Random musings!

Can you believe that it is the end of January already! Time is flying by here, we've been in AZ for 1 year now! It is gorgeous out today Jason and the boys are at the FBR Open, Kiah is supposed to be napping, but she is doing puzzles instead and Tobin is sleeping. Tobin started walking! It is so fun to watch him toddle around. Carissa's baby shower is today and that makes me a little sad because I don't get there for it, but I am super excited that the kids and I are coming to visit in April! I signed Justin and Isaac up for t-ball today, they are really looking forward to it. So, how's that for random!

Goodmorning

mmm! Do you smell my coffee yet? I ground up some whole beans this morning so I could send Brian off with a big cup of comfort coffee today as he heads down to the hospital in Illinois. To fill everyone in- Brian's 91 year old Grandpa took a spill on the ice this Thursday and ended up with a broken hip. He went through surgery successfully yesterday so now it's just recovery. After working in the medical field I've realized a spill like that isn't as easy recovery. So as i sit here with knotts in my stomach, I ask that you just give a little extra prayer for Grandpa Storey today. :)

Thank you.

Love, Bren

Vegas

Well i have decided to put a real post up on the awesome time I had in vegas. We left on friday and had a good flight down there. we stayed at the wynn on floor 21 and the elevators were fast. we got there about noon and had couple hours before we had to go to our first event. meeting lasted till 5 then i played a little slots. Then we had to go get ready for the dinner/awards banquet. It was pretty fancy. Food was good. salad/chicken/ice cream. But i would've been good with a big burger and fries instead. then did some more slot playing and the slots where not very nice to me so i went to bed. We awoke and walked the strip. We walked all the way down to the excalibur hotel with stops at the various casinos along to way. it was nice and warm out and sunny so i was able to walk around with t-shirt and jeans. It was nice...played a little blackjack at belagio and pulled the free slot at the tropicana to get my free deck of cards. walking down the strip there was a lamborgini driving by that was sweet. also heard a c6 vette with some nice exhaust. can't wait till it gets warmer here so i can drive my camaro around. it was a nice long walk. i mapquested driving directions from the wynn to the excalibur and it is 2.25 miles one way. not counting all the walking we did inside the various casinos. when we got back i played some blackjack and was doing real good then got a phone call that said i needed to get my suit on for another dinner. so i left being up a little money and got dressed. the room was very nice. food was ok and the service should have been better, but oh well. cut out of there early cause i had some more gambling to do. i went to the played some craps for the 3rd time in my life, but the first time in Las Vegas put some money down and went up and down and i was down to 20. table min bet is was 10 so i put one bet on the passline and had only 10 left there was a guy standing watching the table. and was asked if he wanted it cause he would be the next shooter. he said ok and put some money down. man o man was he good. kept on rolling real good numbers. various times the would call out six four and then roll a six four. call an eight then roll an eight etc. well when he finally crapped and had to pass the dice i was up 3times of what i started with. so i cashed out my chips and went back to the room with a big smile on my face. the next morning we headed back for milwaukee. it was an awesome weekend that had a total cost (food,room,flight and prizes)of $60. So if anybody needs someone to go to vegas give me a call

Vegas

I went to vegas

Back From Vegas

Souvenir Shirt Welcome home Greg
Well they returned safely form Vegas. I will let them tell their story but, here are a couple of post Vegas pictures. Ed was in bed by 7:00 Sunday night so he didn't get a couch sleeping picture. I know they walked from the Wynn where they stayed to the Excalibur and back. They did all that on Saturday morning and Ed was really feeling it in the legs on Monday when they got back. They both have told many stories so if they don't post I will do my best to share a few. Greg has the CD with the Vegas pictures so he need to post a few of those, and if Ed gets a USB cable I will help him post the ones form his phone. Enjoy your day. Julie

Do You Like Meatloaf?

Okay, this is a very random post. But you're all related to me, so I know you all love me... inspite of my unique fascination with food. :)

Last night we had the most incredible meatloaf.... seriously, I like a lot of food. But this was the most tasty meatloaf we've ever eaten... in Chris' words, even better then the Cheesecake Factory Meatloaf... and if you've had theirs, you know it's good.

So for anybody that likes meatloaf... and loves food in general, please feel free to bop over to my delicious blog. If anything, you'll get a laugh at how goofy I am, but I am laughing with you... promise ;) http://dawnsfood.blogspot.com

There's also an incredible Winter Salsa Recipe over there... Bon Apetit!

