{shudder}

I came across this today: link
Yikes!

We are here! We are here! We are here!

Ok so now that we have Internet, I can give you a run down of the last 6 days.

Wednesday- we left Waco for Houston after a brief stop at Nanna's and GrandDad's.  We enjoyed seeing the Kennedys as well.  I love my family!  Then we headed in and stayed with Scott & Katie, Todd's brother who lives in Montgomery.  It will be nice to have them close.  We stayed the night and then got up early to get the girls registered.

Thursday- we got to the school alright and I began to register the little ladies.  Man, that is such a pain- filling out the same information over and over again for each kid.  So redundant and almost seems ridiculous, couldn't they computerize some of this?  Anyhow, the girls managed alright, but by the time I was done I was frustrated and ready to get out of there.  From there I drove to the house to show the girls; they were excited.  Of course we couldn't get in yet because we hadn't been handed the keys yet.  We could, however, hear a beeping noise coming from the inside- joy.  So we went to pick up the Real Estate company who is in charge of our lease and they weren't sure what the noise was- but it worked out that the handyman left his drill there and went and turned off the noise.  That is, of course, after I drove to HEB to pick up a few things including batteries in case it was the smoke detector.  Once we got in, the girls had SO much fun running around in an empty house.  I unloaded the van and began to clean.  As I was cleaning I realized that the previous owners were cat owners, and there was cat hair everywhere.  The place was clean, but it wasn't spic-and-span, so I worked all day to try to clean the house.  The girls helped quite a bit, but I knew we had a lot to do still and I began to panic a bit.  Todd is allergic to cats and I didn't want him to be miserable!  After a while, we headed to Scott and Katie's to spend the night.  I figured since we had beds there, we might as well stay there.  I however, got lost in the process, and it was very frustrating.  On top of this, Lucy was still fighting her sinus infection and was quite miserable to be around.  I'm thinking Scott and Katie were ready to throw us to the curb. :)

Friday- we woke up and came over to the house.  I had decided in the middle of the night that I was going to call a cleaning service so I wouldn't worry about it so much.  And I did and its was the best arm & leg I've ever spent!  Oh how it helped ease my mind.  I did a little cleaning here and there, but nothing big, and I also spent time unpacking the few things I brought.  Todd in the meantime was enjoying his time with the packers as they loaded up the truck. At 1:30 we headed to Meet the Teacher, which was a little chaotic.  Balancing 3 children while maneuvering through all of the millions of people was almost more than I could handle!  Can you tell I like having Todd around?  We managed to drop off school supplies and meet their teachers successfully in 1 piece..well 4 pieces total. :)  When we were headed out Sydnee raised her fists in the air and said, "I'm a kindergartner!"  It was precious.  Todd joined us by dinner, and we spent our first night sleeping on sleeping bags and air mattresses...but we were together and that's what was important!

Saturday- the gigantic truck showed up right on time, 8am, and the process began.  As they unloaded, I unpacked.  It was a tiring day, but we were glad to have our things. The Relief Society President in our new ward brought us cookies this night.  Yum!

Sunday- we got up early, ate breakfast together, and waited around till church started.  The sacrament meeting was noisy.  There are around 125 kids in our ward under the age of 12.  We didn't hear the 2nd speaker at all.  The best part was having Todd sit with us, and I laughed and smiled as he struggled getting Lucy to sit still.  It was pure joy, haha.  Then we were bombarded with lots of friendly faces welcoming us to the ward and showing us where to go.  All of the sisters whom I had been in touch with over the week met me face-to-face, which was nice- I'm sure they were busy!  Todd and I hadn't attended Sunday school in a while- and especially not together- so that was also a nice treat.  Relief Society was tiny with maybe 10-15 sisters.  Most of the ward is helping out in Primary!  Overall is was a lovely Sunday and we enjoyed meeting our new ward family and only having to drive 5 minutes to our brand new, beautiful building.  That night we received banana bread from a family that lives very close to us in the ward. Hooray!

