Merry Christmas!!!!!

What a wonderful Christmas break we are having! David finished his finals on Friday, December 18 and I had a half day and our class Christmas party that day. We were SOOOO glad to be on Christmas break. On that Friday night we had our Sunday School Christmas party and we did the white elephant thing and it turned out to be really fun. The party was at Todd and Alicia Bortoff's house. On Saturday morning we slept in a little bit and started getting our stuff ready to go to Little Rock. We pretty much hadn't done anything to prepare to leave, so we had to clean the house, wrap a couple more presents, get Sooie to the vet, and get all packed up. We ended up leaving around noon, which we felt pretty good about.

We had decided to spend all of the days leading up to Christmas with the Rainwaters and then head to North Carolina to be with my family on Christmas Day and the days following Christmas. So we basically just did the opposite of what we did last year.

We had a great time in Little Rock with David's parents and went down to the farm to ride Flash on Tuesday. Tuesday night was when we celebrated Christmas and everyone was able to be there. John and Sarah were leaving on Christmas Eve Eve to head down to El Dorado and we were leaving on Christmas Eve morning.

Right now we're in North Carolina and we leave tomorrow to head back to Little Rock. It has been great here in NC and we've had a wondeful time with Granny and Grandad and Uncle Frank and Aunt Lisa and the triplets. Tonight we're going to have some dessert with the Frank Pippins.

Tripp has gotten sick this Christmas with what we think is strepp throat. This is a real shame because Tripp was the most instrumental person in helping to fix the other Christmas mishap that occurred. When Mom and Dad arrived in North Carolina they got in really late and did not unload the Christmas presents from the car. That night the car got broken into and all the Christmas presents got stolen!!!! We were amazed and Mom was crushed. Luckily, the insurance wil reimburse Mom and Dad for the goods and they were able to replace most things. However, Tripp was such a big help and then he got sick!!! He's got some medicine now and is on the upswing though. Christmas break continues!!!....

Busy Week

What a busy week we've had! Monday night was the cheerleader's first game to cheer at and they did great! They cheered hard, didn't talk to each other, and really impressed the crowd and principal. I was exhausted though because I was barely over my sinus infection and still on antibiotics. David had four finals this last week and they all went well. I led cheerleading practice on Wednesday and then had to help with the school Christmas program on Thursday night. We are pretty tired, but we have one week to go until the semester is over!!!!! David has a really long week ahead with six tests. I have pretty much a four day week because Friday is a half day and the parents have planned our Christmas party for that day. On Friday is our Sunday School party and we're doing a white elephant gift party...should be really fun. Keep David in your prayers this week as he tries to recall a WHOLE lot of information.

On the Mend

Things are starting to look up! I finally was able to move off the couch on Friday morning and had a good half day of work. The kids all jumped up out of their seats when I came in and ran to give me hugs. So cute. I really felt missed. I did have a lot of paperwork to get in order though. It's amazing what needs to be done from just missing a day and a half. Yesterday David had me laying around all day and trying to get even better. David kept a great fire going in the fireplace and I did very minimal chores around the house. It was our day to bring breakfast for the Sunday School class this morning, so I made a bunch of muffins last night and they were a big hit. We also greeted at Chris and Sarah's door for them since they're out of town. They have definitely filled in for us a couple of times!

I still have a ton of yucky stuff going on in my nose, but at least I can function. I'm still on the antibiotics, so hopefully things will continue to get better.

David's finals start this week. He has four this week, and six the next. He's handling the pressure really well and just taking things as they come...amazing. The other day we were talking with our Sunday School teachers and they asked how many finals David had. He told them ten and our teacher said, "Whoa, you have ten classes?" David replied, "No, I have 13." :) We all got a big kick out of it, but it pretty much sums up how hard David had been working. I'm so proud of him.

