Christmas Pics

I'm not really feeling up to blogging all about our Christmas vacation...so instead i'll just narrate thru the pictures.

Me and the hubster at my friend Amanda's wedding in Wichita the 19th.

"And we're the three best friends that anyone could have, we're the three best freinds that anyone could have!"

My favorite people in the whole wide world!

We headed back home to Dodge after the wedding and lots of family and friends were at the house. Bre and Addi were having a grand ol time.

The girls on Sunday doing our Christmas at home.

The boys!

Bre got a head scratcher and it was a hit with everyone!

Grandma Kay, Ranaye and Ayden came to visit too!!

It's tradition to play a game at Christmas Eve at G&G Doll's house. Uncle John couldn't figure out to express his phrase so instead he just did a headstand.

Mom's turn!

Small word!

The Miller's waiting their turn!

Baby Carlye

For some reason, no matter what cool toys they get, the kids LOVE to play in the boxes!

Next day we headed to Wichita to see the in-laws!!

Baby Kayden patiently waiting for present time!

Alex was SUPER pumped!

Again with the kid in the box!!

All in all it was a successful Christmas. We enjoyed getting to see everyone and spending some quality down time in Dodge during the week. Hope everyone else had a grand ol Christmas....and Have a super happy new year!

Downhill Slope to 30

Well as many of you know i celebrated the big 2-6 this weekend. That's right...i'm old. Officially closer to 30 then 20 now. How did this happen??? Wasn't i just 21??

So for my birthday Travis and I met up with my sister and ben.

Don't they look like oodles of fun...... well they are. I suggest being friends with them.

Anyways, we went downtown to Osteria Marco. It's a super cool, fancy italian place down in Larimer Square. They have pizza that is TO DIE FOR!!! We heart the one with truffle oil on it....never heard of it?? You're missing out.....I'm a pizza master and this is top notch!! Go...Now....Hurry.

After dinner we headed to Improv. Where this lovely man Jay Phillips entertained us!! I had never been to a comedy show before and I was super pleased with it!! Travis and I both complained of sore ab's the next day from laughing so hard. (for those of you that know ben...and his laugh...this made it even better!!). I must say that this birthday was one for the books!! Thanks Bre and Ben for such a fun night!! You're the best sister and psuedo brother EVER!!


Saturday Travis and I got up...went to the gym (we're over achievers like that) then headed downtown to watch his cousin Hannah cheer. But not without stopping off at our favorite sandwich place Spicy Pickle first....this place is the BOMB! (Some of you got to experience it on wedding day, you agree i know!!) Have any of you been to a cheer thing?? HOLY LOUD BATMAN!!!! It is really neat to see all these young girls do amazing stunts, back flips, back flips with a twist....all things i can't even do in my wildest dreams. At the end of the day Hannah's group was in third and had one more chance on Sunday to redeem themselves.... Still haven't heard how it went. After all that ra-ra we headed to the mall.... 2 weeks before christmas...on a saturday....BAD IDEA!! But...Travis promised be a birthday present so we braved the crowds!! Wanna know what i got?????

TADAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Aren't i just a spoiled little brat!!!! It's my birthday AND Christmas present!!! (we had a 25% off coupon that i threw away once but my AMAZING hubby dug out and hid!!) I jsut love it...... i wanted to sleep with it, but travis told me i was crazy and he'd disown me if i did such a thing.....so it stayed downstairs....all by itself :(

I also had to (HAD TO i said!) get a new dress for my friends Amanda's wedding this weekend..... Super excited for that...SUPER DUPER EXCITED!!!! We also picked up some sweet new socks for the hubster....our dogs seem to like to eat his, and he then resorts to wearing mine which is NOT ok...NOT at all. So all in all it was a successfull little saturday!!!

To round up the birthday weekend we got up early Sunday, went to the gym (who does that!!!). Made some sweet wraps for lunch then spoiled the muts by taking them to the REALLY muddy dog park. Knox LOVES this place...and LOVES the big dogs....forget the little ones that are his size, he finds the biggest dog in there and chases the crap out of it. If he can get close enough he tries his best to do a little hip thrusting....bless his heart, he doesn't stand a chance!! After we got them nice and muddy we headed to Pet-Co....where the pet's go. They were sooooo confused by this place....why oh why does would mom and dad take us somewhere that is FULL of goodies and not let us run rampid??? WHY!!!!!!