Monday morning- school!  We enjoyed the banana bread for breakfast.  Then we headed out with the girls all primped and ready.  They were so excited.  I forgot to mention that both of them did the running hug to me when they woke up, super excited that today was their first day of school.  It was bitter-sweet dropping them off, but they were excited to be there, and so we left with a smile on our face and a little teary-eyed.  We feel so blessed that we were able to make it to our house and be semi-unpacked before they began their school year.  What a blessing.  After we dropped them off, I headed to Ikea.  I didn't know how to do it and I did it backwards.  My darling Katie had told me how but I didn't get that post until I had left.  I did get some cute things, though, and I've had fun putting them in the house.  Next time, I'll bring a friend.  When the girls got home, they had had good days.  Whew.  Does this Mama's heart good.

Tuesday- I was determined to spend the day at HOME since I had lost almost a full day at Ikea.  I was able to get A LOT finished and that was really nice.  Lucy also seems to be feeling normal now, thank goodness.  I finished Ava and Sydnee's room, the upstairs bathroom, the playroom, the living room, the kitchen was finished over the weekend, & emptied approximately 1,000,000,000,000 boxes.  That's my accurate count.  We still have our bedroom, closet, craft room (yes I have a craft room!), and lots of random boxes that need sorting into rooms.

Today- I just got back from the grocery store.  I shop at Kroger.  I like it!  I'm amazed at the variety.  It makes me happy.  I got all the things for my Daddy-o's party and stocked up on normal things.  I have dinners planned for the next 2 weeks and life is almost normal.  As a side note, we are feeling really blessed and happy to see what this adventures brings.  Here is a list of some of the blessings we have enjoyed so far:

1. Amazon.com delivers here too!  And we've bought a lot of little things for the house that we didn't have before on Amazon.  I love you Amazon.  I also love my free shipping.
2. Stores- there are a lot here.  I love to shop...preferably with a grown-up or myself...Lucy is not the best shopping partner, but I expect we'll have to hit some stores here and there together.
3. Restaurants.  I grew up around the variety of places to eat, yes, but I have not lived around this kind of selection since I left DFW!  I even passed a Wings N More!  Todd and I plan to have lunch there tomorrow. :)
4. Close-ness.  Despite the fact that I will have to drive a distance to get to SOME places, a lot of places are fairly close.  There are like 3 Wal-Marts within 15 minutes.  I could shop at HEB, Kroger, Wal-Mart, and probably other places I don't even know exist!  I haven't gone to Target yet, but I will.  Oh yes, I will.
5. Friendly.  Everyone has been really great.  We have a ton of ward members in our subdivision, and that is just rad.  I've never lived so close to so many people that share my beliefs!  Nice!
6. Here-ness. I'm just glad to be here.
7. Todd-ness.  I'm glad Todd hasn't had to work yet and that we've been able to spend the week getting the house ready for living.  Love him.
8. House!  The house is much larger than the one we came from and we have some extra rooms.  I get to have a craft room, and the girls get to have a playroom.  We even bought a futon for the playroom last night, so people can sleep over upstairs OR downstairs! 
9. Happy Little Girls.  They've had their ups and downs, but they are doing well in their OWN rooms, and its been fun to see their faces as they've seen all that we've done during the day.
10. Togetherness.  Todd begins next week, but its been nice to have some quality family-time before he gets to work.  We have no idea the time it will take to get to work, and how long his hours will be, so its been a blessing to pick-up kids, drop-off kids, unpack boxes, and just spend time together as a family.  After all, that's what its all about! (Clap, clap.)

House for SALE!

Ava and I spent 45 minutes with the builder for the house in Robinson to go over a few details before we head to Houston this week.  The house looks great and that really stinks.

Anyway, we smoothed out a few discrepancies in the costs of some of the changes we made over the last couple of weeks.  We have made a few design changes to make the house more marketable.  We also discovered that the frames accidentally made all the ceilings 10' instead of the 9' in the contract, so that is a very nice bonus for someone!

We won't need to make any more decisions for several weeks except for the marble and granite for the tubs and counter tops.  I will try to do that either tomorrow or Friday depending on when the movers finish each stage of the packing and loading.

Our realtor's goal is to get the house loaded into MLS by the end of the week.  She mentioned last night that someone has been inquiring about the house.  Hopefully this will work out soon.

Upstairs

Stairs going up

Living room

An awesome front door

Kitchen

Living room

Outside with roof

Houston, we have NO problem.