Using My First Sick Day :(

Well, the kids finally got me down for the count. I have been stopped up for what seems like forever, but is really about a month, so I went to the doctor on Tuesday afternoon. We picked our new family doctor based on his first name (Ralph) and the fact that he accepts United Health Care. Anyway, I went and he said that I could have some other infection that is making the symptoms go on for longer than they should. I was also running a low grade fever. I didn't feel too bad and was happy to have been prescribed some medicine, so I decided to go to work the next day (yesterday). By the end of the day I was miserable and felt like it was the medicine's fault! I called Kathy (my principal) last night and told her that I had a fever and couldn't come to work today. She of course said that it was no problem and hired a sub right away. I can't say that I have made much of an improvement today, but I called the doctor's office about the possibility that the medicine was having a reverse effect and they said that I probably have a sinus infection and that the medicine should take care of it...someday. Kathy called again today and I told her that I would come in tomorrow, but she said to sleep in and go ahead and come in at noon. As bad as I feel I'm thankful to have an understanding and helpful boss and paid sick days this year. David has been a wonderful nurse to me, which I hate that he is having to do since he already has so much going on. Hopefully I'll get on the up swing soon. The doctor said that if I'm not better by tomorrow afternoon that they want me to call back, so at least there is some kind of deadline for recovery.

I made it through cheerleading practice last night after school (barely) and I think that the girls are ready for their first game, which is Monday. For having NO experience at all, I think that they've come a long way and I'm really proud of them. Enjoy the videos!

Thanksgiving in Little Rock

We had a great Thanksgiving in Little Rock! On Wednesday we left at exactly 6:00 a.m. and got to Little Rock at 1:00 p.m. We at lunch with Mom and Tripp at Panera and then just hung out and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. When Dad got home from work we got to go up to the club for pasta bar. It was SOOOO good. David brought home some of the teeth that he's been working on and Mom and Dad really liked seeing it that night. On Thanksgiving morning we relaxed and watched the Macy's Day Parade until Thanksgiving lunch. Mom's dressing did not disappoint! About mid-afternoon we made the house switch and headed over to Mike and Kathy's. It was wonderful to have a sister-in-law to share the holiday with. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner that night! On Friday morning John and Sarah flew to Houston to be with Sarah's family, and we headed down to Arkadelphia to spend some time at the farm. We got to ride the Rainwater's new horse, named Flash, and see David's grandparents. On Friday night we went back to my parent's house and went out to eat at U.S. Pizza Company! Yum Yum! On Saturday morning we slept in and hung out, then headed back to Kansas City around 1:00 p.m. We were glad we decided to come back yesterday so that we could have today to get all of our stuff ready for the next couple weeks.

David's upcoming schedule is pretty intense, but we can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. We can't believe that we've almost made it to Christmas of David's second year of dental school and that I've now taught second grade for almost a semester. Time passes so fast and David is going to be in the clinic and through all of these hard classes after just one more semester! Woohoo! Our first year and a half of marriage has been fun, fast, busy, exciting, full of love, and definitely something to be thankful for this holiday season. Thanks for a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Here is a picture from each house!

A Perfectly Wonderful Weekend

This has been such a nice weekend for David and I. On Friday night we ordered a pizza a watched a movie at home. We were just able to enjoy being together and relaxing. On Saturday morning we got up bright and early and went up to the church to work at the marriage conference. Because we volunteered to work, we got to go for free! The conference was led by Dr. Gary Chapman, writer of The Five Love Languages. All of the sessions were really informative and practical. There were 28 people from our Sunday School class alone who attended. Overall it was a refreshing day...we're excited about what we learned and the time we got to spend with friends.

After the conference we came home and cleaned the whole house and then decorated for Christmas!!! We really wanted to be able to enjoy our Christmas decorations as long as possible, so we decided to do them this weekend so that they would be done when we got back from Little Rock after Thanksgiving. So on Saturday night we put up everything except the tree.

