Long time, no blogging

It's been quite some time since I've updated our blog. It is partially due to me having less time now that I'm working, and it is partially due to not having much to share. I can only post so many Benton photos. :) We've had some recent excitement, and we also have a few things coming up soon.

Recent Happenings

1. Benton and I have been walking several miles a day since the weather started getting nice again. He loves going to our subdivision lake, and I really enjoy being outside more. We have swans, ducks, and geese, oh my!
2. We've been lucky to have family visits over spring break week. My family (including my sister, who I hadn't seen since before Christmas) visited on Monday. We did a lot of shopping! Kevin's family came on Monday and stayed until Thursday. I had to work during a lot of the time they were here, but I did get to see them for a good amount of time on Wednesday!

Upcoming Happenings

1. Kevin surprised me, and we are going to see Taylor Swift on April 1st for my birthday (which is on April 25th)! He was planning on just taking me that day and having it be a total surprise, but he ended up needing to tell me sooner because I had to ask off work for that day.

2. Our 1st wedding anniversary is coming up soon on May 23! We are planning on probably staying in a hotel downtown in Wichita on the 22nd (since the 23rd is on a Sunday), and we will take an anniversary trip later in the summer . So far, we haven't made definitive plans, but we are considering Ithaca, New York and San Francisco, CA.

3. One of the reasons we are waiting to take our anniversary trip is because Kevin and I are both involved in our best friends' weddings in June. Emily Sparke is getting married on June 12 in Council Grove, and Eric Lamb is getting married on June 26th in Kansas City!

4. We are getting a fence! I think this is probably one of the things we are most excited about! Any time Benton needs to go out, day or night, we have to walk him around our neighborhood with a leash. I know he certainly would like more independence, as would we! Once we get our tax refund, it's hello boundaries! We are also planning to do a few house updates in the spring. We are finely going to get curtains for our sliding glass doors and also paint! I think I have finally decided on all the colors.

How comfortable is too comfortable?

Yesterday morning, as I was taking Benton on his morning walk, I saw our new neighbor smoking on his front porch with nothing on except bright red briefs. I am a pretty modest person, so this stunned me and kind of grossed me out (ok, more than kind of). He finished his cigarette pretty quickly, and then went inside while I refused to look anywhere besides straight down at the road.

Here's my question: I was planning on making cookies (like we've done before for previous neighbors) to welcome them to the neighborhood. I don't really feel like doing that anymore, even if Kevin comes with me. Does that make me a bad neighbor? Clearly the husband (he has a wife and two children, I believe) feels pretty "welcome" in the neighborhood already.

Ice, Ice Baby

I know someone who is always eager to see snow, ice, and cold temperatures. Someone who gets excited the moment flurries are noticed. Someone who never tires of winter.










Here is Benton crushing and eating ice on his morning walk.

Benton adores snow and ice. One of his favorite treats is an ice cube straight from the freezer. I've also never seen him happier than when he is allowed to play outside in the snow. It's nice to see him enjoy himself, but I am certainly fine with the end of all the cold weather.

Debbie Reynolds, on Hollywood

I've recently found a way to help people remember my name since we are meeting lots of new people between work and church. Although I strictly adhere to Deb (unless it's a formal or legal occasion, in which I then go by Deborah), I do find it kind of cute that there is a well-known actress (at least for most older people) named Debbie Reynolds. She's a sweetheart to boot. So, I've gotten into the habit of giving people a tip on how to remember it.

I'm Deb Reynolds, and I live on Hollywood. Think of Debbie Reynolds who lives in Hollywood.

Although I'm not much into themes, I did find this cute framed photograph, and I had to have it! Don't worry, I'm not going to start collecting Hollywood items (and I don't want to either). I thought this added a little something to our hallway, though! Oh, and I promise it's hanging straight. Our hallway light has a really neat texture, but it made the photograph look uneven.

Valentine's Weekend

Kevin and I had a great Valentine's Day, although it would be more accurate to call it a Valentine's Weekend. Friday, my parents and Grandma came down to visit me during the day. It was great to go to lunch with them, and my dad was really helpful asking questions when we had fence estimates that afternoon. They gave us a cute card and money for a dinner out, so Kevin and I went to On the Border that evening.

Saturday, I had to work until 2 (still getting used to that), but then Kevin, Julie (Kevin's aunt), and I went to see Valentine's Day. It is a great movie! We all had dinner at an amazing modern Thai restaurant (Sit at Thai Bistro), and then Kevin and I watched the Olympics before bed.

Sunday was a fabulous day! After church, Kevin and I exchanged cards. Benton and Kevin got me a beautiful orchid plant! Kevin had hid it in the guest bathroom bathtub for a day (we keep the shower curtain closed and it has an overhead window for light). Too funny!

We then immediately started cooking (with the Olympics in the background, of course) for our special Valentine's dinner. We had cherry lamb in a balsamic reduction, asparagus champagne risotto, and chocolate fondue with strawberries and homemade cheesecake for dessert! We ate it picnic style on our coffee table in front of our fireplace.


My very special furry Valentine! We had to convince Benton that the meal was only for two! :)

Dogs will be dogs

I always take Benton on a long walk before I have to go to work. Yesterday, this worked to my major disadvantage.

We have a lake about two blocks from our house, and lately we have had a major geese issue. We haven't just had a few; we have had flocks and flocks. In general, it doesn't bother me because I grew up at the lake in Council Grove, and the noise makes me feel like I'm home. We're also far enough from the lake that the poop isn't in our yard.

So, as I walked Benton yesterday, he started rolling violently on what appeared to be just regular snow-packed ground. I thought it was cute, so I let him do it. Then, when he rolled far enough away for me to see the ground, I notice there was GOOSE POOP! My precious won't-walk-in-mud, hates-to-be-dirty dog is rolling in feces! I also had no time to do anything about it. The closest dog wash is 30 minutes away on the opposite part of town.

I emailed my hubby a disgusted hurried note, and I tried to forget about it after I put Benton in his crate. Apparently, Kevin did not forget about it. :) Photo courtesy of Kevin Reynolds :)


Kevin is much braver than I am because I have never attempted to give Benton a bath at home. When I came home, my precious puppy was smelling like a clean dog and was super fluffy to boot! I have the best husband in the world!

Pantry Organization

While I was in Texas for Grad Girls Weekend, Mandy and I chatted about pantry organization. Our pantry isn't really a pantry, you see. We love all of our kitchen cabinets and placement of helpful drawers, but we really don't have a "pantry." So, we use one of our upper cabinets and lower shelf of our microwave cart to store food items that do not need to be refrigerated. The problem is, after about a week or two of organizing it, it starts to look like this:


It has become such a pain to find items that we have ended up with duplicates rather than sort through it when it's in the disorganized phase. So, Mandy, a Tupperware consultant for several years, showed us all her pantry. It was astounding how much she was able to fit! I promptly ordered what I thought would be enough to organize ours. Here's our newly organized pantry!


Clearly, I still need a few more modular mates to be most efficient. The funny thing is that picture two has much more items (from the cabinets because it's a pain to put some of the items up we use all the time), and I still have a good amount of space left. The great thing is that to keep it this organized we just have to put the items back in the modular mates; we don't have to take things out and put them all back in the cabinet in the same order. Thanks Mandy!