Top Ten Tuesday: Home over the Hole

It is great to be back in the saddle again! My first weekend back was awesome and I got to do some of my favorite things - family over for dinner, lounged on the couch to watch a movie, college football Saturday, church and exercising. It couldn't have been a better "welcome home" weekend.

I thought I would just list the top ten reasons why I love being at home as opposed to the Hole. I'm going to do the first ten that come to mind, so I'm sure there will be some I miss.

Coffee from my own coffee maker - We lucked out and got a pretty spiffy coffee maker from a yard sale that had never been used. It's the kind that has the water tank on it plus grinds the beans right before the coffee is brewed. The coffee tastes super good and if I'm feeling frisky, I can even make myself a latte.

Walking around in my underwear - Ahhh, the simple joys in life. Maybe because it's hot or maybe because I'm just weird, but I love hanging out in my boxer briefs. I mean, isn't that a reason us guys buy our own place? No? I guess it's just me. Anyway, ask my wife, pants are optional in this household.

No late night vitals - It's never awesome to be woken up at 3 in the morning to get your blood pressure checked and your temperature taken. No such madness around here!

A comfortable bed - The bed at the hospital isn't terrible, but it's also not my own bed. On my own bed I have about 67 pillows and a pillow top - basically the closest I could come to recreating a cloud. The mattresses in the Hole are closer laying on the ground than they are laying on a cloud.

A shower bigger than a linen closet - I like big showers and I cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny. Can anyone guess what song that almost is? Anyway, my shower is big and powerful and I love it. Plus, I can always count on hot water and high water pressure.

My yard - While I get outside when I'm in the Hole, I still don't see much of nature. The hospital campus is made up of a bunch of buildings surrounded by a bunch of cement. Grass and trees aren't plentiful and there isn't a fruit tree in sight. What I love about being home, is finding all of that just a few feet out my back door.

My couch experience - There is no kicking back on a sectional with my feet propped up watching a big screen in the Hole. Instead, it's literally impossible to tell what the score is to any football game because the picture is no bad.

The gym - I do what I can in the Hole in terms of exercise, but it doesn't come close to what I can do at the gym. I got back to Spin class yesterday and loved every minute of it. I actually "took it slow" my first day back and still was sweating like crazy. Love it!

Cooking my own meals - There is only so much on the hospital menu. Plus, I really like to cook and the closest thing I do in the Hole to cooking is reheating left-overs. We've already made a couple of meals since I've been back and every bite seems to be better than the last.

Having my Jezzabel around - JBell really is man's best friend. She is so loyal and loving that it's crazy. When I'm in the Hole, I miss walking in the door and having my four-legged friend SUPER excited that I'm back. Plus, she goes on a hunger strike while I'm gone, so I'm always wanting to get back to her quickly :)

Well there you have it! So what about you? What are those things you love about being home that you simply can't get in the Hole?

Top Ten Great Things About This Weekend

This past weekend we had a bunch of good stuff happen to us. So much stuff in fact that I figured I would put it all down in a list of the top ten cool things about this weekend. These are in no particular order except for the last one - it's definitely #1 on the list:

Grilled pineapple with cinnamon and sugar - Nancy (mom-in-law) made some excellent side dishes to our dinner on Friday night. I don't know how she managed to pull it off, but after flying for 24 hours, she still had the energy to whip up dinner. That woman has some serious skills in the kitchen, and the grilled pineapple did nothing but bolster my opinion.

People watching at Starbucks - I like people watching period. People watching with Eric (pop-in-law) just brings it to a whole new level. His comments are entertaining and it's always a pleasure to join him at one of his favorite spots back in the states - good ol' Starbuckaroo's.

Breakfast at the Post Office - Before church on Sunday we all went to one of my favorite breakfast spots in Scottsdale. It's called the Post Office and pretty much everything they make is good. I got a create your own omelet with one of my favorite combinations: ham, american cheese, tomatoes, spinach and green chilies. Mmmmmm, mouth is water just thinking about it. As a bonus, we were a couple of tables away from Jared Allen, defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings. Big dude.

Movie watching - I love sitting down and watching movies. I actually prefer to watch movies at home rather than go to the theaters. Not only is it cheaper, but I can stretch out as I please and pause when necessary. We ended up getting a very "manly" movie which, cussing aside, was pretty good. And by good of course I mean entertaining. Just a lot of fight scenes, shootings and things blowing up. What's not to like?

