yesterday was his picture day at school Dang those school photos are expensive! Despite that, of course I had to order some. I sure hope they are as good as last years...

Gram- My gram is in the hospital again. She had her colostomy reversed and her bowel put back together last Tuesday. She was supposed to be out of the hospital by Monday. Yesterday she had to have an emergency surgery to fix her bowel. It perforated where they had put it back together :( She now has an ileostoomy, and is on a ventilator. Hoping to get her off the vent today and back to health really soon! She's been through so much in the last 10 months.
Weekend plans- It's my 10 year class reunion!!!! A family friendly picnic at the park next to our old school  Can't wait to see old friends! Then on Sunday, we have to pack for our trip to the sunshine state next week! YAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Throwback Thursday!

Here's a picture of me in show choir during my junior year of high school in 2000-2001. I am the one on the left end of the 3rd row.  Lots of fun memories with these girls! I was in show choir for 5 years. Lots of trips, lots of practices, lots of shopping, and lots of laughs.

*Almost* Wordless Wednesday

~We will be here again in 8 days! NASCAR Cafe Universal Studios ~

Wish I could do that...

      This past Sunday my husband Chris competed in his very first triathlon. It was cold, and windy, but we both survived. I was so proud of him for setting this goal weeks ago, and actually staying committed to accomplishing it. He did accomplish it! In fact he finished the 300meter swim, 14.5 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run in less than the time he had set forth as his goal. His goal was 1hr 45min. He did it in 1hr, 38min, 1sec.

     When he climbed out of that 80 degree pool into the 37 degree air, I knew it was his best swim time ever. It brought tears to my eyes seeing him finish the first portion of the triathlon. He did an awesome job on the bike ride, which we figured he would since he cycles 20-30 miles most nights of the week. His 5k (3.1mile) run was what I was worried about. How can you run after doing those other two things?!?

He crossed that finish line so strong. I nearly came apart when he finished. I was so proud of him for doing it. (I already knew approx what his time would be due to the wonders of camera time stamp). His grandpa, who hasn't been in good health lately made it just in time to see him cross that finish line. He beamed with pride that day. This is probably the best moment in his grandchildren's sports endeavors.

Here's him starting stage 2 (the ride), and when he crossed the finish line :)

So this got me thinking...I wish I could do that! I want to do this with him......Sooooo my current goal in life is to run a 5k on October 20th in my hometown.  I want to share in his love of exercise (it couldn't hurt me to run) and catch up to his weight loss he's achieved through training for his goals.

Wordless Wednesday

3 years ago today...First trip to The Great Pumpkin Patch!



My First Nascar Race...Take Two!

Last September my husband decided to go to our first NASCAR race. We were so excited to go see the top drivers. The day we were supposed to go to the race, we woke up to rain. We drove 3 hours to the track, it rained all day, and the race ended up cancelled until the next day :(

That was not the case this year! Here's some pictures from the fun day we had last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

My Favorite Driver...Danica Patrick! She started 42nd, finished 25th.

Start of the race

Brad Keselowski, #2, Doing his post-win celebration!

It was a fun time. Just my husband, me, and 70,000+ crazy NASCAR fans (oh,and my brother in law). We tailgated. We walked through Champions Park. We got lots of freebies. But most of all, we had a fun time and got a nice sunburn :)

I'm being featured!!!!!!!!!

We've all been there.

We've seen something on the internet or read it in a magazine and wanted to try it out ourself. Then we tried it and it was an epic fail.

Lucky for us, there's a new blog about life's little adventures in cooking or beauty or home DIY projects that didn't quite turn out as planned.  I am so excited about it!  This is a blog that everyone can love and enjoy the humor of other people's "Glamour Oops".

Head on over and check out my own Glamour Oops that is being featured there today!

Where were you when...

     As any American knows, today is a day that forever changed our nation. 11 years ago today, our nation was attacked by terrorists. We will never understand why it happened or what was going through their minds that fateful day.

