1st Annual VC Girls Reunion

The first job I had out of college built some amazing coworker camaraderie, for a variety of reasons not worth going into. Suffice to say, those friendships carried on long past our quitting dates and I am ever-so-grateful for those ladies.

When Jordan and I were living in Sioux Falls, those friendships meant couple date nights, game nights, coffee dates, weekly lunch dates...and I really, really missed all of that with these friends when we moved to KC.

With Omaha as the middle ground between KC and SF (and three mommies eager to have a girls' weekend), it was easy to persuade them!

We didn't take pictures of the room, but we stayed in a suite at the Hampton Inn in Omaha - best. idea. ever. They have a fabulous free breakfast, where we enjoyed a little coffee with our creamer in the morning, waffles hot off the press, an oatmeal bar, cereal, eggs, bacon, bagels, toast...the list goes on. Delicious. And the suite was perfect for 4 of us - it had a little mini fridge, a couch, and LOTS of open space. We didn't feel crammed in the room when we were there, which was really nice. We were also able to relax in the hotel's hot tub and pool. Yes, please.

We enjoyed two dinners out - one at The Twisted Fork and the other at Cheddar's. The Twisted Fork gets props for adding avocado to my BLT for free. Cheddar's I'd definitely visit again - affordable, delicious, and lot of options. (Also a quick lunch at Subway, and who can forget the homemade ice cream at Ted & Wally's?)

Me & Jess! These drinks were only $3.75!

Shalaine & DeeDee!

We saw a movie (Gravity, which I've heard that astronauts have said is the closest they've ever seen to an accurate depiction of what space is actually like) and relaxed in these bad boys - all for no extra charge! - at Majestic Cinema of Omaha.

Shopped till we dropped at Just for Her Expo, and also enjoyed 10-minute chair massages, so nice after a night of sleeping in an unfamiliar bed.

I got this cute owl for the kitchen wall and also a couple Christmas gifts.

And all in all I came out around $250 for the whole trip! (And it could have been even cheaper!)
$80 - hotel
$25 - gas
$45 - food
$95 - Christmas gifts and wall decoration
$6 - chair massage

What sort of trips do you go on with your friends? How else are you intentional with your friendships?

Making Time for Friends

A few weeks ago, I was sharing with one of my med student wife friends how, first semester, I felt like I had a lot of friends that were fellow med student wives, but that now I didn't really feel like I was friends with many of them at all - I hadn't seen anyone, I hadn't heard from anyone, etc etc. God has given her the gift of tact, and she lovingly questioned if I had made an effort to see anyone. Hm. Good point. I had, 2 times....in about so many months. Not exactly a great track record. And, I'm one of those type A introverts that likes a routine, and likes to plan in advance, and doesn't mind going home in the evenings and on the weekends and having time to myself...and it won't bother me for months that I haven't really seen anyone, and then suddenly something will trigger a harsh light that shines on my reclusive relationship tendencies...and being a recluse never looks pretty in harsh light.

So. I made an effort.

And, lo and behold, I HAVE FRIENDS.

(I know. What a shocker.)

Here's what I've been up to in the past week:

Weston, MO
Jordan and I visited Weston the weekend after his GI final with 2 other couples. We had a great time poking around the shops, having $0.25 shots (limit 2) at the McCormick Distillery Country Store, sampling fondue and chocolate (from the same company that does Scentsy), sampling scotch at the Irish store (that was hubby, not me), dining at O'Malley's Pub, and playing up and down the river (a card game) in the underground pub. An all around good evening.

LuLu's Thai Noodles
I enjoyed the Yellow Curry lunch special with a med student wife this past week. This restaurant is now directly out the back door of my office, and their lunch special is $8 - a great deal (when it comes to going out for lunch, at any rate!). We had a great time catching up and made plans to get together again in May.

KCKS
I've talked about Emily, Rachel and Jenny before - we try to get together every other Monday, just to be intentional with our friendship. It's always refreshing to see these girls, and now half of us are pregnant! (I'm not in the pregnant half, fyi. Don't spread that rumor around.) It's fun to celebrate with each other and be honest with each other about our lives. So thankful for these girls.