So that's the recap on my birthday weekend!!! I'd say it was a success!!! Next up...Wichita for Amanda's wedding and home for Christmas!!!!

INSPIRED!!!

Sooooo, we heart the Biggest Loser.....product placement and all :) We watch every week...cheering on our favorite contestants and marveling at their success. Yes we know...they spend 8 hours a day in a gym and have some of the most amazing trainers at their side.

Jillian.... a.ka. One Scary Ass Woman

Bob....the "Good" guy

Well anyways.... yesterday on the show the final four contestants had to run a FULL MARATHON!!! (Thanks Sarah...i wasn't thinking!!) These are people that, even though they've lost TONS of weight, are still considered over weight!!! We watched in amazement as Rudy ran the WHOLE thing...not walking once!! And Amanda the 22 year old voted on by America was only about 30 minutes behind.... These are people that used to get winded walking to the fridge!! AMAZING!!!

So, call me crazy.....but if they can do it why can't we?? I don't plan on signing Travis and I up for one this weekend....i understand that there is some training that needs to happen first!! But just to get the ball rolling and have some dates to work towards I researched some smaller runs here in Colorado in the next couple of months!! Here's what we're looking at for now!

First up...Frosty's Frozen five and ten....January 16th in Littleton. We're just going to do the 5 mile run for our first go! The name makes me nervous....i'd prefer to not be frozen

Next up would be the Snowman Stampede 5M/10M..... February 27th in Littleton. This time we'd go for the 10 mile! (This is ONLY if we survive the 5M in January and think there's a chance in hell we'd be able to do the 10!!)

If....and that's a HUGE if.... we manage to work our way up to the 10M...whether it be at the Snowman Stampede or sometime after that....we would set our sights on a HALF MARATHON next!! I've got a few in mind....but it will all depend on where we are in April....

Ok...well i put that out there....we have to really do it now i suppose :) SCARY!

The First Annual McGuire/Lane Thanksgiving!!

This year for Thanksgiving we decided to skip the family thing!!! Well....ok it wasn't that easy. As you all know we have been traveling ALOT, and travis is SOOOO over it :) My family was all headed down to Texas and we just couldn't take the extra time off, or afford to fly...sooooo what's the next best thing to being with family??? Being with the best of friends!!! Meghan and Jade made the journey out here on Tuesday night....we quickly got to business: Ski rental, lots of groceries, lots of booze and then some mexican food!!! We got up early the next morning (jade HATED us for this!!) and headed out to Keystone for some good ol fashioned fun!! Well that's what the plan was anyways!! First run up....this retard drops her pole....so one pole for the rest of the day was just going to have to work....then next run down Travis decided to take out a Ski Instructor (long story...but he was pro for 17 years bro...and NEVER has anyone EVER done that to him)...he tried to scare travis and tell him that he was hot passing his lift ticket, meaning he wouldn't be able to use it again until he took a safety course....gay. so we went and checked on it, turns out he was just on a power trip and doesn't even have the authority to do so!!

After our long day at the slopes we came home and took a much needed nap!! Woke up and did my next favorite thing...EAT SUSHI!!! We took them to our favorite sushi place in Denver, Sushi Sasa....they approved!!!

Thursday morning Meg and I woke up around 8 to get the turkey started....it took us till about 10 to get it in the oven.....it was a 22 pound turkey.....for 4 of us......but it turned out AMAZING!! Meghan always impresses me with her cooking skills....jade's a lucky man!!!

Needless to say, it was a success.....with lots of left overs!!! Next year, Jade doesn't get to pick out the turkey :) It was great to spend such quality time with these two....they both have a huge place in my heart!!! I know that if i ever needed anything they'd be there for me....and i hope they know i'd do the same!!! I sure will miss them while they're in Mexico....maybe i'll just go with, be there "maid" or something cool like that!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

My name is Mrs. McGuire, and I have a death wish :)

...Ok, not like a real live death wish....but to some it may seem that way!