Pool lounging - I've never claimed to be a "sit in the sun and fry" kind of a guy, but hanging out in the pool is one of my favorites. We always end up coming up with whacky games or challenges that make it even more enjoyable. This time it was seeing who could throw a ball across the pool and make it land (and stay) on a raft as well as going back and forth across the pool without swimming and only pushing ourselves off against the wall. I guess you had to be there :)

Watching Nancy adjust to the new timezone - So you can probably imagine that it may be a bit tough adjusting to a country that is 15 hours behind the country that you just left. One of my favorite things about the in-laws being back in the states is watching Nancy fight to keep normal wake and sleeping hours. Sometimes she adjusts rather "quickly" and sometimes she doesn't adjust at all. You can bet your bottom dollar however that you will catch her napping on the couch every single day at various times. Maybe we should start making bets?

Picking the folks up at the airport - It's always very exciting seeing Eric and Nancy for the first time in a long time. Granted, Mandi and her mom webcam almost every single day, but it's obviously just not the same. Seeing the smile on my wife's face as her parents make their way to our truck is a particularly special moment for me.

Coming home to a painted house - I know that Mandi touched on this yesterday, but I have to reiterate how good it feels to come home to a painted house. It's amazing how a single coat of paint can seemingly transform a room. We know have every single room in our entire house painted to our satisfaction with the exception of our master bathroom toilet room. Now that the painting is done, here comes the fun part: Mandi coming home with furniture to fill the newly painted rooms. First up, the nursery.

Hiking - We all set out on a hike Saturday morning to the mountain where Mandi and I got engaged. The entire loop is 4 miles and Mandi and I did 3 miles of it. Eric and Nancy were considerably faster on the way up and we didn't want to make them wait for us to make it to the top, so we stopped at the second check point. I'm proud to report however that I hiked all 1.2 miles to the first check point without ever stopping - that's the first time that has ever happened.

Time with Family - Do I really need to say anything else about this?

Birthday Weekend Update

As many of you may have read, it was my birthday this weekend (October 16th, mark your calendars for next year....haha kidding!) and Ronnie did everything he could to make it wonderful. We got up early, got in a treatment, went for a nice long bike ride, and then had breakfast at this awesome place close to our house. We also enjoyed a great dinner at a local BBQ joint and went to a movie (The Social Network - go see it!) with Josh and Christine.

I'm sure many (or at least one) of you are wondering what Ronnie got for me, so I will share it with you - but mainly because I think it's the sweetest, cutest gift EVER. He got me what any fantastic hubby would get his beloved for her first birthday as a married lady. He got me COMFORTABLE. "Huh?" You're thinking. Yes, you read it right. His gift was to make me more comfortable in our home - and we shopped for my gift all afternoon.

You see, ever since we've moved in, we've bought necessities, but we've been holding off on decorative stuff for the most part because it didn't fall in the category of gotta-have-it. But that didn't stop me from endlessly talking about all the stuff we could eventually get, what we should do, and how it could look one day. We'd buy a little decorative something here and there, and I'd be blown away by the difference it made to warm the house up....so I was getting eager to make the house cozier; a little more homey.

So for my birthday, Ronnie found this unbelievably AWESOME furniture store, brought me there, and turned me loose. And are you ready for the best part? The business is moving locations, so everything was REALLY discounted. Do you know what I like better than getting new stuff? Getting deals!!! I think I'm a deal junky. It somehow feels like you're spending less, if you're spending the same amount but getting more for your money. Flawed reasoning? Yes. Can I change how I feel about that concept? Probably not. Anywhoo - so we went furniture shopping all afternoon and got some stuff that really transformed how the house feels.

A little of my birthday gift bled into Sunday, when we went to Home Depot and Lowes and bought a fan for our family room. We've had a gaping hole in the ceiling since we moved in, but yesterday was the day we decided it was time to bite the bullet, get a fan, and muddle our way through learning how to assemble and hang it ourselves....I'm happy to report that we didn't burn the house down and it hasn't fallen...yet.

So that's about it. All in all it was a fabulous birthday and I'm excited to see what 24 brings :)

PS - Below is a picture of my favorite new purchase - a great chair. It's a little funky, but I LOVE IT!!

It's in our study, and it's freakin' awesome. If you look closely, you'll notice the fabric has peacocks on it...how crazy awesome is that?

Our PERFECT New Neighbors

I've had a secret dream ever since I was little. My dream was that my brother and I would be next door neighbors when we were older. I had it all planned out. Me and his wife would be best of friends. And our kids would be similar ages; running back and forth from house to house in their diapers playing all day long. And of course they'd be in school together, and we'd take turns driving them or walking them all to the bus stop.

I always thought my dream was a bit unrealistic. We moved around a ton as kids, so in my mind, that's just what people do - they move. How would it be possible to happen to move to the same places at the same times? Also, it's not like we grew up in a small town that generation after generation stay in, filling the shoes of their parents. So even though I wanted my dream to come true, the realistic side of me (a VERY small portion of my being) gave up on my dream.