Cosentino's Market
Another friend and I made plans to meet up and use a groupon that was expiring soon for The Drunken Fish, but when we were told the wait was 3hrs, we walked around and decided to get a hummus tray from Cosentino's Market. This is the grocery store for the people that live downtown...and it's priced like you can afford to live downtown. We had a great time discussing frugality and our frugal habits...it's nice to know that there are others out there as crazy as me!

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
I joined a friend for spaghetti and movie night at her apartment and we watched the cutest movie. I'm not going to spoil any of it because you really should go watch it yourself. It was darling. And worth seeing.

Swagger
Jordan and I split a groupon with another couple and checked this place out last night - it had to be good: it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The groupon included 2 appetizers, 4 drinks, and 4 entrees. Bring on the grease. Beer-battered onion rings, loaded baked potato fries, deep-friend burgers (for the hubs, not me), a mound of fries with your burger...so delicious. (And so unhealthy.) Another great evening out with friends.

The Croods
I am a sucker for animated movies. So when another med student wife suggested we go to a movie, and that this would be her 3-yr-old's first movie, we naturally had to pick the only kids' movie in theaters. It was very cute, and I'm still amazed at how far animated movies have come just in my lifetime. It's pretty impressive. Afterwards, we went over to Zona Rosa for ColdStone Ice Cream. That place will also be fantastic to me...mostly from working there all through college. Great ice cream.

Yogurtini
Tonight, while Jordan grabs coffee with our biblestudy leader, I'm meeting up with the biblestudy leader's wife for frozen yogurt! She's a wonderful woman, and I'm certainly thankful for friendships outside of the med student wife circle.

It's been a busy week full of the blessing of friendship. And I'm so very thankful for that.

I think this introvert has her friendship tank filled to the brim - and that's not a bad thing.

How do you stay intentional with your friendships?

The Perks of Being a Med Student

While there aren't many perks to being a med student (come on, people, they study 50billion hours a week, cut open cadavers, have tests every 2-3wks, and...that's about all I know about med school. Sounds terrible to me.) spring Follies is definitely something that is looked forward to.

All dressed up and ready to go!
Can you tell the hubs is ready for a fun evening off?

You may have already guessed from looking at my fb pics, but it's jokingly referred to as med school prom.

I'm not sure what other people's proms were like - maybe they were different in KC, Cali, Vegas...anywhere except middle-of-the-cornfield-SD... - but Follies wasn't anything like any type of prom I'd experienced.

We took the shuttle from KCUMB to Arrowhead Stadium, where Follies was taking place in the North Club. The whole area was full of tables of all sizes - 4 tops, 6 tops, high tables, regular tables - decorated with a variety of centerpieces...candles....um...lots of other cool, sparkly things, but candles were at our table, so that's what I remember, hehe. This was a formal event, which you probably guessed, so all the girls were in cocktail dresses or long gowns. The men were seen in suits, tuxes, even tuxes with tails!

Our catered, buffet-style dinner menu:

One of four buffet lines.

FOLLIES 2013 MENU SELECTIONS

SALADS

Italian Chopped Salad with grilled chicken, bacon, blue cheese, tomato and pasta with a honey dijon vinaigrette

Southern Salad with baby field greens, assorted berries, spiced pecans and blue cheese with white balsamic vinaigrette (gluten-free and vegetarian)

Served with warm artisan rolls and sweet butter.

ENTREES

Peppercorn-Crusted Tri-Tip Sirloin with rosemary demi and horseradish cream (gluten-free)

Grilled Salmon with lemon buerre blanc (gluten-free, Lenten)

Penne Pasta with spicy marinara, asiago cream fresh basil and spinach and shaved parmesan cheese (vegetarian)

SIDES

Au Gratin Potatoes with four cheeses and fresh thyme (vegetarian)

Bistro-Roasted Vegetables with the season’s finest fresh herbs and olive oil (gluten-free, vegetarian)

I didn't try everything, but what I had was amazing: Southern salad, sirloin, roll w/ sweet butter, and bistro-roasted veggies. YUM.

As if a dinner like that wasn't amazing enough...

Brownie Sundae Bar featuring chocolate chunk brownie and blondie bars served with warm vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, toasted peanuts, fresh whipped cream and assorted toppings

After gorging ourselves (okay, that might have been just Jordan - he said he ate 4 brownies...before dinner) we got in the always-long line for the photo booth. WORTH IT.