We really wanted to go and cut down our tree this year, but we didn't think we would have enough time with David's final schedule. So this afternoon we went to a tree place and picked one out! They didn't have many in, but we decided to spring for a Frasier Fur and it is GORGEOUS! It seriously looks perfectly symmetrical, is the perfect height, and the perfect width. Here are some pictures of the house that is ready for Christmas before Thanksgiving! :)

Thanks for the manger scene Mom! I added some extra limbs from our Christmas tree to spice it up!

We can't wait to be in Little Rock for Thanksgiving!

WICKED!!!!!

We have just had a wonderful weekend here in KC! On Friday night we went out to dinner and hung out with Brett and Sarah Busenitz, two co-workers of mine. Sarah is the other second grade teacher, and Brett teaches fifth grade. They ended up being really fun to be with. We headed to the movie theater to see "The Box," but when we asked for tickets, they said that it wasn't playing anymore. Since we couldn't see the movie we had planned on, they gave us all passes to be redeemed whenever we want for whatever movie we want! We coudn't believe it! So we ended up just going to a Christian coffee house and knowing that we can see a free movie any time!

On Saturday morning I worked on homework for my LAST class this semester while David studied. After lunch we started to tackle the front and backyard leaves. There were SOOOOOO many, but now our yard looks great. Just waiting on the first snow now. On Saturday night we headed downtown to see Wicked! We just couldn't wait and it lived up to all of our expectations. It was so fun to see it again and to know all of the songs. It was a challenged for us to keep quiet and not sing along. :)

Here we are at Wicked in London...

...and here we are two and half years later getting to see it again together!

The perks of being a dental student's wife...

This week I got to experience one of the benefits of being married to a dental student. Last year around this time, David was given a free electronic toothbrush by a dental company. It was a $175 value I think. Anyway, David has loved having it. This last week...I got one too! It's so unbelievable to get something so nice for free! It's sort of like the upgrade of David's and it's so cool. It even has different settings for what exactly you want to do in your mouth (like clean, massage etc). We are now toothbrush "poor." Here are David and Sooie. Sooie is sitting in her new favorite box (the box that my toothbrush came in)!







This weekend we have decided to have a "Rainwater Family Stacation." In other words, we're having a stay at home vacation. David is not going to study TOO much and we're going to get some things done around the house together. The most exciting thing about this upcoming weekend is going to happen on Saturday night. We have Broadway Across America here in Kansas City and were going to go again (we went to the Lion King last winter). However, the big news is not that we're going again...it's what we're seeing! We are going to see WICKED! We saw it in London when we studied abroad for the summer together and LOVED it. We even bought the soundtrack. We can't wait to see it again and relive the experience that we had in London...except now we're married! We'll let you know how it goes. By the way...David is filling his first cavity on a real patient as I write this! I'm so proud of him. I am in the middle of my first ever day of parent/teacher conferences. It's going really really well and I'm finding it kind of fun to talk and get to know the parents. They're all so supportive. Exciting times!

"Stick and Squirt"

This past weekend, I passed another hurdle in the dental school journey. On Saturday morning, everyone in my class met at school for the annual event, "Stick and Squirt." This is when all the 2nd year students learn how to give the local anesthetic injections. The only catch is that we have to practice on each other. It is certainly a favorite for the faculty at school, and always fun to talk with other people that have endured it.

We started the morning at 7:15 with a video demonstrating the proper techniques used for each injection, and then went down to the clinic. After another short demo, my partner and I watched some of the other students as they administered shots to their wincing partner and waited for our turn. With the aide of an oral surgery resident, I gave 10 shots to my partner. After he was completely numb, we switched out playing doctor, and he gave me 10 shots. A little "nerve-wracking" for both of us, but now 3 days later, it seems we made it out okay. No permanent damage! I have actually never had a shot in the mouth, and it actually wasn't too bad. The ones on the roof of your mouth hurt the worst. What a morning!

Here are some action shots of the day.

A Birthday, A Baby, and a Wedding...