Ava & Sydnee at the 4th of July parade in Belton, Texas 2011

It's been a little while since I have posted and I thought I would make sure all of you are up to speed.  In about 5 days our family will make an appearance in Spring, Texas for an undisclosed amount of time. :)  In other words- Todd got a job! Wahoo! We are super-excited for this adventure and although we never saw ourselves living in Houston, it is apparent that the Lord had other plans!  We drove down last weekend and found a rental house that we'll be staying in for a year (or longer if we chose to buy it). I knew it was the house once we walked in the door...and then I worried like crazy until the signed contracts were in their hands.
Sunday was a difficult day because Todd announced to our congregation that we would be moving- it was sad to realize that we won't get to see so many of our loyal and loving friends here in Waco.  I am grateful for Facebook and blogs, though, as they will keep me in the loop at least.  I will be ULTRA sad to be saying goodbye to my little Primary choirs.  I love those kids!  Maybe I'll be able to come back for the singing program!  That's a good idea.
Anyhow, we are getting ourselves ready for this adventure.  I have had all of the utilities and such turned on and now its just a matter of organizing the moving company's boxing up and moving our things.  It's an exciting time and we are extremely grateful for the Lord's hand in all of this process.  Now that we are almost there, its a lot easier to see that He has been helping us all along the way.  We are so grateful.

So, I hope Houston is ready for us, because we are coming!

My new signature...testing 1,2,3

Looking for my Liahona

I read just for a minute today from the Book of Mormon before the timer went off on the oven.  I made Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Toast. It's different from regular toast and my family likes it.  Anyhow, I am in 1 Nephi and Lehi and his family were preparing for their journey into the wilderness and on their day of departure, Lehi emerges from his tent and finds a compass, of sorts.  He called it the Liahona. Anyhow-it made me think a lot.  I'm sure that Lehi (the father of the family) was worried, and I'm sure Sariah (the mother) was asking questions like, "Where exactly are we going?" and Lehi had to keep telling his family that the Lord would provide, all the meanwhile not knowing how the Lord was going to direct their path.  Very similar circumstance, I think.  So today I am looking for my Liahona.  We have prepared for the journey as best we could, our hearts have been tugged and pulled in many directions.  We believe that the offers for employment will come this week, maybe even today, so we want to be able to see what they offer, and decide what we should do.  I'm banking on the Liahona to guide us at this point, so my eyes and heart will be open to the possibilities.

Todd and I spoke about the "What Ifs" last night.  Mom had asked me if we had had that conversation- what if this, what if that...and I said we hadn't because there is just too much ambiguity.  We attempted a what-if scenario but it all comes down to the offers- who will offer what, and the terms.  I suppose it is also possible that no one will offer anything, which will also be an answer of sorts, so we will see.  I do pray we find out something today.

In other news- I was able to go to two showers on Saturday.  The first was baby shower. It was great and I love all the little details I was able to add with my little paper and scissors.  My co-hostesses came up with some awesome games and added their own special details.  It was a lot of fun- and the food was de-lish. The soon-to-be Mom was told she would never be able to get pregnant and so her husband and she have been preparing themselves for adoption for years.  It is a miracle baby and a great reminder of the Lord's plan.  The next was a bridal shower in Rockwall.  The shower was for one of my young women from Nacogdoches whom I was very close to and so I wanted to go to just show her my love for her.  I was not disappointed.  She was extremely excited to see me, as were her sisters, and it was just really lovely.  Of course, it caused me to reflect a bit.  When we moved into the Nacogdoches ward the oldest sister of this family (Jennifer), who was a friend at A&M and even worked at Sheltering Arms with me, said that our moving there was an answer to her prayers.  She was worried about her sisters and brother still at home- and she couldn't be there- so she prayed for someone to be their big sister while she couldn't.  And then we showed up.  I told the girls they had to come find me each week and give me a hug- from their big sister.  Well, as you know, I was called into the youth program immediately, and I was very close to all of them.  They had a rough childhood- and so I was there to love them when they felt unlovable, and it wasn't hard to do!  Anyhow- Amanda moved on with her life, grew up and such and has found a very good boy to marry.  I am happy for her, and I was so happy to be there to surprise the family with my presence.  However, in my driving back- I asked myself this- is someone praying for us to come to them?  I know that I made an impact on those girls' lives, and maybe there is someone else somewhere that needs Todd or me.  Who knows, but I'm ready to accept my mission- if it is not here.  I'm looking for my Liahona, perhaps it will arrive today. :)

xoxo
Your friend, Lindsey

We are officially a private blog now.