Lately i've been pondering my future....what the heck is it that i want to be when i grow up?? (or pretend, cause lets face it, it's not gonna happen!) I do not do well behind a desk all day....especially when there isn't enough to do to fill my time...i tried the nurse thing for a while, apparently i get attached way to easy and i'd be an emotional basket case every time someone dies (which, even though i would have been a FANTASTIC nurse, would have happend on occasion) my childhood dream was to be an olympic swimmer.... that ship has sailed!! I thought about being an airline attendent (i believe that is what they go by now) once apon a time....i was 12 i think....again, not likely to happen. Sooooooo, then i got to thinking...Ok Abby, what is it that you DO like?? Hmmmmm, I like candy (totally irrelevant but i didn't give myself clear guidlines to the question apparently!) travis (again, not relevant to a job) interacting with people (ok now we're getting somewhere) kids (i'm known as the baby nazi in my family!) spring break, christmas break, thanksgiving break, snow days........(this is why i stayed in college for soooo long!) Can we see where i'm going here???? TEACHING!!! Its Perfect!! I get to have my vacations, not work weekends, not be stuck behind a desk all day, no way would i be bored, get to play with kids all day, AND i'd be molding young minds (those that really know my just cringed i'm sure!) Sounds pretty much perfect right?? Well yes....except this would require me to go BACK to school.... for two more years (that'll be a total of 8....i could be a doctor by now!). And since i'm a pretend grown up already, i'd have to foot the bill this time!! SO, this is a decision NOT to be taken lightly! To test this little teaching theory of mine i decided to go straight to the jungle....... 3rd grade. I forget how cute, clueless and LOUD kids can be!! I thought i talked alot...wow! All and all it was a great experience, i followed the teacher around like a lost puppy before school started so i got to see pretty much how it works....coffee, some yummy snacks in the teachers lounge, "oh you look so cute today" "oh you can have another piece of that, we'll just do an extra twenty on the eliptical".....blah blah (girls never change do they!). Then the kiddos arrived!! Poor things had to stay outside till the bell rang....it was 23 degrees out there! (if it's over 20 they stay out side!) They all piled in...starting at me....judging....who is that lady?? what is she doing here?? Some brave one's even came up to me and asked.... the teacher explained to me that Monday's are usually i little more hectic, kids are excited to see eachother, talk about what they did over the weekend and all that good stuff, plus they know it's their last week (they get the whole week of thanksgiving off!). I got to go to the library with them and help with multiplication (they DO NOT teach it the way i learned anymore! But they still do the timed multiplication races...which i was the BOMB at!) So at the end of my two hours, when the kids were fixing to head off to PE I was actually sad to go!! Cute little faces looking at me asking why i'm leaving, why i can't stay all day and when i'll be back.

"Mrs. McGuire you should just come everyday all day",

"sorry guys i have to go back to work, but i'll be back Wednsday"

"Are you going to be a teacher someday?"

"Possibly!"

"Well you should come be a teacher here, you're so nice and pretty"

Who wouldn't want to be a teacher when they dish out comments like that! I go back again tomorrow in the afternoon so i'll get to help with science and social studies. Then after Thanksgiving i go to a 2nd grade classroom!! I'd also like to go to a 1st grade room sometime! But as of right now....i LOVE IT! It's something i could really see myself doing....and ENJOYING! sooooo i guess i'll start applying for schools.....and financial aid (scary).

Home Is Where The Heart Is!

Soooooooo, as most of you know.....I'm home sick. Like. Ridiculously. It's funny how when we're younger we can't WAIT to get away from home (in my case stinky DC). But it seems that more and more people are making that move!! (not necessarly DC, but something like that!!). I think that i took for granted the closeness of my family growing up. The furthest cousin was 45 minutes away, everyone else was in or around Dodge. We had family pizza night every Wednesday, monthly birthday parties, and pretty much the most kick ass cheering section at ANY event we were ever involved in. Now i realize that isn't always "normal", but it was for us, and to be 100% honest with you....i wouldn't have had it any other way! These cousins.... the people that most just see at family reunions, sometimes holiday, or even funerals....they are my BEST FRIENDS!! There isn't a single one of them that I wouldn't do pretty much anything for.... and i'm sure they feel just the same about me! I think that's super.....

