Adventures with Armani

Our dog Mani had surgery in November because he had a tumor (which ended up being cancer). We couldn't keep him from running, licking, removing his head done, and removing his bandages, so he ended up having a second surgery. We STILL couldn't keep him under control, so 2 surgeries and >5 vet visits later, they decided to make him some pants! It's actually a 0-3 month old baby onesie (the elastic bottom kind) with strategically placed holes. We called them his "hammer pants" because they were MC Hammer style!

He's better now!!

our kitchen remodel

We remodeled our kitchen! It was a big project because we decided to do a lot of it ourselves (although, I must confess, Tate did a lot more work than I did).

Before...Laying tileAfter!!

After with the undermount lighting!

Sydney!

Hey Girls!

I've been in Sydney for about a month and am heading home on Sunday.

A few weeks ago I went on an overnight backpacking trip with Jason and his parents to the Bluegum Forrest in the Blue Mountains. The hike only took about three hours but it was incredibly steep, with st

airs almost the whole way. At one spot it was so steep it was easier to walk down backwards, like you would on a latter.

The views of the orange bluffs and valley full of green Bluegum trees was beautiful, and our campsite in the valley was sweet, we found a grassy open spot surrounded by the tall trees, and a creek nearby. It was the hardest hike I think I've ever done, but was very rewarding to get back to the top and look all the way back down and say "I was just down there!"

Wow. Life.

Boy, have things changed since the last time we really updated anything on here! Our suite has moved to different countries, had babies, adopted babies, become dog owners, homeowners, and I think we missed a birthday in there too (sorry Jenny!). Any cute photos worthy of the web out there (new babies, new doggies, new homes, you know the normal stuff)? Here's a photo of Abigail and I hanging out today: 

 and one of where we wish we were (although it is in the 60's here, just no palm trees).

Happy Birthday, Jes!

I know your birthday is probably technically over in NZ, but stateside you've still got a few good hours left ;) Love you tons!

Photo's I forgot to put up in March...

I went to Chicago for my cousin's wedding in March. While I was there I got to meet up with Amy, which was really nice. It was great to catch up! I had a mean cold, so Saturday we just took it easy and hung out at my brother's apartment. Sunday we went to a pizza place with my entire family, which was pretty fun. I got to spend a lot of time with my family which was great because I have not seen them much in the last few years. Corin was living near Wriggleyville so we stayed with him, which was pretty cool. Claire and I went to the Robi House, built by Frank Lloyd Wright near the University of Chicago, which was beautiful. I was just talking to Amy and she reminded me that I still had not put up the photos, so here they are!

Key Lime Pie

This looked so good when I saw it online! I realized I had all the ingredients in the house and it turned out great! I think it's a new summer favorite in our house.

Okay, Okay... I did have a tiny piece for breakfast. You caught me. :)

Key Lime Pie

4 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/2 C. fresh lime juice (5-6 limes, or more if using only key limes!)
4 egg yolks
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
green food coloring (optional)
1 graham cracker crust
1-8oz. tub whipped cream topping

First remove the lime zest from the whole lime or key limes until you have 4 teaspoons. Use your cheese grater. Cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice being careful to not include any seeds. Whisk the egg yolks and lime zest together in a bowl. Beat in sweetened condensed milk, then lime juice and set aside at room temp until it thickens a little. You may want to add a few drops of green food coloring if you want it to look more green. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pour mixture into crust, bake for 5 minutes until the center is set, but still wiggles when shaken. Remove from the oven and cool to room temp. Refrigerate for at least three hours until chilled. Serve with whipped cream topping and decorate with a lime wedge.

Happy Birthday Amy!

Happy Birthday, Jules!

We love you, Julie! Have an amazing day!

Baby Belly

Girls, our maternity photos are up! Check it out here!

CUTE Caitlin

I don't have a new house...or a baby on the way. BUT, I just can't resist sharing these pictures with you girls. My niece is growing like a weed. She's crawling now and she is always SO happy. I just love her so much! Look at those cheeks! Jules - I hope some day she and our little Kramy can be good friends ;)

Camping in April!

Another great weekend with friends. We stayed in one of the cabins at the Holland State Park. The cabin was nice (aside from the fresh varnish smell) and cozy. Here are the girls: Julie, Amy, and Kristin (and "Kramy", my unborn daughter, whose created name sounds very familiar to "Kristin and Amy"... hmmm...)

A gorgeous blue sky by Big Red:

The whole group at the end of the pier: (it was a little windy, okay... a LOT windy!).

Happy Birthday Debbie!

Sometimes I wish I was a Second Grader

Tahoe

I'm going to try to be better about posting short blogs more often cause I'm usually a massive slacker. It's been snowing for about a week a half straight. Just a bit every night so the snow has been really fun. I just thought I'd post this picture that my roommate took of me. This is at Sierra, the resort I work at. This picture was taken one of the first days of the storm, and there were massive holes, or "portals to the future" as a friend likes to call them, lurking all around these boulders. I was fairly certian I was going to fall into one, but some how made it out...woo hoo! I went back in here yesterday and most of the holes were filled in which made me happy :) Hope you girls are doing well!

Haiti Earthquake

Jenny, we are praying for you guys! My stomach just dropped when Derek told me Haiti had an earthquake. I wasn't sure how close you were to Port-au-Prince, but I see now that Cap-Haitian is far north. Although, I know you will be affected in SO many ways yet! I'm so glad you are able to update the main website, since I didn't see any news on your Shutterfly site! We have a family/friends from our church adopting from God's Littlest Angels near Port-au-Prince and I see you are connected with that orphanage too. You're all in our prayers, my friend!