Then it was time for Follies Videos. This is the big part of the night. Students make lip-syncing videos and then compete to win...something. Bragging rights? Here's a few of the videos from last night:

Harlem Shake - At the beginning of this video, they'd in OCS (osteopathic clinic skills) lab doing the lymphatic or "pedal" pump...yes...that's really a "doctor treatment"...

Dr. Olinger vs. Dr. Shnyra - "Movie Trailer" featuring 2 KCUMB professors

YouTube Mashup - in this one, the guy sitting in the back of the school's fountain is a professor, and the guy wearing the gorilla suit is also a professor...hehe...

This is from last year...but I think it's hilarious - the bald guy in the white coat is one of the professors, the other people are fellows (so, not students): Busta Move

More friends!

The Larsons!

As if everything else we'd already eaten wasn't enough:

LATE-NIGHT SNACK: Extreme-Loaded Mini Dogs

Picnic Dog with beans, BBQ sauce and all the fixin’s

Frito Pie Dog with chili, cheese and Fritos

Mac-N-Cheese Dog with gooey macaroni and cheese topped with Fritos

Taco Dog with all your favorite taco toppings

I didn't eat any of these, but Jordan had 2 and a mound of mac&cheese (which I had one bite of...amazing) and he thought they were awesome. 

After videos, the dance started and we left shortly thereafter. My hubs is not much for dancing, and honestly, I don't call my heels "killer heels" b/c I look killer in them. 

We had a fab time, and I almost wish it was more than once a year! I like excuses to get all prettied up. 

A Most Fantastic (Long) Weekend

A few months ago, I requested time off on March 14&15 to visit home for a variety of things. Magically, this fell during my 2wks notice. Vacation during last 2wks = best.thing.ever.

I skillfully took ZERO pictures during my weekend extravaganza. You'll have to use your imagination. I'm pretty sure there are no pics b/c I had that awesome of a time.

Wednesday, March 13
I love it when work "Friday" happens after only 3 days of work. I left at 5pm, picked up my aunt Kathy, who so graciously decided to ride out with me. Which means lots of chatting and stories and sharing the driving responsibilities (a must when you drive a stick-shift with no cruise control. Leg. Dead.). We arrived in SF at 11pm. I stayed at my sister Kay's apartment and Kathy took mom's car (which was left at Kay's earlier in the day) and headed out to mom and dad's. I looked at Kay's super-cute apartment (way to go with the decorating, Megan!) and then I slept.

Thursday, March 14
Sleep in till 8:20, yeah! Then up and ready and to the jeweler's to drop off my ring for cleaning/checking/re-rhodium plating. (If you're looking for an engagement ring/wedding set...The Diamond Room is the place to go.) HenkinSchultz, my last place of employment in SF, was the next stop on the list. It was great seeing everyone and catching up a very, very teensy bit. Looks like things are still hopping there. A fantastic place to work. Next, I buzzed over to VistaComm, my first job out of college, where I got my 3years of ag marketing experience. I sat in the breakroom for about an hour, laughed my face off and had a general good, crazy time. Which is normal for time with the VC folks. At least with the ones I worked with. Then I bebopped over to M.B. Haskett for lunch with Betsy (yes, another Betsy, not myself in 3rd person), Shalaine, and Jess (all former VC employees!). It was delicious and affordable - I had the Muffaletta  for $6.97. It was so good catching up with these girls, and the hour they had for lunch flew by quickly. Then Jess and I headed back to her car (we rode together to combat the minimal parking in DTSF) and she got me a McCafe Mocha Frappe - YUM. If you haven't had one of these, go immediately. McD's is doing something right with these. After that, I swung by the shop to say hello to my fabulous dad and dear brother. Then I was off to Walmart for a couple items and stopped at Starbucks to waste a bit of time (writing thank-yous) until the next thing on my agenda. I headed over to my friend Ann's NEW HOUSE and enjoyed the grand tour. She just got engaged and is getting married in September, so I got to see her new sparkley and hear all about how wedding plans are going! Then I swung by Chandra's house (she wasn't there, but her hubby let me in and gave me a tour of their recently completed basement!!) and dropped off a frozen meal of Taco Soup for them to enjoy after BABY comes at the end of April! Finally, I headed home to mom and dad's where mom had a fantastic pot roast waiting for dinner. And mashed potatoes. And gravy. And fresh, steamed carrots. Talk about spoiled. Kay came out too, and she spent the weekend there with me.