Read on at your leisure. :)
Your friend, Lindsey

A Movie Review: Downton Abbey

Todd and I have cut off our satellite tv and have really embraced Netflicks.  We watch movies more than we ever have, and I think its fun.  I thought I would share with you some of our selections in hopes of helping you enjoy or ignore a movie choice. We have watched some great ones, mingled with some TERRIBLE one. :)

Recently, I cam across Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey.  Its a British Drama mini-series.  I'm warning you that if you begin watching this- you'll be hooked.  I've never put a lot of thought into what went on in the house of a Lord in the olden English days- so many people in one house, surely there was drama!  And there certainly is in his fun English adventure.  Please be warned there are a few scenes that are...surprising...but all in all, its fun fun fun.  Check it out!  I'll be looking for the second season on PBS in January- join me.

Hanging in there...

Hello my people!
Thanks for being patient with me while I figured out how to do the private blog- not like it was hard, but then I had to type in all of those e-mail addresses! :)

I just thought I would update all of you, and now that we are private I can speak more openly without worrying that someone who is possibly looking at hiring Todd will not read this!  Anyhow, Todd's search continues to take him all over the Internet, and literally all over Texas.  He has formally interviewed with Daisy Sour Cream twice out of Dallas, has informally interviewed with Cameron out of Katy once, Scott & White out of Temple twice, and one other place that turned him down in Waco.  So he has been busy and has certainly kept the tires spinning in our un-air conditioned Jetta.  We are hopeful something will work out.

Another option that we are seriously considering is Todd going into business for himself.  It would allow us to stay where we want, for a flexible schedule, and loads of hard work. :)  Todd is really exploring this option as it appears to be the only way we could stay in Waco and actually live in the house we continue to build.  Isn't life crazy? His business would focus on training individuals and businesses on LEAN practices/Six Sigma/ and a little Excel thrown in there somewhere.  He could explain it better than I could- so maybe he will! One can hope, right? :)

I was visiting with a friend today and she reminded me that God wants what is best for us, its our job to align our will with His so that we can see it.  Its been such a trying time for our family- I hope we can be good students and learn from these lessons quickly. Perhaps that's just an indication that I haven't learned much- who knows.

Despite it all, we are keeping our heads up and trying to find joy in the journey.  We recognize the Lord's hand in our lives and hope we can serve Him in the way that He wants- and where He wants.  Only time will tell what lessons are to be learned from all of this- and until then, we patiently wait.

In happier news, the girls are enjoying their summer- filling their time with crayons, Netflicks, swimming pools, and splash parks.  Ava is planning a "book club".  I have tried to get her to explain it to me, but I'm still not sure of the details.  I have the girls "write" in their journals each day- and each day Ava plans.  So far it looks like a bunch of princesses with books in their hands- oh and Gramma bringing her banana muffins.

Sydnee is excited about starting kindergarten in the Fall- wherever that might be- and continues to show signs that she is ready.  She hasn't put a lot of pressure on herself to learn to read BEFORE kindergarten, and I don't push.  She will catch on quickly, as she does with most things, when she feels like it.  She is fun to talk to, always animated, and full of emotion.

Lucy is still our ray of sunshine in these difficult days.  She is my daily reminder that there is happiness in the world when we look for it.  She has caught on to her Baby Signs and has made up 2 of her own- one where she looks like she's turning the knob (She wants to go outside), and one where she holds her fists in the air and opens and shuts them (her sign that she wants to watch Blue's Clues).  Out of no where, she has discovered the tv...and LOVES to watch tv.  In fact today Todd was watching a British drama (he is not feeling well today- sore throat, fatigue, etc) and she climbed up on the bed and started watching it with him.  Hilarious.

That's all I have for now.
Blessings to you all-
Lindsey

Counting our blessings

Its been an interesting year to say the least, but even as I say that I am not down and out- I'm peaceably moving along with a smile on my face. For those that had not heard, Todd and I began the process of building a house and we closed on the deal a week ago Wednesday.  We forked over a bunch of money for closing costs and walked away content that we'd be in our new home by September.

The sad, lonely land

Then on Thursday, the very next day, he lost his job.  Since then we've stopped progress on the house and have begun the job hunt.  Crazy how a couple of events can change the course of your life.

