Score

I played soccer in an organized league last fall for the first time in years.  I love playing soccer more than almost anything, so I was really happy to be playing again.  This year they are having a spring version of the league as well, and although I missed the first few games, I got to play in tonight's game as my first one of the season.  Here I am in my uniform before the game.

Donations

We've ended up with a lot of extra stuff recently, most of it from the kids supplies that we don't need at this point.  It's not quite enough to warrant a garage sale, but it's enough to consider giving a lot of it away to Goodwill.  We collected it all in one place so we could go through it and make decisions on what we're keeping and what we're giving away.   

Spin

Today Peg was in Olathe to do some shopping and we were able to meet for lunch. We went to Spin! Pizza and really enjoyed it. There are a lot of options so it was fun to try new things.

Downtown Milwaukee

I had to fly to Milwaukee today for a business trip. It has a really nice downtown including a riverwalk, so I decided to walk to the restaurant I chose for dinner. I had some traditional German/Milwaukee food, and it was very tasty and something I don't get to eat very often.

The Woman Behind the Curtain

We are redoing a few rooms in our house, including the guest bathroom.  Though we kept the shower curtain, we got a new shower rod and shower hooks, so here Meghan peeks out from behind the curtain while hanging the hooks.

Unplanned Deliciousness

One of my coworkers from California was in town tonight and called me and another coworker to see if we wanted to go out to dinner.  It was short notice, but it worked out, and we all met at J. Alexander's and had a great meal.  I had the rattlesnake pasta, which is always excellent.

Siblings Weekend

Matt, Abby, Julie, and I met Joanna in Manhattan for the Kappa Delta Siblings Weekend.  Though we couldn't attend the scheduled event, we went out and had fun on our own.  We ate at the Chinese buffet in Manhattan (delicious!), went mini golfing (darn you, Abby!), and went to the K-State football spring game (projected starters badly beat the projected reserves).  It was a really fun day.

Prepping for Paint

We are painting a couple of our rooms and a bathroom, as they all have kid-friendly color schemes.  Here I'm removing some of the screw anchors from the chalkboard wall section of the old playroom in preparation for painting.

Adventures in Beauty Products

Today I got a haircut. It had been November since I had one so I really needed it. I went to a new place because I had been going to my old place for at least a year and I am not sure I was ever totally happy with my cut, even though they did a very nice job with color back when I used to get that done. I am really happy with it because they kept the length and got rid of some of the choppy layering I didn't like so that was a success in my view.

I am less happy with this new lipstick I tried out. It's called a lip stain, which is between a gloss and a stick, and people seem to love it and it's a color that's supposedly flattering on everyone. It's not that it's a bad color or not a good product. I just wear a lot of makeup and feel more comfortable with something a little more substantial. For me to even feel I can leave the house, I have to apply it multiple times to get enough color. Which means it's not going to last long. I don't think it's for me. However, I will try it again tomorrow with a darker liner just in case that helps.

Computer Instruction

Today I went to Lawrence to help my mom with her computer skills.  Here we are as I show her various tips and techniques to make using the computer and the internet easier. 

Filing

Though we've had a central filing system, we hadn't really been using it very much, so we had quite the backlog.  So tonight I went through much of it and filed it away in its proper place.  This appealed to my sense of order, and I actually really enjoyed it.

Craigslist is the New Garage Sale

We need to convert the two rooms that would have been the kids' playroom and their bedroom into more usable rooms for us, so we sold some of the items that are no longer needed.  Here a woman loads up her van with some of the things she bought from us. 

Let Sleeping Pugs Lie

Meghan was working on her laptop, and Natalie was snuggled up next to her but fell asleep and then ended up in this position.  It was too cute not to snap a pic of it.

Different Fuel

This post is also about fuel, but this time it's the item, not the bar.  We recently ran out of propane for the grill.  I've always filled the original tank somewhere, but every year it seems there are fewer and fewer places that can do it.  So this year I decided to go the easy route and just buy a Blue Rhino tank so I can easily just exchange it at one of many nearby places when it runs out.  It costs a bit more, but the convenience is worth it.