I was truely blessed with the most amazing family...... I MISS YOU ALL DEARLY!!!!

College.....I Miss You!!!

I don't know about you....but there isn't much i wouldn't give to go back to college..... MAN i loved that place!! Now i know....i was there for 6 years.....and i have a very good explination for that....ok maybe not a REALLY good one....but i have one! I just didn't want to let it go! If i would have known how much the real world sucks, i would have gone for 10 years!!

THINGS I MISS ABOUT COLLEGE/MANHATTAN:
1. Sleeping in.... i went out of my way to try and NOT have anything to do before 10 am. My stupid major thought it was funny to make most of my classes at 730am on MWF though....Stupid Human Ecology. (with attendence policies too!! MEAN!)
2. Waitressing.... yes i know i can still do this, but it's tough with a regular 8-5. I loved the flexibility of it, the money, the people, the food :)
3. Aggieville (more so starting my junior year till my 2nd senior year!) I love love love that place. It's all just so convenient!! I loved that at one point in college there wasn't many places me and the peeps could go and NOT know a big chunk of people. THen i got old and didn't know anyone....this made me sad.
4. Pizza Hut buffet.... again, i know i could still do this....i don't really like it unless it's a random friday, still in my pj's, hungover and looking like a hot mess....only in a college town is this acceptable to me!
5. Game Day. I've often wondered what it is about these days that makes it possible for me to get up at 7am and start drinking..... on any regular day i'd punch someone at this suggestion.... but on game days you could find us with our bells on sitting in the back of the jeep eating eggs with our hands at a ridiculous hour.......
6. Roomates. Yes i have a roomate, my husband. I love him dearly and we have a blast together... but i miss having my girls there.... crawling into bed with Mel to recap our crazy night...cry about the latest stupid boy drama....or just to snuggle!! I miss our little pre-parties before we'd go out.... t-shirt making..... and sunday night dinners!
7. MY GIRLS... by far the thing i miss the MOST! Us all being in the same place..... texts and phone calls are great...but nothing can beat seeing their perrty little faces :) I miss my "bad girls".

There are many many many more (so long, gumby's, tuttle creek, pillsbury, coco bolos)..... but it would take me WAY to long to try and name them all....... Basically i just miss it all.......

What do you miss about college??

Follow up for Abby! Things I love but shouldn't

No Particular order.....

1. This is horrible but I love to watch/walk with/and or hear about someone tripping over a staircase or crack or a pot hole in the road. I'm guilty of this myself but it simply makes my day that much better!

2. I love pop as well....... however my addiction is Mt. Dew which i'm trying to cut back on. So far so good but just thinking of the citrus thirst quinching deliciousness makes me want to get one right this minute so for now thats all I have on Mt. Dew.

3. I also love sports talk radio or any talk radio for that matter.....Drives most people especially Abby insane when we take road trips. I know that the people talking aren't right there with me but it doesn't matter I always catch myself talking back or yelling at them when I think they are wrong on a certain sports matter. I guess it makes me a little crazy x)

4. I love and may I re-peat LOVE chipotle....its by far the greatest creation in fast food industry! I mostly get the steak burritto with hot and corn salsa, with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and sometimes guacamole! 1200 calories in one sitting its freaking amazing! True story one time after a basketball game in high school I ate two.

5. Last and not least not really pertaining to the second half of what is suppose to be on the list are HOODIE'S!!!!! I believe you could totally where one for everyday....any occassion....and any time of the year. If they maid tuxedo hoodies???? Our work hoodies???? Oh the possibilities of this uncornered buisness market. I think at this time I have over 20 hoodies and the number continues to go up.....I just can't seem to get rid of any of them, mostly because they remind me of where I was when I got them and where I've been soo far. Don't make fun :)

5 things i love, but shouldn't (jumping on the bandwagon!)