Through it all, we have tried to maintain faith that we will be taken care of- whatever that means.  It is completely uncertain if we'll be able to stay in Waco or if we'll be able to finish the house.  Lots of "what ifs".  I've been amazed at how well Todd has taken everything and how quickly he has gotten back out there.  Of course since my income is pretty much zero, it is a necessary thing- but I would have allowed him some time to wallow for a bit.  However, on Friday morning- the day after, at 7:30am, Todd was outside the Unemployment Office, waiting for them to open.  Since then he has taken everything very seriously, and even has an Excel spreadsheet of everyone he has contacted, or has reached out to him.  That should come as no surprise to anyone that has ever worked with Todd. I love my guy.

He has had 1 interview, which went well but we know he didn't get the job, and he is currently in another one.  We are hopeful something will work out soon.  I know it has worried our friends and family- and US!  But we are moving along and laughing along the way.  What else can we do? We are also counting our blessings, so I thought I would document some of those blessings and share them with you!

1. Sydnee turned five at the beginning of the month.  She wanted to have a tea party- and since it was a Family party this year- we asked all of our family to come dressed.  They are such great sports. Here are a few of the pictures.

Two precious girls ready for their "tea".

Our amazing Aunt Melanie and her fabulous tea party cake!

Some fancy folks

We asked the girls to invite 2 of their girl friends, so here are Kaitlyn and Brooklyn all dressed up!

The party guests- see all those fun hats!

Had to show you my funny brother's mustache.  Funny dude.

Playing a little tea party game- this was the winning team...although they might have cheated just a smidge. :) Note my Father-in-law's tuxedo!

Pretty Aunt Anne with our little Lilly.

My fabulous Mother-in-law

My fabulous Mom!

Dear old Dad, isn't he dapper in that hat?

After our tea party, my father and father-in-law offered us blessings/prayers alongside our brother and brother-in-laws.  It was a very special moment to be surrounded by the best who love you best.

2. Ava and Sydnee took swim lessons at the YMCA.  They really enjoyed their time in the water and if things were different, I'd be signing them up again.  I'm proud of what they accomplished, but would feel a little bit better if they were more confident in the water.  Don't get me wrong, the lessons were great, I just want them to have more practice.

Cutie swimmers 

Sydnee in her  lessons

Ava in her lessons 


3. Lucy continues to be my little ray of sunshine.  She is just pure joy wrapped up in a little body.  She is my reminder, when life starts to get to me, that there is good and happiness in this world.  What a blessing!

Lucy at the tea party- she is very excited to use a fork these days.  :)
Note all of the little details- we never skimp on a party, we just have to be more creative at times!

4. One of the biggest blessing has been the love and support we have received.  People have come out of the wood work to let us know they are praying for us and keeping an eye out for anything that might be a good fit for Todd.  We are so grateful.

5. Certainly our biggest blessing has been the peace, love, and support we have felt from a loving Heavenly Father.  Its weird to feel peace despite the insanity and uncertainty of our future- but that is what we feel, and there is only one source for those feelings. We are so humbly grateful. Thank you Lord!

So that's our life in a nutshell.
xoxo,
Lindsey

My favorite thing to do on our anniversary is to be with you… here are something that would be fun too.

Our first day of eternity began with cake (sort of) and will continue with cake from our favorite cake team, Charm City Cakes.  Thanks, Duff!  $1,000

We started with a sealing ceremony.  We go each year near our anniversary to participate in sealings.  How cool to do that in temples around the world!  We’ll start in Switzerland.  $2,295 for the package; $2,520 for airfare.

 

Day 1 (July 28): Flight departs from USA

Day 2 (July 29):
Arrive in Zurich where you will be picked up and checked into your hotel.  After check in we will take in the sights of Zurich.  A ferry ride down Limmat River will take us out onto Lake Zurich giving us a view of the city.  Afterwards we will see 3 of Zurich’s largest Cathedrals the Grossmunster, Fraumunster, and St.Peters.  We will enojoy our first dinner together at the Zeughauskeller Restaurant and then stroll down the famous Bahnhofstrasse.