**See for those people that think they have nothing to say, or their life is seriously boring... you can talk randomly and it still might make someone's day! Who's smiling now?? If you're smiling, I did my job! Love to all!**

Morning Chuckle

Good Morning Again! Well I have a great Ed story. He is his usual excited nervous and fidgety self as he leaves this morning. I get a call from Greg about the time they are to board the plane. I hear the sound of Greg's voice and he sounds like he has either been running or bursting with laughter. He tells me he has a funny story. He starts the story by telling me that they called for pre boarding (remember I know nothing about flying) and went through who was to board first. Ed has been up since 2:00am because he couldn't sleep and didn't listen to anything except "boarding now" and handed his boarding pass to the attendant. Greg said he thought it was boarding for "special needs" but thought maybe he misunderstood. Well they let Ed through so Greg handed them his boarding pass and they told him it was boarding for "special needs" first. He told them he was with Ed so they let him through. By now Greg is chuckling about his "special needs" Dad. He called from his seat on the plane and it starting his weekend off great with his Dad. I had given him instructions before he left this morning to take care of his Dad because I know how nervous he gets and that makes for a confused and forgetful Ed. So if you need a mental picture to make you smile just think of Ed and Greg walking the boarding ramp with "special needs" flashing overhead. Just to make sure you don't think I'm picking on Ed I would have done the same thing only I would probably have tripped too. Have a Great Day All! Julie

AND THEY ARE OFF!

Ed and Greg are off to Vegas. They were just picked up by their chauffeur and headed for the airport. The Schwan Banquet begins this evening and the two handsome men will be dressed in grey suits, white shirts,colored ties, and black dress shoes. No uniforms for this weekend. They will have some free time this afternoon and tomorrow until late afternoon. Wish them safety and luck in your daily prayers. They are both very special to me. Thank you, Love Julie

Nothing New in the Gregory household

Hi,
Like Audrey I too am feeling the peer pressure. But, unlike Audrey I have nothing to share. My life is totally boring right now. My big excitement is that I am looking forward to Burn Notice season opener tonight. Let's say it all together now .... boring and sad ...... Slowly working on our basement. The electric should be done next week, then I can pull some speaker wire to put speakers in throughout the basement. I am just about done pulling coax cable and CAT 5 (good thing to, I am really tired of that job). All three of us (Rita, Scott & Noah to a lesser extent) are feeling somewhat under the weather this week.

Hope all is well....

Scott

New Town New Year

So the peer pressure got to me so I'll try to be better and post more.  I'll give everyone a update on what's going on with me.  I just moved back to the midwest and now live in Kalamazoo,MI with my boyfriend Robert Jude. We have been dating for a little over two years.  We meet out in California where we worked together at a restaurant called Patrick Molloys. We both moved out to Cali the same time and got a job at the same place within weeks of each other but before that had only lived four hours from each other (weird) so it's clear we are meant to be.  He went to school in Kalamazoo and graduated with a degree in graphic design.  We chose to move here because he already owns a couple of houses here and is in the beginning stages of opening up a jazz lounge/concert venue/comedy club. We plan on getting married in the near future and are looking to buy another house so we can remodel it and make it our own.  We did it a little backwards but life doesn't always go how we plan I'm sure everyone knows that.  We loved California and if it weren't for family and better opportunities here we would of never left.  The weather is making us miss the beach a lot all of our friends are boating in 85 degree weather.  We had a lot of fun and got to go to a lot of fun places like; Seaworld, Universal Studios, Catalina, San Francisco where we toured Alacatraz, a bunch of baseball and basketball games, Palm Springs, and so much more.  I am now working at the four diamond Radisson Hotel here just waitressing but hope to move up to human resources someday and will be a manager and Robs restaurant when it opens.  I hope to open up my own clothing store someday.  I learned a lot of how to run a boutique when I managed a small one in Manhattan Beach.  Well my family came out to visit a lot so there are some pics of their visits as well as one with my friend Nissa who got married and my best friend for life Cori or as we say my BFFL also one of her bachlorette party.  Hope everyone is having a great start to the new year!  God Bless and don't forget to thank Jesus for everything that goes right in your day!

What's happining at the Merfeld's:)

As many of you already know Jesse and I are having a GIRL:) Pyper is doing great, although still safe inside her Mommy she is always moving and loves to hear the sounds as we play Wii. This Sunday a couple of my girl Friends are throwing me a shower which will be lots of fun.

Jesse has been laid off from John Deere but will start again the beginning of February so he has been spending his time plowing snow for a guy in Columbus, doing some snowmobiling and completing my honey do list:) So we only have about 8 weeks left before we get to meet out little girl, we pretty much have everything ready so now it is just a waiting game and I am fully prepared for going late. at the beginning of December Jesse was the best man in the wedding of Paul and Ariann who are very good Friends of ours. On Christmas Jesse took our snowmobile out to Mom and Dads and gave the kids rides, they were froze when they all came in.

Enjoy some of the pictures and i hope to see a lot of you on the 31st

Lots of Love:) the Merfeld's.

Stuck inside...

