Our Christmas Card



Bahamas!

Well...I think I'll just pretend that it hasn't been eight months since I last posted : ) Let's get straight to the fun stuff!

Chris and I took an amazing trip to the Bahamas to celebrate our 5 year anniversary! Chris booked the entire thing and planned every detail which was so awesome. He even checked with my principal since I had to take a few days off of school. We left on Tuesday and hopped on a plane to Palm Beach. That night we stayed in the Marriott. This was probably the low point of the trip for me because I had a little stomach bug from one of my lovely 3rd graders.

The next day we hopped on a cruise ship and headed to the Bahamas. We sailed all through the night and arrived at Grand Bahama Island the next morning.

We had a wonderful balcony at our resort. 

This was the beautiful view! White sandy beaches and crystal clear blue water!

We literally spent the majority of each day relaxing on the beach...it's a hard life, but someone has to do it : )

Ready for some relaxation on the beach!





They had a cute little market right across the stree from our hotel so we ventured out a few times to try some of the local food! We ate mexican food for lunch one day and italian food for dinner one night.  They had Christmas music playing the whole time which was pretty funny because it was about 80 degrees.

It was really humid in the Bahamas=the reason my cute hat stayed pretty much glued to my head!

Chris braved the many, many bees surrounding this little hut to order us some  pina colodas!

After many days we were extremely sad to leave the Bahamas and head back to chlly Kansas City. What a wonderful way to celebrate the past 5 years of marriage! Some days are hard and some days are easy...but I wouldn't want to be on this journey with anyone else.

There must be a God, I believe it's true,

Cause I can see His love, when I look at you.

And He must have a plan, for this crazy life,

Cause He brought you here, and placed you by my side.

And I have never been so sure of anything before,

Like I am in this moment here with you.

Now for better or for worse,

This is so much more than only words,

And I pray everyday will be the proof

That I mean what I say when I say I Do.

When I Say I Do by Matthew West

Rock the Parkway

This morning I got up bright and early to run my first 10k! Chris, winner of the best husband award, got up with me and headed to the race. A few months ago, I was thinking about how I could challenge myself with running and I just didn't feel like a half marathon was for me. Thats when I discovered the 10k. I think this might be the perfect distance for me. It was pretty tough to make it through those 6 miles but at the same time I wasn't hating my life. I enjoyed running the historic Ward Parkway here in KC and I definitely think I'll do this one again next year!

Yes, I did wear my winter coat this morning...yes, it is April 2nd.

Getting ready to take off!!

This was just before I crossed the finish line.

I did it! Such a good feeling.

After the race they had pizza, Chick Fil A and chocolate milk....yum!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Friday was my 26th birthday and we have been celebrating all weekend! My day started with the kids in my class bringing me homemade cards which were too cute. They are so sweet. My 3rd grade team ordered out for lunch from our favorite little Mexican place and then at the end of the day my homeroom mom brought cupcakes! Chris also delivered a beautiful bouquet of flowers to me during the day.

When I got home from school I saw this awaiting me on our kitchen table...

I was really surprised because I wasn't expecting so many gifts! Chris and I got ready for dinner and headed to Red Lobster (my favorite). We stuffed ourselves silly with jumbo coconut shrimp, grilled salmon, and stuffed flounder. Not to mention those cheddar biscuits!

After our wonderful dinner we headed to another fine establishment for a gourmet dessert...we went to McDonald's for Hot Fudge Sundaes! Ha! We were both pretty full from dinner but passed by McDonald's on the way home and made a split decision to grab dessert there. When we got home Chris let me open my presents!

The funny thing is that Chris and I were shopping last weekend and I tried on those grey tennis shoes. Chris asked me if I wanted to get them for my birthday and I said "sure!". So in my mind...that was my gift...but Chris surprised me with all these other little things he had been collecting for months! He got me (the shoes), new yoga pants, Julie and Julia, bracelets, earrings, and...a car wash gift card! I love having a clean car : )  Gary and Dianna also sent me a gift card for a pedicure. I can't wait to use that!

On Saturday night we had some friends over to celebrate and the best part was the cupcakes we got from Cupcake A La Mode. I loved the ones we had for Valentines and couldn't wait to get some for my birthday. 

They were so delicious!! We cut them into fourths so everyone could try all the different flavors. I can't wait until the next "special occasion" when we can get some more of these.

I really have to give all the credit to my sweet husband for making my birthday so special. He knows how much I love it and he really pulled out all the stops to make this one so spectacular! 

Emerald Isle Parade

Yesterday, Downtown Lee's Summit had their annual St. Patricks Day parade so we saddled up and headed down for the fun. Even Bear got into the spirit!

They kept throwing out candy and he was so confused why he couldn't have any : )

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Valentines Weekend

This year, Chris and I had a very special valentines weekend. We decided to take the weekend off from life and just spend time together. On Friday we had lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and did some shopping. On Saturday, we slept in and spent the day together. Rather than fighting the crowds at a restaurant for dinner we decided to just eat at home and have some really good food. Our menu consisted of lemon chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted asparagus, dijon potatos and for desert...cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes. Cupcakes from Cupcake A La Mode. We bought 3...Red Velvet, Strawberries and Champagne, and Bella Nutella.

And Chris surprised me with this beautiful necklace... (I took this pic from their site...mine has a "c & k")

Happy Birthday Bear

Bear had his 1st Birthday on December 27th. With the holidays and getting back to school, I am just now writing this post...oh well, better late than never!

Dear Bear,
You are the best dog anyone could ask for. You have a very calm personality, even for a puppy. From the very first minute we saw you when you were 9 weeks old, we knew you were the puppy for us! You let us hold you and snuggle you for a long time while we talked to Terri about getting you. We came back and picked you up exactly one week later and you were finally ours. You slept on my lap, in the car, all the way home. I have to admit, those first few weeks with you were quite a challenge. You absolutely hated being in your little crate and would bark the entire time we were gone. You also didn't like sleeping in your crate at night either, you barked all night. I know now, because of you, that we will survive being parents.

Watching you grow from a fat little puppy to the big dog you are now has been amazing. You love going to the dog park and going on jogs with me. When we jog, you like to put your head on my knee every once in a while, like you're telling me "this is great!". You really don't like getting baths but seem to tolerate them because we feed you treats the entire time. And now that you are a big boy, you happily run into your crate when we are ready to leave...again, because you know you will get a treat. You always know how to cheer us up when we feel sad and you are learning to let us snuggle you for a long time. I know you will do great when eventually some little people come along.

You make us laugh every day. When you were just a few months old we were playing chase around the apartment. I ran into the bedroom and jumped on the bed and you followed me right up there!  Watching you in all this snow is completely hilarious. I think you feel like you are at Disney World. You gallop through the deep snow and love looking in the bushes for bunny rabbits. Although, I don't know what you would do if you actually found one, because you are kind of a scaredy cat. You are also a very smart dog. You know how to sit, shake, high five, lay down, stand, come, and leave it. You do the best at your tricks right before you eat. Other times, you are a little selective. Especially if you are laying on your big, fluffy, bed and don't want to move.

Happy Birthday Bear Branigan. We love you so much.

 The very first night we met you. You didn't quite know what to think of us...

 11 Weeks Old

 14 Weeks Old

 4 Months Old

 5 Months Old

 7 Months Old

And here you are at 1 year old.