Day 3 (July 30):
We will leave Zurich and hear 2 hour south into the Swiss Alps.  After checking into our own chalet vacation apartments we will take in the sights of the quaint village of Interlaken and Unterseen.  We will also do a little grocery shopping and make sure our refrigerators are full of Swiss Cheese and European goodies!  We will stroll along the Aare River and capture views of Lake Thun and Berner Oberland Alps.  Day 4 (July 31)
We will have a chance to attend the Interlaken Ward for church on Sunday.  After sacrament meeting we will head to the village of Grindelwald and take the cable car ride up to the top of Mannlichen.  From there we will take in the towering alps of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau.  We will walk along the paved trail from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and then return to Interlaken for dinner at Restaurant Chalet.

Day 5 (Aug 1):
This day will be filled with everything Swiss from Alphorns to Yodeling.  August 1st is the Swiss National Day and we will get an upclose look at the amazing Swiss Culture.  We will sit and watch the Swiss National parade, hear yodeling and Alphorn concerts, view the evening fireworks and of course sample the traditional Swiss specialties including Racclette and the Swiss National Bratwurst Cervelat.  By the end of this day you should know all things Swiss.

Day 6 (Aug 2):
We will take a cable car ride up to the top of the Swiss Alp made famous by the legendary James Bond.  The views from the Alp Schilthorn will be sure to take your breath away.  For those that are willing and want to do a little hiking we will hike down from Schilthorn to next cable car station Birg.  We will end this day with dinner at the fun Swiss Restaurant Bebbis.

Day 7 (Aug 3):
We will visit Switzerland’s Capital City of Berne.  After viewing the Parliament Building, Grossmunster Cathedral, the Aare River, and the Bears of Berne we will leave the hustle and bustle of the city and head to the village of Zollikofen.  There we will attend an evening session at the Zollikofen Temple.  For most the opportunity to attend the Temple in Switzerland has been one of their favorite experiences while on the tour.

Day 8 (Aug 4):
We will head to the village of Zermatt and take the sights of the most well known Swiss Alp the Matterhorn.  We will take our time in this alpine village and peak into the different shops that line this carless village.  We will then head up the mountain for a closer look at the Matterhorn.  We will have an early dinner together in the village Zermatt and then head back to Interlaken.

Day 9 (Aug 5):
A 2 hour train ride will take us to the city of Luzern found in central Switzerland.  The city of Luzern is nestled among the surrounding Alps and lake Luzern.  Here we will see the Lion’s Monument, Jesuit Cathedral, Hofkirche Cathedral, and take in the ornate paintings found upon the city centers old town walls.  We will head back to Interlaken to finish any last minute souvenir shopping because we can’t go home without our Swiss Chocolate!!

Day 10 (Aug 6):
Take the train from Interlaken to Zurich’s Airport.  Auf Wiedersehen

You have always had make-shift rooms for your projects, so I hope you will have an official room soon!  $2,012.26

Details: Craft Room

You pointed out something like this over the holidays and I wanted so badly to get something like it for you.  How about when the house thing clears up?  $940

Real guitar lessons for a year!  $662.74

Time to go to guitar lessons and whatever else you want.  $570

$10,000 exactly!  I confess that since the going rates for guitar lessons varied by instructor, I “estimated” an hourly rate that “happened” to add up to exactly the amount I needed left for an even 10!

Lindsey, I absolutely love you!  I am excited for the next 10 and for every other year after that!

Dear Todd,



This is one of my absolute favorite pictures of us when we were dating, taken my Katherine Thom at the Valentines Dance.

 To my favorite person:
Today we celebrate 10 years of marriage, that seems like such a large number, and yet I know it will dwarf the time we will spend together in this life and in the next.  I remember 10 years ago so clearly- the anticipation, the excitement, my saying the "I do" part too quickly.  Oops! I remember walking into the temple and seeing you waiting there for me.  Magical.  I remember my Mom telling me to try not to smile so big- it was a little *too big* for the pictures.  I remember spending our first time together alone as a Mr. and Mrs. was at a Schlotzsky's as we waited for the Dallas traffic to clear so we could make it to our reception on time...and making it only about 30 minutes before it started.  I remember dancing with you.  It was a perfect day, really.  Now, 10 years later- here we are.  We have moved 6 times- and are preparing for another move soon.

