happy 29th noelle!

last night i got to help one of my favorite people, noelle, celebrate the anniversary of her birth.

 we had a blast!

the fun started with cocktails at 909...

 then we headed to ozark and met up with angie and brandon for sushi. julie brought noelle quite the birthday card...

 the proverbial "ladies" shot...

 and the whole gang...

 i have the greatest friends. have i ever mentioned that?

craig was my date for the evening. no surprise there...

 but don't worry. his wife and his sister in law were there to chaperone.

i mean, really, how cute are these girls?

 i like to call this shot "i'm with the band"...

 noelle really liked her birthday sign. and brandon's truck, actually...

i'm honestly still giggling at the memories.

as i told everyone last night, "i'm SO inviting the boys to my next birthday party!"

so-much-fun!

happy birthday, noelle! we sure love you!

this and that, part two...

 today just a few more pictures. i'm light on exciting blog topics this week, forgive me. but the good news is, this post won't take you long to read. : )

here's how my morning started. it was beautiful down by the lake. and i can assure you the view was the only thing beautiful about today's run. (when? WHEN does running get easier??? urgh.)

look who came in town to see char and do a little blueberry picking. they are so great. we had dinner at my mom's last night and laughed and laughed. as it turns out char is best at guessing the population of numerous US cities. i sure love my family...

 tami sent me this shot of thomas yesterday. i loved the one of addie from earlier this week and loved the new one of t just as much. those kids are really growing up. and they sure are cute!

 i've just returned from lunch with julie and the birthday girl. noelle is celebrating 29 (again) today. i'm so grateful for these friends!

now, on to the weekend. go forth and celebrate memorial day like you mean it, people. (however in the world you do that.) happy holiday, y'all.

this and that...

 today a couple pictures. just for kicks.

my sister emailed me this one yesterday of my niece celebrating her last day of school. that addie, she's a good time! i can't wait to hang out with her for two straight weeks in june. look out world, here we come! : )

i've mentioned my house is getting a new coat of paint. thought you might like to see a picture of how it's coming along. it's not finished, but it's getting close, and i LOVE it!!!!

 last night i got to have dinner in springfield with "the grace group." i sure love these ladies. we've been gathering at least once a month for almost 10 years. 

i dig long term commitment, you know. : )



happy thursday, y'all.

sweet summertime...

the last day of school for b-town kids was yesterday. so summer has officially begun 'round these parts. that got me thinking...

summer makes me want to:

- eat watermelon

- drive with the windows open

- listen to loud music

- dance to it barefoot

- lay on a blanket and watch fireworks at big cedar

- fight the crowds at honor america

- lay out in the sun

- "help" my mom and my aunt can tomatoes

- float on a raft in the pool

- watch lightning bugs

- play football in the ocean with thomas

- go see a show with addie

- beat tami at "world championship of the world"

- see lyndsay get married

- spend a weekend in nashville

- have breakfast (and lunch and dinner) at red tree coffee

- figure out a way to get the beach with my favorite j's

- pick up people at the airport

- ride on a boat

- swim in the lake

- turn a blind eye to my upcoming birthday

- run a hilly 5k to celebrate anyway

- spend a weekend on tablerock doing nothing with my girlfriends

- play basketball in the gass' driveway

- wear flip flops every-single-day

- eat some more watermelon

three cheers for summer!

tell your truth tuesday...

i'm not feeling terribly creative today so this could be ugly. or just plain boring. we'll see how it goes. some truths this tuesday:

1. i've mentioned before that i love the show "dancing with the stars." well last night, after telling my sister on the phone that i never vote, guess what i did??? i voted. i couldn't help myself. i hung up the phone with tami just in time to see donald and peta dance their freestyle and i got all carried away. it was at this point in the evening that (drum roll please)...i voted. and in the spirit of all honesty...i voted not once, but five times. (i just had to look away while i typed that.) as i told someone in a text last night "i've hit a new level of pitiful."
2. i guess it goes without saying that i can hardly wait to watch the finale tonight. (this post is embarrassing. seriously. i should stop typing.)
3. let's change the subject...my house is getting painted. it's been a long time coming but it is finally happening. and i love it! every time i walk outside i get all happy inside because it looks so good. there is nothing like a new coat of paint to freshen things up a bit. especially on a house that was built in 1962. thank you sherwin williams.
4. i took a new yoga class at the ymca last night. and i liked it. i had no idea how hard my previous yoga class was until i tried this new one. but, the y class had a good vibe. and i'm looking forward to going back.
5. did i really just use the word "vibe" and mean it? wow. so not okay. my apologies.
6. i also signed up for a 6 week tennis class. i'm super excited about it. i haven't played tennis in years but i do remember loving the feeling of hitting that ball as hard as possible with that racket. i am giddy with anticipation just thinking about letting out all my pent up aggression with my soon to be kickin' forehand. : )
7. did i mention i voted for donald and peta? 5 times? oh, i did? well, i guess that's all i've got for today then. happy tuesday, y'all.

a few pics from the weekend...

i had a lovely weekend. hope you did as well. it was real laid back with a little activity thrown in here and there. just the way i like it. : )

i started things off friday afternoon helping noelle help ivan officially celebrate his birthday, with his friends this time. what a great group of guys. it's so fun watching them grow up into young men. they are neat people already!

friday night noelle, amy and i went to hear mile zero play. they sounded great. and the weather was perfect!

 saturday i ran and then did all sorts of mundane household chores. i even cleaned out a dresser and got it all organized. i'm sure it won't be news to anyone reading this, but i'm a total dork. i loved every minute of reorganizing that thing.

after i finished that project i headed to the park for my friend casey's SURPRISE birthday party. look at all the folks who came out to celebrate her...

 she was SO surprised. all these girls from her class were SO thrilled to be there...

 a rousing softball game was a part of the celebration...

 lots of fun people were in attendance...

 the birthday girl and the party planner...

 a few of my favorites...

 another group shot...

 it really was a great evening celebrating a great girl. i left there reminded that i live in the sweetest community. casey knows people from all different walks of life in branson since she's a teacher. it was fun seeing her worlds collide and having it be with such quality people. neat stuff.

sunday i went to church. kate wanted a picture of amy, susan and me because she said all our colors coordinated. we were happy to oblige her. i really love these ladies...

 after church a few of us headed to cracker barrel for lunch.

 we had a blast. which was something i was not necessarily expecting out of a simple post church lunch outing.

 but my friends are a good time. no two ways about it! : )

so there you have it, my weekend in pictures. happy monday, y'all.

a little music for your upcoming weekend...

hanging out with teenagers really helps keep me young. well, in terms of the music i listen to at least. they LOVE introducing me to new songs that they are certain i will like (and will be good for my running play list.) 9 times out of 10 they are right on the money. this week was no exception. tully and ivan introduced me to these little dittys and i promptly purchased them for my ipod.

the first is by maroon 5. i guess they performed it on "the voice." i don't watch "the voice." ever. but i might have to start. after seeing this video i'll admit i might have a small crush on adam. (i'm only human.) i definitely have a crush on this song. can't get it out of my head, in fact.

oh, this next song, it's so catchy. i'm such a sucker for catchy. and i can't wait until my sister sees this video. i've never known anyone who appreciated a good boy band more than tami. (well tami denise and beth, that is.) they are gonna be so excited to know there's a new gaggle of teenage  young men ready to serenade a new generation of teenage young women into adulthood. just makes it seem like all is right with the world, doesn't it? anyway, even if you don't dig yourself a boy band, it's hard not to dig this song.
 

last but not least, tully reminded me of this oldie but goodie. thanks to "glee" the kids know all the old songs. i'd forgotten all about this one. but oh how i love it. things were so much simpler for elton back then. the good ole days.
 

so there you have it, some music for your weekend. oh, you're welcome. really, it's the least i can do.