Exhausted yet?! That was just the 1st day!! I think I was glowing at the end of the day, I had so much fun seeing everyone again.

Friday, March 15
DAY TWO! This was wedding planning day. Yay for sister getting engaged!

Aren't they adorable?
So good-looking they knock your socks off, right?

We went in at 8am so Kay could get some insurance things updated. We registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond.  We met with the church's wedding coordinator. We finished registering at BB&B. We had BBQs and cake at the shop to celebrate my dad's secretary's (also his aunt/my great aunt) retirement. We met with the lady that's going to do the reception decorating. We picked up a few things at Kay's apartment. We went and looked at her wedding dress so I could see it in person. SO PRETTY!! We picked up my ring from the jeweler. We went to the mall and search for bridesmaids shoes (we're looking for some type of yellow heels, possibly even cute yellow strappy sandals). My feet almost died from traipsing around in my boots all day, so I sat/slept in the car while mom and Kay got groceries. I took Kay to the doc b/c she had a terrible sore throat and was losing her voice. We went to the pharmacist to get her prescription. We (Kay and I) went home and enjoyed lasagna, salad and french bread with dipping oil with mom, dad, Brian, Stacey, and Lucas. After talking around the table for an hour or so, we played a couple rousing games of Apples to Apples. END DAY TWO.

Saturday, March 16
The fabulous dad took my car in and did some work on it (and now I no longer have to roll down my window to get out of the car! You rock, dad!), so I drove his pickup in around 9:30, got my car and headed to my tax appointment. We got a refund! YAY! It's about exactly the same as how much interest has already accured on Jordan's 1st-year med school loan! YAY! I met up with a dear friend from childhood for lunch at Bagel Boy and met her 2nd baby! He's 5wks old tomorrow. Adorable. It was wonderful catching up with her. Then we went to Chandra's baby shower and I saw a couple more friends from forever ago. I used to meet up with these girls once a month for dinner at each other's houses before we moved to KC, so it was wonderful to hang out again.

Friends! Kim, Suzie, Chandra, me, Katie and little Peter!

Afterwards, I went over to Chandra's house for a bit and then I visited Lucas at Coldstone and got some cookie dough ice cream. Yum. Then I zoomed home and went to Grandpa&Grandma Heiberger's house for an hour or so. I swung by my mother-in-law's house and saw the middle stages of her remodeling - they're knocking out walls and everything. It looks awesome! Can't wait to see it when it's done. Finally home for dinner with mom, dad and Kay. Then I packed up my stuff, and mom and I packed up a cooler of meat to take home (THANK YOU, MOM AND DAD!!!). Finished out the night by watching the end of a movie with dad.

Sunday, March 17
By now, I'm certainly exhausted. I went to 8am service with mom, dad, Kay and Lucas, and after talking to a few people at church, went to Scooter's for coffee with wonderful friends, Lana and Cathy. It was so good to catch up with them. Then, I took the rest of my medium white chocolate mocha and headed home! I drove Dad Style, meaning I only stopped to get gas/go to the bathroom ONCE, drove 75-80mph and got home in FIVE hours. Fan.tas.tic.

It was sooo good to see everyone. I miss all you people! And, I'll say it again, we have an extra bedroom and an extra bed - come visit!

A Weekend Getaway

We spent the 1st weekend in March at a cabin about an hour from Des Moines, Iowa with a group of friends (10 total) from Northwestern. The guys had lived together in Heemstra (their dorm) and now the group has grown to include all the wives as well.

Think you can't afford a weekend like this? Think again.

We paid $150/couple for Friday night-Sunday morning at this cabin. There were 4 bedrooms, so one couple  used the fold-out couch in the living room. As you can see, we had it made. Pool table, foosball table, huge kitchen, fireplaces, wireless (hey, we're Gen Y), and more...we were spoiled.

We spent our time playing board games like Killer Bunnies, Things and others that I can't remember the names of...