We have 3 precious daughters who love their Daddy dearly.  We've had our ups and downs- but our friendship has pulled us through it all.  Originally, we planned to spend our 10th in New York City, something we had wanted to do for a while, but we decided to be more practical and pay down our credit instead.  It was the best decision for us especially with all we know now.  And so for our anniversary, instead of being lavish- like we wanted- we went practical and we've bought a vaccum.  Not an everyday vacuum, a Roomba 560, and I'm excited about that more than I can say.  How sad is that? However, since that is NOT super exciting, we decided- for fun- to spend an imaginary $10,000 on each other...so Todd, here is my 10k of gifts, delivered with love and a kiss.  I love you, babe.  Here's to many, many more.

One of our favorite Halloween costumes, people thought we were for real- we got some REALLY good laughs from this night.  Good memories.

$10,000 to spend, here we go!The first chunk of the imaginary budget was spent on creating your new office.  You like that "old world" look, so I tried to keep that in mind.  Here's what you got:

Pottery Barn has this beautiful desk for sale at $1099.  I like the little cubbies.  We wouldn't put sea life in there, but I have some other ideas.

I got you this black swivel chair, also in black, from Pottery Barn.  Don't worry, I bought you the pad to sit on too, I'm not stingy! The chair is $399, the cushion is $19.

You get two of these beauties for people to sit and talk to you in your office...they don't get cushions, though...I'm on a budget afterall.  And speaking of a budget, these are $239 each.

I showed you this last week, its a very cool decor item for an old world office with a map-theme, don't ya think? Cost: $69, Pottery Barn

This map wall decal is the coolest, I think it would add a nice vintage touch and certainly add to your overall feel. Cost $129, once again at the Pottery Barn

Isn't this cool?  Its a nice thick frame of cork board.  However, its pricey at $199 from Pottery Barn, so I'm thinking I can make it and save some money.  With a 40% off coupon and my handy work, I am estimating this could be around $35.  Cheating?  Maybe!

Aren't these beautiful?  I thought we could make them look very masculine and perfect for your room with whatever we put in them, Pottery barn's price was too high, though, I think I can find them with a little digging, so I'm giving myself $25 to acheive this look.  I think we could use some things from home too.

This little desk from Pier one is a steal at only $12.95- and look, it has a map-y image.

These. Are. COOL. And they are so up your alley- they are little boxes that look like books. Cost $12-14, Pier One- I budgeted for 3. :)

This is a hanging globe.  Cool, right?  I actually picked one out that was bluer than this one originally, but this is an Ebay item, and things change daily.  Cost $140

I wanted an original antique for your office, so I found these boyscout antique binoculars and case on etsy.com for $29.  Fitting, right?

I thought it would be nice to have some sort of sleeping sofa too- that way guests could sleep there if we are hosting a crowd.  This one is cool- of course we'd get one of the neutral tones- I'm not into the bright blue.  I like the legs on this one.  Cost: $839.16 from http://www.thefutonshop.com/

Switching gears...

Here are some other things I thought you would enjoy in our new home.

Since we will have a porch and I have fond memories of sitting on my grandmother's porch, I wanted to get us a porch swing.  I think in my mind it represents what I hope for us- a lifetime of happy memories spend side-by-side.  It makes me smile because I like the idea of growing old with you.  Remember, I always used to say (when we were just friends) that you'd make a cute old guy.  I can see those polester pants and loafers now. :) See above picture for reference.

Cost: $139.99 from http://www.patiolivingplus.com/

For your 30th I bought you a nice grill, and 3 years later its in bad shape, but I'm willing to give it another try.  After all, I love a good grilled hot dog.

Cost: $199, Lowe's

Just to satisfy for your techy side, I got you an iPad2- in black with a grey leather case.  I'd have it engraved with "TB- For 10 years of bliss.  I love you, Your Bride LB". I also threw in an AV adapter, a camera connection kit, a 2 dock, and the apple protection plan. I'm not even sure what all of that is, but its for you- so I just went with it.

Cost: $844 (from the Apple store, of course)

For your musical side, I thought you should have your own guitar, and this one is BEAUTIFUL! Check out that Fender!

Cost: $299+ Strap for $7.99

Now its time to PACK YOUR BAGS!

And since our 10-year old luggage is starting to wear-out, how about packing these bags?

These are Traveler's Choice Toronto 3-piece Hardside Expandable Spinner Luggage Set. And they are on sale at Overstock.com for only $139.99. I'm trying to make this money STRETCH.

