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?

Relaxing, Romantic Weekend Getaway

After buying a Groupon in March and making reservations in April, our (extremely late) anniversary weekend was here ("here" as in, the last weekend of July...)!

We spent our weekend at Circle S Ranch, near Lawrence, KS (about an hour from KC) in their Celestial Room:

Double whirlpool tub! I want one of these in our "someday" house...

This room is usually $250 a night on Friday and Saturday night, so we were feeling pretty good about our $279 Groupon deal. After checking in, we each enjoyed an hour-long massage (normally $80, but included with our Groupon!) and then spent our evening walking around the grounds, playing card games, and relaxing. 

On both Saturday and Sunday morning we woke to a delicious country-style breakfast buffet with bacon or sausage, french toast or pancakes, fresh fruit, eggs, juice and more. 

We start our Saturday off with a 2hr "hike" on their pasture trail.

There's a donkey in this picture. I can't even see him anymore though.

Yay! Hike!

Jordan trying to coax the donkey closer.

Me. Farmer style.

Longhorn cattle that I was sure Jordan was going to be speared by. "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." applies to pictures as well.

After our hike we went back to the ranch to pick up our picnic lunch (normally $25/person, included in our Groupon):

That's a bbq brisket sandwich, cheesy pasta with tomatoes, chips, fresh tomatoes, and brownies. 

Me eating tomatoes "dad-style" - fresh with only salt and pepper. They were pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Saturday afternoon we heading into Lawrence where Jordan enjoyed some Kansas Free State Beer samples and I got a mocha java coffee from an eclectic coffeehouse. It even had a cereal bar: 

Note old-skool b&w TVs playing retro cartoons.

After exploring some shops, we ventured out to Davenport Winery for a free wine tasting and then headed back to the ranch for their Tomato Festival (cost also included in our Groupon). The food was great and the music was fun:

Sunday morning we packed up, enjoyed our breakfast and then headed back to KC (after making a pitstop at Holy Field Winery for another free wine tasting).

It was a wonderful weekend, and we're hoping to keep making it a priority to take little trips like this together in the future. And after adding it up and realizing that a weekend like this would normally cost just under $800 - we were even MORE thankful for our $279 Groupon (which we used wedding money to pay for...so to those of you who gave us $$ as a wedding gift, thanks for the romantic weekend getaway!!). 

What sorts of special things do you do to keep your relationship from falling into the same ol' same ol' routine? 

The Past Month in Pictures

You may or may not have noticed I'd fallen off the face of the earth for the past month...or, rather, I got ON the face of the earth!

I've been busy traveling and haven't had any time for much of anything, except the traveling. Here's what I've been up to:

May 24-26: Kay's Bachelorette Party

1 of the 3 scavenger hunt teams (plus Bekah who's taking the picture!) -  here we are with action figures of Luke and Kay. 

More scavenger hunt: the 3 bachelors who gave us marriage advice. It's not fit to print. Let's just say it was apparent why they're still bachelors. 

Playing Kiss or 'Stache - I would read questions and then tell them one answer, if they thought it was Luke's answer, it was the mustache; Kay's answer was the kiss. If they thought Kay and Luke had the SAME answer, they put on both the mustache and the kiss!

I didn't get any pics of the delicious food everyone provided or the gifts...but we had a fabulous time!

June 1-2: Jordan's Cousin's Wedding
This brought us back to the Amana Colonies where Brian and Stacey were married! We took a very brief evening exploration of the Colonies, bought some meat and cheese, and then headed to the wedding!

Jordan's cousin Lindsay is the bride and her (cute, pregnant!) sister is the matron of honor. We're so happy for both couples...one starting the new adventure of marriage, the other starting the new adventure of parenthood!

Jordan and I at the wedding!

June 5-9: Luke & Kay's Wedding!!!
Kay has 3,000 photos from her photographer, but mom sent me just a few. SO EXCITED!!! This was a fabulous weekend, and I couldn't be more happy that Luke has joined our family. Yay Luke and Kay!!!

Yay for the newlyweds!! 

Seesters!!!

The NEW Heiberger family!! 

June 10-12: Pacific Northwest Trip for Work
After getting back from the wedding, I hit the road for Idaho, Washington and Oregon for a trip with our client.

Some beautiful countryside on the way to Oregon.

Our super-cute hotel room in Baker's City, OR.

Me in a potato storage facility...I'm in the MIDDLE of the pile! It's 20 feet tall!!

It's been a great, busy month. How has your summer started?

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! 

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 ;)