     As I prepare for my 10 year class reunion, I think back to my senior year of high school. Immediately I think about homecoming week and how our lives were changed that year.  It wasn't just because we were graduating, but because of 9/11.

      I remember walking into the school that Tuesday, filled with excitement for homecoming activities. We were building our float for the parade on Friday, decorating the school, and planning the fun for the student car parade in 2 days. I had been out running an errand for our service learning teacher, and walked back in to an eerily somber room. I can still remember sitting on top of the desk watching the replay of the first plane striking the first tower. We were glued to the television for the rest of the day. Every classroom had the TV on, we weren't expected to learn that day or even really pay attention to our teachers. We were watching history unfold before our eyes. We watched every event of that day as it happened. I remember the 2nd plane hitting the WTC. I remember watching the towers fall, watching people jump to their death.

     There we were in a week that was supposed to be one of the most fun and memorable times of our senior year, yet the halls weren't filled with excitement. The halls were silent....dead silent.

11 years later, I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. How about you? Where were you when the nation stopped moving that day?

Crockpot Cookin'

With my crazy schedule lately for "Back To School Immunization Clinics", it's been hard to cook I've been too lazy to want to cook supper at night. My solution? My crock pot!

I decided to try out a new bbq chicken recipe I found on the How Sweet It Is blog. Oh.My.Gosh it was delicious!  I modified this recipe found here, and it turned out great!



Not my chicken. Source

I left out the smoked paprika ( I don't own that, lol), and used a hazelnut infused beer from hubs favorite brewery. I also didn't measure anything at all. I do a lot of my cooking that way! I just eyeball stuff :)

At any rate, it turned out incredibly delicious and was ready to eat when I got home from work that night! I love the blog I found this on, and can't wait to try out more of her recipes.

Out of the mouth of Cman...

Being the mom of a 4 year old, I never know what is going to come out of his mouth. I'm sure some of you can relate to that!

Lately he's been telling people that he's getting a baby brother AND a baby sister. This is news to me! But what he wants he gets, so he's probably not too far off with that one. *wink* *wink*

Some of my favorite, funny, and odd things he says, and my favorite recent conversation with him are as follows:

C: Mom do you know Kylan's mom?
Me: Yes honey, she's a nurse for a heart doctor.
C: So does she use one of those pumperscopes too?
Me: A what?
C: You know to check your heart, a pumpherscope. (By this point he's mimicing taking blood pressure on his arm)
Me: Oh you mean a stethoscope and taking blood pressure to check your heart? Yes she does.

--------------------------------------------
---Actually.... (usually followed by something funny or sarcastic, but that he thinks is serious)
---Well, that's not good (about ANYTHING that he's unsure of or doesn't know what to say about, even if it is a good thing)
---Whatsay?
---Whatcha doooin'?
---Mom, there's boobs! Do you need some new ones? (whenever he sees bras in the store)
---Mom, are ya poopin'? You poop a lot. (every time I sit down to use the toilet in the store, even if it's just to pee!)

Blog Star! Hi I'm Becky!

Welcome fellow Blog Star Blog Hoppers!

I'm here linking up with Mrs. Monologues again to meet new blogger friends, and find new blogs to love!

Here's what you should know about me...

1) I've been happily married to my husband for 6 years. We've been together for almost 10 years!
2) I am the proud mother of a very goofy 4 year old little boy!
3) I L-O-V-E Diet Dr. Pepper....must have one every morning.
4) I've been a nurse for 5 years, and wouldn't trade it for the world.
5) My family is currently doing the paleo (caveman) diet. Fruit is a big part of our lives right now.


There's the highlights about me. If you'd like to know more, here are some of my previous blog star posts.

All about Me!
A-Z about me!
Who am I?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will stay to follow the story of our lives here in the midwest.

Happy Labor Day!

Today is Labor Day. A day for all the hardworking people, who keep our nation going, to have a day off. We are taking our son to spend the day with his grandparents. My FIL is in the IBEW Union. They have a huge family picnic every year that our son gets to go to. This means date day for mommy and daddy :) Hope you are enjoying your extended weekend!