You'll need warm pajamas, and these are hilarious.  Of course, I'll have to order two- one for each of us, because matching pajamas would be a new adventure. Please note the name of these Ellen jammies, and YES they are 1-piece.  Awesome sauce.
*The Ellen DeGeneres Show White 'LAUGH.DANCE.SNUGGLE.' Adult One-Piece Pajama

Cost: $80 (for both)

You'll also need good walking shoes- and we love a good cause, so I'm getting you some TOMS. "With every shoe purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need."
Cost: $79

But why would you need luggage, warm pjs, and walking shoes?!?! Curtisy of Orbitz.com I "booked" us to fly Contetintal to New York City on June 23rd and stay through the 26th. 

We will be staying at the Kitano Hotel while we are there.  Ooh La la!

Who knew? Can you even read the above statement?
Cost: Orbitz flight + hotel package: $2,224 Wahoooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

While we are in New York, we will go see some Broadway shows- because, hello- why not? On Friday night we'll go see the new Spiderman, we have Orchestra seats.
Cost $374

But why stop there?
We are in New York City, right?  Let's also go see the new The Addam's Family Musical on Saturday.  Again, we'll be in the orchestra!
Cost: $356.32

In our spare time, we'll sight-see on the double-decker buses for 2-days seeing all of the NYC sights: downtown, uptown, Brooklyn, and the night tour.
Cost $280

Of course, we'll have to eat- so here's my plan.
PS I have no idea if these restaurants are remotely close to anything or each other or wherever "we'll be" but they were all recommended OR they just so happen to have an on-line menu. :)

We'll have dinner on Thursday night at The Lever House...of course, I saw something that said it was closed, but for the sake of eating- let's pretend some more! We'll order the Aged cote de Boeuf for Two, have the Chocolate-mint Ice Box Cake for dessert, and have incredible service- of course, and I'll tip at 20%.
Cost: $188.39 (tax and tip included)

Friday morning we'll have breakfast at Prune. You'll order the Fresh Ricotta with raspberries, figs, toasted pine nuts, and honey.  I'll have the Monte Crisco.  Maybe we'll order water, I forgot about the drinks.
Cost: $36.38

Friday afternoon we'll be sight-seeing, so I thought we might look for a fun street vendor, NYC is known for them- so why not?  I'm going to have to make a guess on this one.
Budgeted: $20

Friday evening, before the show, we will dine at Tavern on the Green. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an on-line menu and something I read said it was closed...so use your imagination here too.
Budgeted: $175.00

Saturday we'll sleep in a little. We'll pick up a pastry and some juice somewhere.
Budget: $12.15

Lunch will be at Junior's.  You'll have the BLT and I'll have the Deli Delight with the soup of the day.
Cost: $37.00

Dinner before the show will be at Liberty View.  You'll have the Peking Duck and I'll have Crispy Fish.
Cost: $81.70

Sunday, we'll do brunch! And because we love him, we'll go to Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's restaurant.  For drinks we'll have Texas Grapefruit juice (howdy!) and Carrot/Mango juice.  We'll order the crispy Bacon + Hashbrown Quesadilla and the Chilled Carmelized Grapefruit for our appetizers. For our main, I'll have the Eggs + Aged Sirloin Tortilla and you'll have the Cornmeal Crusted Chile Relleno. Yum. Maybe we will meet Bobby?
Cost: $75.98

Whew!  We're done eating!  That took some planning!
I thought we'd do some shopping too...so OF COURSE Bloomingdales! You'll want to look smart for all of those Broadway shows and fine dining!

We'll buy you this sleek sports coat and handsome pants to match.  You'll have to bring your own shirt and tie, I'm on a budget here.
Cost: $690

We'll also make a stop at Tiffany's and get you these awesome cufflinks: link here.

Cost: $350

And there you have it! $10,000 spent all on YOU!

Hope you know that the most important part of our celebrating is the blessing of spending our lives together.  I'm one lucky girl.  Thanks for putting up with my 'tudes all these years. Thanks for loving my faults and still looking at me with love in your eyes each day.  You are my best friend.  My rock.  My lover boy, haha. Thanks for making today possible, and best of all- thanks for asking me to marry you. 

We'll make it to New York someday, but for today Schlotsky's

and a PTA event will have to do...

Happy Anniversary, Todd!

I love you!!!

P.S. The vaccum arrives on Friday- wahoo!