Again! So due to the cold, bitter, freezing, awful, terrible (is that enough exaggeration?) temps outside, Ashlynn and I are staying in again! We haven't had a bit of fresh air since Monday! I think being inside might be making us a little loopy. But since it's in our best interest to avoid mother nature...we have found some new activities to do. They include playing "capture the kitty" and "destroy the pots and pans" It's quite amusing!

Hope everyone has a good day and stay warm!

Exercise or No Exercise

Have you ever felt you needed another reason not to exercise? Well if you have get a Riley! I went down to my/Brenda's treadmill to see if I could get the temp above zero today. I was running (you know 2.5mph) and kept hearing some real fun noise from upstairs. I am the only one here so I knew it was Riley my precious never been spoiled dog. The pictures above are the result of Riley adventure, see the pride in his eyes. Ashlynn has been teething on this coaster and Riley loves Ashlynn drool, so he decided to teeth on the coaster too. Sorry Ashlynn but that coaster in now history. So next time I decide to use the treadmill I will have to do a coaster check or lock Riley in the basement with me. I am still laughing so it was great for my cool down to have so much oxygen from laughter. Have a very warm day! Julie

Trivia Question!!!!!!!!!!

Q: What do you get when you cross 2" of snow, 10:00 p.m. and negative temps in the forecast for morning?????
-------------------------------------
A: You get a dance in the snowflakes! At least we did! Yes, it's more fun to shovel & plow at 10:00 at night than in frigid cold temps tomorrow morning! (click picture at left to enlarge)

I hope everybody has lots of layers and cuddly duds for the next couple of days! Love you all!

Dawn

New Poll

How about? Why do some people choose not to blog? If I could make improvements to get more people blogging I would love to make the conversation grow. Enjoy your day!
One more question to Rita, 'What did you have to drink at the movie?'
Answer in my email if it will get you in trouble to answer here, and let everyone wonder. LOL Love, Julie

What to do w/ used Christmas Cards...

Just wanted to give everybody a thought... I was cleaning up some Christmas decor and the cards were sitting on the table. It reminded me of an article I saw a few weeks before Christmas. Rather than tossing out those used Christmas cards, you can send them down to St. Judes.

Here's a link with all the info:
http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php

The kids use the fronts of the cards, attach new backs and sell them to people for donations toward the hospital!

I know, nothing will compare with the video Christmas Card from Uncle Vince, but this does go to a great cause. :)

Have a terrific night all!
XO,
Dawn

New Year's Poll Results!

Thanks to everybody that participated in our New Year's Poll!

The majority of people stayed home an rang in the new year from home, with a few people sleeping the night away. I guess those two options go hand in hand don't they?!?! I'm sure you have a favorite chair... or the spot on the couch that as soon as the rumpus hits the cushion, the eye lids get heavier and heavier until.... zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Don't deny it... I know I'm not the only one!

I just got back in from shoveling, and I've officially taken Mother Nature off my Christmas Card list. We got about 7" here... but it felt like 40! Time for a good, hot shower!

Lots of Love to All!

Dawn
http://dawnsfood.blogspot.com

6 months!

Where has the time gone? It seems that not-so-long ago I was posting newborn pictures and now "mommy's little monster" is trying her hardest to crawl, teething like crazy, and babbling up a storm! It's wonderful. She's happy, healthy, and we couldn't ask for a better baby! Here are a few new pictures.

And yes...we taught her how to play cards Christmas night!

Who went to the movies?

Okay, so I've heard some terrific reviews about the movies that have come out in the past 2 weeks. I'm looking at the poll and somebody went to see something.

What did you see over the holiday and how many thumbs up did you give it?

Hope everybody is having a terrific day! Lots of Love to all!

Dawn

Celebrate Good Times... C'mon!

Happy New Year Everybody! I hope you all had a safe and wonderful celebration to ring in 2009! We've "re-decorated" our family blog to keep it fun and exciting! We also added a new poll over to the right! I hope you find it fun & amusing.

Chris & I stayed in for New Year's eve... It was fun to watch the crazy people freezing their rumps off at the annual Rockin' celebration in Times Square while we sat home toasty in front of our fire. We had Lasagna, wine, and a Triple Layer Brownie Dessert I whipped up. Tonight will be the rest of our special meal (yes, I didn't get started early enough yesterday). So our fancy dinner tonight is an incredible stuffed beef roast. Stuffed w/ a carrot/celery/bacon stuffing... Neither recipe belongs in our fitness blog!!!!! LOL :)

Here's some pics of the scrumptious eats... the roast is in the oven now (my kitchen smells amazing, Thanks to Anna & Keith for the excellent meat) and the dessert was soooooo easy! Let me know if they wet your appetite!

Happy New Year to All! Love you much!

Dawn

P.S. Check out my jewelry blog for a special piece of jewelry I made last night too! :)

P.P.S. Here's the completed New Year's Dinner!