Happy Birthday, Uncle Roland!!!

My big brother... the city slicker - turned - farm boy... turns 31 years old today!

While I was out in Kansas last month, I took him to a Kansas City Royals baseball game as an early birthday present. I don't think either of us had been to that ball park since we were kids... We had a blast!

Love ya, Rollie! I hope you and "the kids" have a great day!!

There's nothing better...

... Than a good man and a great margarita!!

Last night, Steve's boss had a tiki party at his house and invited us over to enjoy the food, drinks, and time with a few friends. Scott and Angie made all kinds of yummy food, and they had some of the best margaritas there as well!

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I cannot pass up a good margarita... They are my very favorite "adult" beverage. When I mentioned this to Scott , he immediately had to show me his heavy duty "Margaritaville" margarita maker that was probably one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time. All you had to do was pour some margarita mix, dump in some ice, and the machine did the rest. They were SOOO yummy!! I told Steve he could put a margarita machine on my Christmas list this year.

Well... when I got home from work today, this is what I found...

At first I thought, "Ewww... What in the world is that?!?!"... But then I looked over and saw this...

I now have MY VERY OWN super cool margarita maker!!.... WOO HOO!!!

I also have THE BEST BOYFRIEND that was ever invented!!!

No Boys Allowed!!

It is officially "Girls' Week" here in Ohio... I am so excited!!

Steve is in Mississippi for the week with a group of Civil Air Patrol cadets, so the Monster and I are on our own! Don't get me wrong... I'd rather Steve were here. But, if he has to be gone, then we'd might as well make the most of it... right?

I got home from work at about 5:00pm. It was an absolute ZOO in the flight center today. The American Idols came through on a tour (they fly on our planes) and there were about a zillion people there for a company sponsored meet and greet/private concert. It was fun to see how excited all the kids were to see them, but at the end of the day, I was SOOO ready to get out of there! When I got home, I figured that Cookie and I could both use some fresh air, so I scooped her up and we hit the park!

After about an hour at the park, the Monster was wiped out!! It wasn't more than 10 minutes after we got home that I found this...

I think she has reached her "fun" quota for today!

For the first time in a really long time... I have absolutely nothing that I need to do tonight. No errands. No cleaning. No work homework. NOTHING!! Ahhh... That's a good feeling! I plan on having a bubble bath, a glass of wine, and then I'm curling up on my couch with Cookie and the new book I picked up yesterday at Target. It's going to be a good night!

Tomorrow... I'm meeting a couple of my friends for a homemade sushi lunch (I've never had sushi, so that could be interesting), and then we're going to catch "Mama Mia!" at the mall. I can't wait!!

On Wednesday, my friend Jen and I are going to meet up for lunch and get a manicure/pedicure. Her sister works at one of the best spas in town and is giving us a killer deal. Manis/pedis are not typically something that I do for myself, so Wednesday is going to be a real treat!

On Thursday, my friend Malinda and I are going to hit the outlet mall that's about 45 minutes south of Columbus. There are SO many fun stores down there... and we usually find some pretty good deals there!

So that's my itinerary for "Girls' Week"... in a nutshell. It should be a nice, relaxing, FUN week!

I hope you all have a great week as well!

Memories of Me...

I saw this on Dustin's blog... It looked like fun!

Here are the directions...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

**Keep it clean, Dust!**

Our 4th of July!

Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely LOVE the 4th of July! I love the BBQs, the fireworks, that gatherings with friends and family... I just love it! I grew up in a town that celebrated the 4th in a major way, and I think that has just stuck with me through the years.

Here in Ohio, we have what is called "Red, White and Boom". It takes place in downtown Columbus right on the river and It's by far the most AMAZING fireworks display I have ever seen!! Every year, our friend Dave has a big BBQ at his house and then we all caravan downtown to find a seat for the show. This year it rained most of the day, so we weren't sure we were going to get to see the fireworks or not. But at about 8:30pm the rain quit... and we jumped in our cars!

This is what we got to see...

It really is a breathtaking display... I look forward to it ever year!!

I saw the following posted on my friend Jeff's blog, so I thought I would share it here (Hope you don't mind, Jeff!). I think it is a great reminder of what the 4th of July stands for.

I Am the Nation

I was born on July 4, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in my veins, because I offered freedom to the oppressed. To many things, and many people. I am the nation.

I am 213 million living souls-and the ghost of millions who have lived and died for me.

I am Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world. I am Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry I am John Paul Jones, the Green Mountain Boys and Davy Crockett. I am Lee and Grant and Abe Lincoln.

I remember the Alamo, the Maine and Pearl Harbor. When freedom called I answered and stayed until it was over, over there. I left my heroic dead in Flanders Fields, on the rock of Corregidor, on the bleak slopes of Korea, in the steaming jungle of Vietnam and on the sands of Iraq.

I am the Brooklyn Bridge, the wheat lands of Kansas and the granite hills of Vermont. I am the coalfields of the Virginias and Pennsylvania, the fertile lands of the West, the Golden Gate and the Grand Canyon. I am Independence Hall, the Monitor and the Merrimac.

I am big. I sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific - my arms reach out to embrace Alaska and Hawaii - 3 million square miles throbbing with industry. I am more than 5 million farms. I am forest, field, mountain and desert. I am quiet villages-and cities that never sleep.

You can look at me and see Ben Franklin walking down the streets of Philadelphia with his breadloaf under his arm. You can see Betsy Ross with her needle. You can see the lights of Christmas, and hear the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" as the calendar turns.

I am Babe Ruth and the World Series. I am 110,000 schools and colleges, and 330,000 churches where my people worship God as they think best. I am a ballot dropped in a box, the roar of a crowd in a stadium and the voice of a choir in a cathedral. I am an editorial in a newspaper and a letter to a Congressman.

I am Eli Whitney and Stephen Foster. I am Tom Edison, Albert Einstein and Billy Graham. I am Horace Greeley, Will Rogers and the Wright brothers. I am George Washington Carver, Jonas Salk, and Martin Luther King.

I am Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman and Thomas Paine.

Yes, I am the nation, and these are the things that I am. I was conceived in freedom and, God willing, in freedom I will spend the rest of my days. May I possess always the integrity, the courage and the strength to keep myself unshackled, to remain a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world.

This is my wish, my goal, my prayer in this year of 1976-two hundred years after I was born.

I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A SAFE AND HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!