Fuel

Tonight I met with my friends Jason Keeler and Nick Barton at Fuel.  Jason left early, but Nick and I stayed around for awhile.  Desite the excessively loud music (are we old now?), we were able to have good conversation and hung out for a good portion of the evening.  This picture was supposed to be us looking tough, but I think Nick was the only one who pulled it off, as I just ended up looking confused and concerned.

D'Mediocre

Tonight my friends and I met at a new place.  We've been hitting Buffalo Wild Wings more often than not for our every-other-week outings, but tonight we tried D'Bronx pizza.  The pizza was, well, average, but an interesting aspect is the guy who brings the food out to the table strongly encourages you to eat the pizza New York-style, which is apparently folding it over on itself.  I tried it, but my pizza fell apart.  I may not be the best pizza folder around, but I'm still blaming the pizza, not my pizza folding skills.

Self-Sufficiency

Tonight I didn't cook and we didn't have tons of leftovers either, so Jason made himself dinner. Though he doesn't often cook, he did seem to make a near-perfect fried egg sandwich so he is okay to fend for himself when necessary.

I Feel Pretty

I have come to terms with the fact that I will never be a foot model, but I still can't feel quite right about my appearance unless I am wearing toenail polish. I normally stick with mainly pink and red with an occasional burgundy thrown in. But today I went kind of crazy and went with a color I'll call Shrek-green. It's not really shrek-green because the shrek-inspired nail polish is opi and this was considerably cheaper, but I really liked it in the bottle. On my feet I can't decide if I like it or if I am way too old for it. Maybe both. But it's definitely springy and fun.

Buying in Bulk

We buy some of our bulk items at Costco.  As they tend to be the heavier items, and because it's right by my office, I usually do the shopping there, though it's infrequent.  Today was Costco day for me, so here I am in a photo made possible by an on-the-spot invention that is sure to make me millions: the CartCam.

Popping the Cork

Today was another beautiful day. So much so that we ate both lunch and dinner outside. We wanted wine with dinner, but we didn't have any and didn't realize that until the food was ready so we decided to drink champagne instead. Here Jason opens the bottle.

Dinner at Sunset

Tonight we ate dinner on the deck. It was really nice as the weather was perfect today and we grilled burgers and enjoyed asparagus, which is really available everywhere now that it's spring.

Picking Up Alex

My sister and brother-in-law cat-sat Alex while we were in Colombia.  Tonight we went and picked him up.  Although it looks like I'm killing him in this picture, he was actually quite happy, as this is his favorite way to be held.

Taco Thursday

Today we made Mexican food and had a really great dinner. This is me with a delicious margarita.

Spring Has Sprung

Although the weather in both Medellin and Miami are better than what we have here in Kansas City, there is something I really love about having the four seasons. My very favorite transition is from summer to fall, when you first start feeling the crisp in the air. But it is followed closely by the transition from winter to spring, because I feel like the air is just full of promise after all the cold. It has rained a lot lately, which wasn't the best welcome home weather, but it is also really green and the bradford pear trees are in bloom. It's just great to be outside, even though it is still a bit cool, because you can feel that the warmth, and it's good to know that flowers and fruits and vegetables are right around the corner.

First Class and Fancy Free

Today we came back to Kansas City. We flew from Miami to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to Kansas City. On our flight to Atlanta, we got upgraded to first class due to Jason's frequent flyer status. It was very exciting for me because I had never flown first class before.

More Lounging

Today was our last full day in Miami so we spent it at the pool. Our hotel has a really fantastic pool area. Here I am with a delicious frozen drink.

Kissing Larry

Today we went on a dual tour which included first a trip to the Everglades and later a tour of the city of Miami.  On the Everglades tour we got to ride in an airboat/fanboat and we saw a bunch of alligators out in the water.  Afterward we could hold a younger alligator.  So here I am with "Larry".

Lounging

We spent some time today relaxing in South Beach. Our hotel has beach access, so we spent a few hours lounging in the sun, sipping drinks, reading books, and dozing off at times. That's a good day.

Flying to Miami

Today we left Colombia and arrived in Miami for our mini-vacation.  This was the first flight I've ever been on in which they provided a free meal, so that was a nice surprise. 

Metrocable

Today we toured Medellin.  One of the things we did was to ride the Metrocable up the mountain and then back down.  Here we are in our car/gondola thingy.