Another couple ventured out with Jordan and I an antique shop and then Penoach Winery for a free wine tasting. We, of course, had to get a bottle of wine at the end.

We split the meal responsibilities out to each couple, which made it more affordable for everyone. Each couple was responsible for 1 meal (Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday breakfast). Jordan and I brought Taco Soup, which as I've mentioned before is super affordable to make. We served it with tortilla chips, cheese, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, sour cream and fresh bread. Looking back, we had wayyyy more food for the weekend than we needed and I think next year we'll revise to just doing dinners and lunches.

An amazing breakfast sandwich, courtesy of our friends: bagel, egg, bacon, avocado, cheese. Yum. 

This was the 2nd year we've all done this trip, and already plan to do it again - this cabin was a central location, as we were coming from KC, Sioux Falls, the quad cites and Des Moines, so we might even end up here again.

Do you have yearly get-togethers with your friends? Or trips with friends that don't live nearby? What types of things do you do together and where do you stay?

Our (not-so) Exciting Lives

I've been blogging a lot about saving money...mostly centered around saving at the grocery store for mealtime. I have other ideas for saving money elsewhere in your home, but those will come later.

For those of you that are interested in what the Larsons have been up to in KC the last few weeks...it's been not-so-exciting. Jordan's been busy studying and studying and...yep, that's about it. Here's what we've been up to since February started:

At trip to St. Louis!

The 1st weekend in February, I went to St. Louis with Amanda, a friend and fellow-Pampered Chef consultant, for PC Spring Launch. We had a great time learning about the new products (and even got to take home a new piece of stoneware!) and an even greater time enjoying the city. Amanda grew up in St. Louis, so we got to stay with her grandparents (yay for free overnights!) and went to church with them on Sunday. We enjoyed dinner at Joey B's with her aunt, cousin and brother. I ordered the Pasta Primavera (7 fresh veggies served in a garlic butter sauce with angel hair pasta), which was HUGE. I took the rest home and made grilled chicken breasts to go with it for Jordan's and my dinner. (See? Even saving money at a restaurant! A $12.99 meal became 3 meals!)

We got some delicious (and SUPER affordable) goodies at Missouri Baking Company on The Hill - I got 4 little cookies and a piece of german chocolate cake (for Jordan, his fav) and it was only $3something. A note about The Hill - this is the Italian part of town and there are all sorts of cute little Italian shops and restaurants. They have the Italian flag painted on things and Amanda told me that the area is still run by the Italian mafia...really!! 

We also got some provel cheese and salami from a little Italian grocery store with a meat counter. Yum. Here's what wiki had to say about Provel cheese: "Provel is a white processed cheese that is popular in St. Louis, Missouri.It is flavored with Cheddar, Swiss, and provolone." Spot on. And it's delicious.

Last but not least, we got sandwiches from Amighetti's to eat on the drive home. The Amighetti's special is made with ham, roast beef, genoa salami, brick cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, pepperoncini with Amighetti's secret dressing on fresh-baked Italian bread. Also yum. And a definite Jordan sandwich.

When Jordan and I visit St. Louis, we're doing all of this (and more). 

Bringing home the bacon

I've been doing some freelance editing for a friend (at her job) so that's been keeping me busy in the evenings, I've probably put 10-15hrs in for her these past couple weeks. Every little bit counts when it comes to the budget! 

Working off the bacon

I decided to kick my workout routine into high gear (aka actually go to the gym on a consistent basis)...so I needed some motivation. If I work out for 30+ mins, I get $1. YAY ME. bwaha. Since the 7th of January I've earned $17. I haven't  decided what my reward is going to be with the money that I earned...but it's motivating me to think that I'm "earning" money. Maybe that'll be my fun money, like, I have to earn it, I don't just get it. (Jordan would tell you that I never spend any fun money on myself, lol.) 

A new part of my work-out routine is this Killer Core Yoga Workout that my friend Emily posted about. It says beginner, and you don't think it would be that bad, but it seriously is KILLER. I've done it twice now, and my goal is to try to do it every other day (and on the opposite days do cardio and weights at the gym). My abs were dying. In a good way. Go ahead, print it off and try it yourself...this is something easy to do right in your home!