Sorry we didn't post for a while! On October 23, my class through me a birthday party! They all brought me flowers to school and I was given lots of gift cards and really cute homemade cards. That night, I headed down to Fayetteville for the evening for my little miniature pledge class reunion. We all went and ate at Powerhouse, an old favorite, and then I came back up to KC on Saturday to celebrate my birthday with David! We went and ate at Houstons and I can't tell you how great it was. David could cut his steak with the side of his fork! It was a WONDERFUL birthday. Here we are after dinner in the Plaza.

That next week was Westminster's Fall Break, so I didn't have to work all week! David still had class. :( On Sunday, October 25, Parker Wade Davis joined us! Lauren had a LONG day and gave birth to a beautiful 9 pound, 10 ounce baby boy. I wasn't in Fayetteville on Sunday when he was born, but I went home on Wednesday to hang out with Mom before John and Sarah's wedding and got to see him them. We also stopped on our way back to Kansas City and David got to hold him.

Mom and I went shopping on Thursday and also went to lunch with Kathy at YaYa's. It was really great to be able to spend a little extra time at home. David came home LATE Thursday night with Ben and on Friday Kathy and I headed down to El Dorado for the Bridal Luncheon. We had a great time seeing all Sarah's friends and setting up for the rehearsal dinner together. The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner went great and the wedding was BEAUTIFUL. Sarah looked wonderful and the weather couldn't have been any better. It was a great weekend!

This was a good week at work. I led my first cheerleading practice this week, which was fun, and we're getting ready for parent/teacher conferences. David and I are getting really excited about Thanksgiving break though! Last night we had our first dinner with our new "Dinners for Eight" group. It was great and we got to see a new part of Kansas City...Olathe! Tonight we are going to the Westminster Auction for a little bit. It is the big fundraiser for the school and David will get to meet all my parents and the other teachers! We had our second and final grandparent's day of the year on Friday and I had my class make their "Thankful Thoughts" with their grandparents. I think it turned out as a pretty cute decoration!

The Ultimate Fire Lover

We had our first fire of the fall in our fireplace! We were loving it and burned a fire for two straight days practically. Little did we know, but Sooie loves the fire more than both of us combined!

To celebrate her love of fire, I did her hair. Isn't she beautiful?!

Grandparents Day

Tomorrow (Friday) is Grandparents Day at school. The grandparents get to come and spend an hour and a half in their grandchild's classroom. We're going to do this little readers theater activity for them, some Shurley Grammar, our Bible verses, and have the grandparents share what they can remember about 2nd grade. Should be a fun time. It's also a half day! That means that we dismiss at 11:30. I'm pumped. We have to send home report cards next week so it gives us some time to catch up and work on them.

David has had/is having 2 two tests this week and a practical. It is going well. We counted up the number of tests that David has before John and Sarah's wedding (which is 3 weeks away), and it's 12! Pretty insane. I think that when he makes it through October he'll be feeling pretty good. He's working hard and doing well.

I have put up some fall decorations in my classroom and the new thing that I am going to try this year is "Thankful Thoughts." The kids will write things that they're thankful for on cute cards and put them up on our "Thankful Thoughts" board. I have scheduled the first mother-daughter cheer meeting for next Wednesday and have been working my tiny hiny off to get everything ready. It has dominated my free time this week but I am excited to get it going! It should be fun and funny working with 8th-10th grade girls!

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Today David and I got to go to our very first Nascar race thanks to our neighbor Larry! He got us two free tickets for today's race, so we were really excited to go. It turned out to be super fun and super LOUD! Thank goodness we remembered to bring ear plugs. When we got there we were shocked by the sheer mass of humanity. Everyone had American flags, and numerous other flags flying. When we got to our seats we were sitting by a really nice middle-aged couple that gave us lots of good Nascar facts. Words cannot describe how loud these cars are when they go past you. It's loud even with ear plugs in your ears. We were feeling like we had seen enough by about lap 100 so we beat the crowds out...thank goodness. It was great getting to do another new thing in KC and to take a beautiful afternoon off together.