Well.... since i'm such a follower i decided to do what jess, sarah, jamie and many others have done!! Plus i thought it was a pretty sweet post :) Narrowing this down to five may be hard.... and maybe if i ask nicely travis will do ne too!!!
(In No particular order!)

1. Sucrose, Lactose and Fructose

awwwww sugar..... i love it!!! there isn't a single second that goes by that i don't think "man, sugar would be AWESOME right now!!" I heart skittles, hot tamales, nerds, juju's, licorice, sour gummys, regular gummys, orange slices, gobstoppers, fun dip, mike and ike's.....you get the point! I blame my inability to lose any weight on this problem....but i'm not willing to give it up!

2. Diet Coke

mmmmm....nice cold refreshing diet coke.... i care not that coke can destroy a nail..... i say bring it on....that's how much i heart it!

3. Expensive Things

Why do i have to like coach purses?? Yes they are nice....are they worth $400?? Well no....not when you don't happen to have an extra $400 sitting around!! .... dolce gabbana....coach.... range rovers..... all things i love, but have no right buying!!

4. The F Word!

This word comes out of my mouth more then any other word in the english language...i heart it. Its so versitle...you can use it as a noun,verb, adjective....pretty much for anything!!

5. Perezhilton.com

I can't help myself....i just love celebrity gossip....travis makes fun of me cause at times i talk about celebrities like i know them!! Now if i just looked at people.com, or something respectable like that it wouldn't be that big of a deal.....but i happen to like the one that draws inappropriate pictures all over people. But his gossip is top notch.....top notch :)

Would you want to know??

Ok....so my new addiction is the show "Flashforward". It's like Lost in lots of ways.... it flashes between different times, everyone seems to be connected, and there's even some of the same actors!! One BIG downside....no Sawyer :( But like Jess pointed out to me, it's a clearer line!! It's easier to follow.....they even give you dates. In flashforward everyone in the world blacks out at the same time for the exact same amount of time. During this blackout everyone has visions of the future....the same time in the future. So, as you can imagine....this isn't going over so well (besides the fact that thousands died!), everyone is now obsessing over what they saw or did not see. Some see their marriage ending, the beginning of a new life, a vacation, or nothing at all...which we've learned means they've died between the present time and the flashforward.

This got me thinking...... if given the opportunity would i want to know the future? i go back and forth with this. Would i like to the winning lottery numbers for next weeks powerball, sure....would i like to know if i'm dead in 10 years.... hmmmmmm. I personally think no. I wouldn't want to waste the rest of my life thinking.....ohhhh poor me i'm not going to be here to see my kids get married, i'm going to miss this....and this..... i'd rather enjoy every second that i have....no pity parties. What's that saying??? Live every moment like it's your last?? i think that should be what we all live by........

Slaker Wedding Guests to Blame!

I blame all of you wedding guests for my amazing hot mess of a day. If only you would have drank a few more glasses of wine i wouldn't be stuck with the task of drinking 6 1.5L's of Chardonnay. At first I was excited by the idea..... then i remembered i have no self control and can consume a whole bottle by myself if i'm not closely monitored. I have one person to monitor me, my husband..... for those that know him, you understand the irony in this. It was my monitor that had the brillant idea of opening a bottle last night..... and to open the second one as well. I'm hoping that we don't go about getting rid of the 2 bottles of Gold Schlager and 2 bottles of Jager in the same fashion. I can't make any guarantee's..... i will however continue to be ridiculously out-of-control for the majority of my life so maybe you should just get used to it :)

As you can imagine being two bottles deep ment that it was Travis and I's job to solve worldly issues.... like what i want to be when i grow up..... which ski passes to buy.......why i think i'd like living back in kansas..... neuter knox or no?....... what we should do as our farewell to the bat-shit crazy neighbor when we move........ why would jessica simpson let a coyote eat her dog.....

i-phones. ........ just a glimpse into our deep conversations as a funtioning drunk couple :)