Game Night

We had 5 other med school couples over for games and munchies after finals week...and I forgot to take any pictures! So lame. We had a really good time playing Settlers and the other half of the group played Apples to Apples. There was also delicious food that everyone brought to share. And wine. And beer. And margaritas. It was a good evening. 

And that's about it! We'd still love to have visitors, so if you're ever feeling like a little vacation, KC is pretty fab! 

Freezer Meals: Round 1

Last night, I went to a Supper Swap at a friend's house. Can you say awesome idea?

Here's how it works:

1. Each person brings 6 pre-made, pre-frozen meals that serve 4-6 people. 
2. Swap!
3. Each person goes home with new dinner options that are already prepared and ready to go...and you get the recipe, too! 

Easy, right? I had such a great time preparing my meals, that I wondered why I hadn't done this again* sooner. And, I called this "Round 1" because I'm certain I want to do this again! (and again and again and...)

*Over a year ago, mom, Kay and I made a BUNCH of freezer meals (and then we stored them at mom and dad's...awesome parents). At the end of our extravaganza, we each had 4 Taco Soups, 4 8x8 pans of Shepherd's Pie, 4 8x8 pans of chicken casserole, and 4 1-gallon bags of chicken bow tie pasta. It was pretty awesome to have that many meals all ready to go. 

For last night's Supper Swap, I made Taco Soup. It's easy, it's affordable, and it's delicious. (I'm sorry, I didn't keep track of the cost...and I already had 6lbs of hamburger on hand [thanks, again, to awesome parents]...but it was pretty darn cheap to make.  It only took me 2hrs (from start to washing the last dish) to make 6 freezer meals. 

2lbs of hamburger and an onion!

All the cans, opened and ready to go. (I told you this was simple!)

The BEST way to fill those gallon-sized bags: put them in a drink pitcher!! Pre-label the bags...they're  really hard to write on after they're filled (I remembered that from before!).

Tada! Freezing in the ... freezer...where else!?

I know you want to make some for your family. I've posted the recipe below. Enjoy!

Here are the meals I came home with:

• Spaghetti Casserole (making this for dinner tonight!)
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Buttermilk-roasted Chicken with a side of broccoli and corn muffins 

Stocked two shelves in our little upright freezer!!

So excited to make these. Thanks for hosting, Emily! This was an awesome idea; can't wait to do it again!

Taco Soup

2 lbs ground beef

1 package Taco Seasoning

1 package dry Ranch dressing mix

1 small can diced chilies

Pepper to taste

Small onion, chopped

1 can hominy (do not drain) (this is found by the canned corn)

1 can kidney beans (do not drain)

1 can pinto beans (do not drain)

16 oz can diced tomatoes

16 oz can rotel tomatoes (I can never find 16 oz cans, so I usually buy 2 10-oz cans)

1 ½ cups water (or tomato juice)

Brown ground beef, add everything together and simmer.

The Daily Grind

Well, life is definitely back to "normal" in the Larson household. Classes have started up again for Jordan, so it's been late nights and lots of studying for him. His CP2 (cardiopulmonary) midterm is next week Monday. He's also been spending time in the lab, working on Parkinson's research. (That's about all I know about that, so if you want more info, that's a question you'd have to ask the hubs!)

Like most all of you, work started back up on the 2nd for me and I'm still making the hour drive each way to work at the client's office on Wednesday. I've even managed to prioritize some time for the gym; my "excuse" since moving here: it was a heck of a lot easier when my commute was only 10-15mins, I got off work at 5pm, and employee benefits included a membership to a gym with complimentary fitness classes (love/miss the Avera Fitness Center!). At any rate, I was pretty sore last week, so I guess that meant I did something right.

We did manage to do a few fun things:

I ate Chick-fil-A  for the first time. I can't remember which sandwich I ate, but I know it was chicken. (har har) People always say it's outstanding; I thought it was alright, but maybe that's b/c I don't eat much fast food (aka, next to never), so I didn't have anything to compare it to. Either way, here's a pic commemorating my experience:

"Eat Mor Chikin"

Game Night. No, not board game night, like you might expect. Our friends Zach and Kody (okay, just Zach, his wife just indulges him) love football, so we went over to their apartment one evening for a bit of football-watching.