These were two of our favorite fans obvioulsy. The one in the UPS jacket (which I obviously now would love to have) and the man wearing the rug were equally intense about Nascar...and equally very odd.

Mr. Fix It

David has done it again! My car continued to sputter on each start since Thursday, and David determined that it was the battery. Instead of taking the car in to the dealership, David decided to do it himself! On Saturday we went and bought the battery and David just popped it right in! The car is running wonderfully again! I am so thankful to have a husband that is willing and able to fix things around the house!

On Friday night we took Becca out to eat for her birthday at a great restaraunt in Westport called McCoy's. It was our second time there and we think it would be a fun place to take our families on a visit. On Saturday I worked around the house while David studied and of course fixed my car. Today was a good day in church and we signed up to work at a marriage conference in November so that we can go to the conference for free! The conference is going to be done by Gary Chapman (writer of The Five Love Languages) so we're super excited about going. Especially going for free! I've included a couple pictures of fall decorations and our newly framed wedding photos!

I also wanted to include Dad's birthday cake from the celebration in Fayetteville since it was such a hit and one picture from Lauren's baby shower that same day.

Wake Up Larry!

This morning was quite interesting. David left the house at 6:45 so that he could be on time for his practical this morning and I went outside to get in my car at about 7:05. I was pleased as punch with myself for making a quick outfit decision this morning and even giving myself enough time to make a smoothie for the drive to work. As I turned the key in my ignition I thought to myself, "I feel good this morning. I might even have time to stop at Starbucks!" All of those thoughts vanished as my car's engine sputtered, dash board lights blinked, and engine did not start! I was shocked! MY HONDA? Not starting? This has NEVER happened. In fact, the red racer just had her oil changed and the mechanic said, and I quote, "Your car is in great shape. I can't find a thing wrong with it." I tried starting my engine about 5 times before I realized I had to come up with a plan B. First, call Westminster and tell them I'm going to miss the morning meeting. No answer. Second, call the other second grade teacher so she can deliver the message for me. No answer. Third, call my boss' cell. Don't have it. Then I moved on to focusing on getting the car started. Got the hood open! Yes! I realized my only option was to go get Larry so we could jump my car (I assumed it was the battery). Larry was not out of bed yet, but he managed to get up and out to my car. He asked to hear it real quick. I said, "No problem, I've tried it about 8 times." Of course...it started! Poor Larry! And poor me! What a crazy morning!

2nd Graders!

We should have blogged way before now, but things got very busy very fast. The school year has started off really great. I love teaching at Westminster and my class is really sweet. All of the kids are hilarious. It's a lot more planning than PreK, but I have a really great girl named Sarah to teach plan with. She's the other second grade teacher. I also managed to make it through Back to School Night and three sessions of parents. It actually turned out to be fun. So in short, I love teaching second grade and I am super thankful for Westminster. Pretty soon I'll be meeting with the athletic director to get the cheer program up and running.

David's year has started off fast. He has like 13 classes and tons of labs. He's working really really hard to stay on top of it all, but is glad to be really learning all of the true "dental" stuff. Next summer I will be his patient! Hopefully he'll have some time to blog about it soon.

A New, Old Desk

David has completed yet another "handyman" project! I'm not sure if we mentioned it in a previous blog, but David has been wanting/needing a bigger desk for studying purposes. He picked up one for free off Craig's List and brought it home. I really wasn't too pleased about it because it was in TERRIBLE condition and had an odor. :) It sat in the basement most of this summer until this week while I was at orientation (which went great by the way...I can't wait for the kids to come). David worked so hard getting the desk back to a usable condition and I continued to have doubts about bringing it into the house and actually making it a part of our furniture. One day while working on it, David found that on the underside of one of the drawers someone had written something. It said, "These drawers are too narrow for most desks," and was signed "EF" and dated 10.21.20. This got me really excited because I felt like this desk now had a history of some kind! Each day it continued to look better and better and now it is completed and in our house! It is all original wood, but David replaced the handles (with my decorative input), and had to cut new wood sides for two of the four sides. Grandad guided David through some of the process and we will now forever love what tongue oil can do for furniture. I am proud to have an almost antique desk in my house that my husband was able to make look so good! 