Date Night. You guessed it. Another Groupon night. We also went to Crossroads Art District First Fridays, which is FREE. You all know how much I like free. We got to wander through 5-10 different artist galleries and see their work. Some of them were amazing - like the guy that had super-intricate pencil drawings of landscapes like Chicago and KC and New York...and included the hours he spent on them, 20+, 30+, 40+...pretty cool.

These are not the pencil sketches...these were like...engravings.
Jordan loved them.

Trivia Night. We joined Steve and Allison for The Flying Saucer's Trivia Night again. We didn't win like the last time, but we did enjoy chips and cheesy salsa and some beers. I even found one I like! I think it was the St. Louis Framboise...but I can't remember for sure. Whatever it was, it was sweet and deliciously non-beer-like. My one claim to fame at this trivia night (I'm not very good at trivia...you probably don't want me on your team) was that I knew what book this opening line was from: "When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen." (Answer posted at the bottom of this blog post.)

Heroes. I'm ashamed to admit it, b/c this normally happens to Jordan and not to me...I'm hooked on a TV show. Any Heroes watchers out there? I know, I'm about 6 years behind. I'm almost done with the first season, which means I'm watching far too much of it. Little did I know, but I'm a sci-fi lover. Must have been all that Star Wars growing up. 

Pampered Chef. I went to a free PC training that the PC Home Office was putting on for Kansas City consultants. My business hasn't exactly been "rocking" since I moved out here, which is pretty much my fault (since I'm the only one that can get myself business, haha). I've had a difficult time finding contacts, and the people I do know don't want to do shows. I keep trying, though. My biggest take-away was this quote, "If you get overwhelmed and do nothing, you'll fail." - Alison Levine (the 1st woman to climb Mt. Everest). 

Domesticated. I've had a productive "homemaker" weekend of multiple loads of laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, washing the kitchen floor, cooking spaghetti and getting a roast w/ veggies in the crockpot for meals this week, doing lots of dishes, and making a "big" grocery run (including my fave: lots and lots of veggies...carrots, onions, potatoes, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, buttercup squash, garlic, green pepper, red pepper...I may have gotten carried away). 

That about does it for us. We've got another busy week coming up, especially with Jordan's midterm happening on the 21st. We miss you all and hope your life is filled with blessings and that you're blessing others!

***Trivia Answer: The Secret Garden. Thanks, mom, for all the Feature Films for Families we watched growing up!

The 12 Days of Christmas

I (sort of accidentally) decided to completely check out from "real life" and have a real vacation over Christmas break...which is why the blog silence! Here are our 12 Days of Christmas, in no particular order (and we didn't really have 12 days in SD...that just worked out better with the song...).

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...1 (DeKrey) family evening for me!
Christmas with the DeKreys (mom's side) was as good as ever: oyster stew, lefsa, homemade fudge, salmon spread, a family Christmas program and a thoughtful $5 gift exchange (complete with aunt Kathy gift spy "kits" to the 5 guy names her family had...cousin Adam got 2 dates!...you know, the kind you can eat!).

Grandma's surprise at getting an iPad for Christmas (from all the "kids" - not grandkids! - so they could keep in touch with everyone from far away)!

Wyoming, Texas and SD...all on one couch!

All the grandkids (minus Matt and Seth, in Texas, and coming soon little Wyoming DeKrey) and two spouses!

Token Christmas Couple Pic!
(Now who can tell me how to flip this the right way?! I have it saved in the correct orientation on my comp, but when I upload it, it does this!)

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...2 family meals!
It was really supposed to be one Christmas on Christmas even without Brian and Stacey (who were with Stacey's family) and one with them on the 27th, but snow kept them away for the evening, so we just got spoiled with 2 meals with mom, dad, Kay, and Lucas! Chili one night, lasagna another...homemade ice cream...garlic bread...cookie trays...so spoiled.

Always good to give confusing Christmas gifts.

And really exciting ones.

And unexpected ones.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...3 shoppers shopping!
Once a year, dad goes shopping and knocks out mom's Christmas gift, birthday gift (Dec. 25) and anniversary gift (Jan. 7). Kay and I always go along as his "assistants"...I think we've gotten more helpful as the years go on. This year, we shopped efficiently (only an hour!) and then had brunch at Josiah's. Yum. SF people, definitely go here! I believe my sister called it...snooty...I called it my kind of place. Take that as you will.