T-Bones Game

Last night (Monday), David and I went to a T-Bones game with some people from our Sunday School class. The T-Bones are a minor league team here in KC. We really enjoyed it...especially since it's another fun thing to do in Kansas City!



David and Adam were realling excited about the game. Go T-Bones!



The girls...me, Sarah, Alicia, Becca, and Nicole.

Today is kind-of my last official day of summer. I report tomorrow for my first day of orientation at Westminster. I'm really excited for the year to start and to meet all of my kids (12). Everyone I have met at Westminster has been really nice and I hope that I'll meet the rest tomorrow. I have orientations tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. Should be fun!

Lots to Blog!!!

Well, we've got lots and lots to blog. On the weekend of July 24-26, Mom came to KC and helped me with my classroom. It is looking VERY ready for the kids to come! We set up the reading corner and the math board and got lots of goodies from Target to make the room more "warm." The next week was both David and I's last week of work. We were really thankful to be done for the summer. On Saturday, August 1, we flew to Charlotte to hang out with Granny, Grandad, Mom, Dad, Tripp, Frank, Lisa, and the Triplets. We couldn't wait to see Tripp when he got back from Italy. He brought David a tie, me a pair of leather gloves, and he brought both of us some nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil! On Monday we got to go to Pinehurst and play golf at the Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC). While the guys played golf, the girls went to the historic district and shopped around. It was a ton of fun. We had a wonderful time hanging out at Granny and Grandad's and getting to spend some much-needed time with family. We flew home from Charlotte on Wednesday, August 5. On this last Friday Mike and Kathy came to KC! We showed them my classroom, went to an outdoor play, played golf, went out to eat, and just had a nice time spending time together. David now has 2 weeks until class starts (he starts on August 24), and I report to school THIS Wednesday (August 12). This week will be orientation meetings etc. and the kids come August 19. I also got my class list and I have 12 students! I think it's going to be a great year!

Here are some pictures from CCNC.

Girl Time!

On our way home to Kansas City from hanging out with all the 325 guys and wives, Lauren followed us up for a little girl's reunion. Lauren stayed at our house, while Allison and Jessica stayed with Katherine. Allison and Jessica are in the middle of a cross-country road trip and made a stop in KC. When Lauren heard, she headed up too! I was able to get off of work at noon on Monday and we had a fun afternoon shopping around and just being together. On Monday night we all went and ate sushi followed by yummy fondue (sp?) for dessert. It was WONDERFUL to hang out with the girls and it felt like we hadn't missed a beat since graduation. We talked about old Pi Phi stuff and just about everything that we could think of. One of the most fun topics of conversation was Lauren's coming due date! We are all very excited to meet Parker. The rest of the week was uneventful. On Friday night we went to the outdoor theater in Shawnee-Mission Park and saw "The Wedding Singer." We packed up our chairs, a cooler, and blanket and had a great time. We were surprised that it was an actual play and that there were probably 500 people there. On Saturday morning we rode our bikes all over town and just enjoyed the beautiful/cool weather. On Saturday night we had our dinners for eight group at Liz and Dylan's house. Very very fun. Today (Monday) I started doing my new job at Barstow. I'm now team teaching in a class called fun factor and get to sit at the pool in the afternoon leading a class called "swim club." It's abig change from working with the preschoolers, but I'm glad for the change.



Best friends united in Kansas City!



Just because Lauren's having a baby, doesn't mean we aren't still crazy.

"Everybody Say Paycheck!"

We had a wonderful time with our friends this weekend in Arkansas.  We came down on Friday after work and went over to Nick and Caroline Rhoad's house.  Austin and Emily Bell as well as Matt, Becky and Jack Leis were already over there when we arrived.  Caroline had made some great food and we spent the night reminiscing over the good old college days.  Jack slept while we were outside on the patio.  Saturday morning, we woke up to a fantastic breakfast casserole made from scratch by Caroline.  Eric and Ashley Sullivan came around 9 that morning and we were off to Hickory Creek Marina on Beaver Lake.  We rented a classy 20" party barge for the day and it met all of our expectations for sure.  Despite its slight wind and collision damage, the Trinidad 200 was a cruising vessel.  After we brushed the dog hair off the seats from the owner's dog Molly, we went out on to the lake to find a good cove to swim in.  It was a great day just hanging out.  We grilled out Saturday night and Emily made some great brownies for us.  The next day, we played golf in the morning and ate at Acambaro for lunch.  Rachel and I had our palates set for some NWA mexican food.  

It was so much fun being together with our great friends.  We were grateful to find a weekend that we could all get together and we think it will for sure be a yearly summer tradition.

Nice dogtag Nick.

This is the closest to a group picture that we took.  We tried to ask a guy at the Marina, who told us to say "paycheck" when he took the picture.  It didn't turn out to well, and he refused to take another picture. 

Caroline was obviously not looking as Nick was applying some lotions

"Live, from Lake Ouachita...it's the 4th of July!"

Sorry we took so long to post! For the 4th we were able to go down to the lake on Thursday night (since we both had Friday the 3rd off of work). On Friday we went out onto the lake and explored parts that Dad hasn't seen in 30 years. We went up to the dam, Iron's Fork, and the Highway 27 fishing village. I think we really tested Dad's lake memory...but he passed with flying colors. On Saturday we spent the whole day on the water again and did a lot of bobbing. The fireworks were Saturday night and we tied up with Benson and his neighbor. :) The fireworks were of course wonderful and Mom brought ice cream and brownies out onto the boat! That was a real treat and definitely something new. During the fireworks we got to listen to wonderful songs like, "Arkansas, you run deep in me." Classic. On Sunday we lounged around and went to eat lunch at one of the best places in the world...Shangri La. It was such a wonderful weekend! 

Eating the Cake and a Visit from Family

This post is a little bit late, but we had such a wonderful first anniversary! We went out to eat at P.F. Chang's and then came home to enjoy our cake. We had no idea what it would taste like after a year, but it turned out so good...thanks to Mom's packing! We unwrapped it very slowly and could immediately smell the sugar. Even little Sooie got a taste!



After dinner on the back porch.



Opening it up!



Good job Mom! It held up so well!



David's first taste.



Getting a taste! So yummy!

The weekend after our anniversary, Tripp and Ben and Dad came up to KC for Tripp to buy his motorcycle. Ben and Tripp got here on Friday night and we got a pizza and hung out. On Saturday morning we all went to play tennis at the Fairway Park and wait for Dad to get into town. After Dad got here, him and Tripp went downtown for the motorcycle while me and David and Ben hung out. On Saturday night we all got to a Royals game! Everyone left on Sunday and David and I went back to work. Hopefully David will post the motorcycles pictures soon, because I think that they are on his computer.

Here are the motorcycle pictures from last weekend.  Ben and I look like some hardcore dudes on the back.  We had such a great time with everyone here.  

The original motorcycle man.

Ben loves riding on the back of motorized vehicles.

At least Tripp looks cool.  

This reminds me of that picture on Rachel's 16th birthday when Tripp rode to school in the passenger side of the Lexus with a helmet on! 

This most recent weekend (Father's Day), we went home. On Saturday we were able to go to a shower for John and Sarah at their lake house. It was great and we finally got to meet all of Sarah's wonderful family. John couldn't ask fosr sweeter in-laws we think. :) It was really nice to see everyone at church on Sunday (hey Laura! :)). This is a quiet week for us and we are staying in KC this weekend. It's pretty hot in KC right and it's actually going to feel like 110 degrees at 1:00 tomorrow. So it should be pretty hot on the playground!