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...4 days a-traveling!
Yes. We're crazy. 1 day (6hrs) driving to Sioux Falls. 1 day driving (6hrs) to the Black Hills. 1 day (6hrs) driving to Sioux Falls. 1 day (6hrs) driving to KC. Things we noticed on our car trips: heated seats are nice. BK is cheap. Sing really loud with the radio. Listen to crazy talk shows. Take a nap. Hold hands. Drive with cruise control (and without it). Heated toilet seats (we'll be going to that gas station again!). Ice cream. Energy drinks. Read to each other.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...5 big surprises!
My love language isn't gifts, but my husband's expression of love is giving me gifts. Quite the conundrum. He sees Christmas as his one time to really spoil me, much to my chagrin.

Background to the nativity he gave me!

I'm generally frightened opening gifts.

...or having a great (aka crazy) time.

I do love me some Pez. (Really. I love Pez.)

Also, Chai Tea. Really like that, too.

Even a love note from hubby with 10 "free" osteopathic treatments from him :)

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...6 battery jumpings!
The Prism revolts every time we try to go back to KC. This time it was the alternator. Luckily, I'm very spoiled, my dad is really awesome and had us back on the road in 30mins with a new alternator.

#perksofhavingamechanicforadad (can I do that here? lol. probably not.)

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...7 friends a-yapping!
I had a (too brief!) coffee date with 3 of my very dear friends from church...it was so good catching up with them and I miss these girls mucho! I also met up with 3 friends that I met through working at VistaComm. It felt like ages since we'd been together and we chatted it up for over 2hrs. Then Betsy (another Betsy, I'm not referring to myself in 3rd person) graciously let me tag along with on her errands since the hubs and I were sharing a car (and it was obviously not with me).  Last, but certainly not least, I met up with my best friend Chandra to hear of her life and experiences as a soon-to-be mom! So so so excited for her.

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...8 skiers skiing!
This was the trip to the Black Hills! The weather was perfect. Couldn't have asked for better. I escaped unscathed with no wipe outs. We enjoyed beers (Jordan and dad) and peppermint schnapps hot chocolate (mom, Kay and me) to warm up from the slopes. In the evening we ventured out for dinner in downtown Deadwood and soaked a bit in the hotel hot tub. A good trip.

Me & hubs!

Boyfriend & seester!

Friend, brother & dad!

Dad & mom!

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...9 days of no medical school!
Hubby graced me with 9 days of his presence...uninterrupted from medical school! He passed his first semester and is looking forward to the next. I'm so proud of him (and was SUPER thankful for stress-free, no-commitments days of togetherness)!

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...10 bites o'prime rib! 
Jordan's mom makes a mean prime rib for Christmas dinner, and this year was no exception. Spoiled doesn't cut it. We also played a game of Phase 10 and checked out the new garage his mom and stepdad are adding to the house.

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...11 minutes hot-tubbing!
We spent one evening with Jordan's friend, Graham, who was also home for the holidays...from St. Louis! We're hoping to get out there to visit him one of these days, after all, it's only 4hrs from KC - which is a heck of a lot closer than driving to SF to see each other (okay, only 2hrs closer, but still). Graham's mom and her husband have an outdoor hottub...and there's nothing like hottubbing outdoors in the SD winter!

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...12 Heibergers gifting!
Christmas at grandma and grandpa's is a favorite of the Heiberger cousins...nothing says Christmas like walking into grandma's house! Wine, meat & cheese trays, cracker baskets, homemade pies galore, cookie plates, grandma's corn (aka 1 whole stick of butter...yummmm....), turkey, mashed potatoes, ham, salad...need I go on?

Puzzle time! 100 chickens and a worm!

Heibergers!

These expressions pretty much explain all of hubby's and my interactions.

It was a restful holiday and we are so blessed to have the fabulous family that we do. We are so thankful for each of them! And so thankful for friends from home! We miss you all A LOT and if you'd ever like a short vacation, we have an open room, an open bed and would love to show you some good ol' KC bbq ;)