Well, this weekend, my dream came true. Josh and Chrissy bought a house in our neighborhood, within walking distance. They closed on the house last week, and Saturday was move-in day. Their house is unbelievably beautiful (I saw the inside for the first time Saturday when I went to help them unpack), and it suits them. It has an awesome backyard that is perfect for grilling and sitting out enjoying some music. It has a great study that will be perfect for Josh to study and work from (he's going to ASU to get an MBA right now while working full time as an engineer for Honeywell). It has a kitchen fit for a chef - Chrissy isn't technically a chef, but with as good as her cooking is, she should really look into it. Their furniture looks PERFECT in the different rooms. All in all, they couldn't have made a better selection. But even with ALL of that, the thing I like most about their house is that they're our neighbors!!

Here's to unrealistic dreams coming true!!

(Sorry, that was a cheesy ending, but it was just too easy!!)

Flash Me Friday - "Our Bonus Room"

This week's addition of Flash Me Friday call for pictures of our "bonus room". We actually were really fortunate to pick up a pretty sweet bonus room in our house that was added on by the previous owners. It's attached to the master bedroom and is the perfect size for an office or a little sitting room. Right now, as you will see, we have our office stuff in there. The "grand plan" is to make our "formal" living room, aka the room with no furniture in it, into an office and to turn our office into a sitting room.

Are you interested in also participating? This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Familyblog is going to be a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".

Flash Me Friday - "The Old Digs"

I'm doing my own Flash Me Friday today as our host is still having some computer issues :) These are a couple of pictures of the condo I lived in before getting married and moving into our new house. I lived in this place from 2005 to May 2010 and absolutely loved the area. It was right in the middle of all of the action!!

View of my unit's building

Front door

Community Pool

Living room

Kitchen

Martha Stewart Watch Out!

My mom has an eye for decorating. My parents' house looks like something straight out of a decorating magazine. My mom has this unbelievable ability to find the most beautiful items at unbelievably cheap prices. She'll find the coolest things at TJ Maxx, second-hand stores, you name it. And the best thing about my mom's ability to decorate, is her ability to find something cool, refashion it, and make it cooler. She can sew, build, create. It's amazing!!

...I, on the other hand, am a decorating IDIOT. I don't know what goes with what, where things go, how to find killer deals - nada. But lucky for me, I had my mom in town this last week to get me going on a decorating kick. She showed me that with just a few additions, you can make a big impact. So Ronnie and I added a few touches this week....check them out!

This is a Turkish Dough Riser I got from Razmataz and filled it with chick peas, split peas and kidney beans and candles.

Two veggie pictures from The Great Indoors

A GIANT fork from The Great Indoors- who doesn't need a giant fork, right?

An iron piece to hang on the oven hood from Hobby Lobby (like how I don't know what to even call it?!)

Used the same beans to fill the glass jars on the table - beans from Walmart.

Another iron thing, this time hung above the bed from Hobby Lobby

Flash Me Friday - "The Fridge"

There is officially no Flash Me Friday today, but I'll be making up for one of the two that I've missed leading up to this point. In late May, the Flash Me called for pictures of our refrigerator but I didn't get the memo until I was walking out the door for a family trip. To see the cold boxes of others, please click here. Our fridge is pretty typical, and in a perfect world, would be bigger, but such is life. I do the best I can to keep it clean and organized, but as you'll see in the pictures, this doesn't always happen :)

What you see is what you get...although the water and ice dispenser come in handy for late night drink runs :)

Can you spot the Pulmozyme?

From top to bottom (must haves): Eggs/Powerade, Diet Mountain Dew, Cup Cakes, Yogurt, Hamburger, Bacon, Pizza Sauce

From top to bottom (in terms of organization): Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, [empty], Frozen fruits/vegetables/cheese, Meats, Grains

Side fridge: Full of ice packs and coffee

Are you interested in participating? This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Family blog is a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".

Landscaping for Dummies

As many of you know, Ronnie and I moved into our first home when we got married. We've posted a few photos, and I know we've raved about the yard. Our backyard is like a little oasis in the middle of the desert; grass, green, plants...the works. It is so wonderful....until you have to try to keep it alive in July, in the desert, when you're a landscaping moron.

Ronnie has been doing a great job. Using well over what environmentalists would consider our share of water, Ronnie's successfully kept the yard alive with gallons upon, gallons of it. The plan so far has been: water it, mow it, and hope that everything lives. The plan has worked well for the most part. The grass is green. And (most) of the plants are still living.

Last night, we decided to move from just mowing and watering and tried to tackle hedge trimming. I'm sure our neighbors watched in disbelief as tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum haphazardly cut back the bushes in our front yard. At one point, I realized I was cutting a bush without even really watching where/how I was cutting....it was at that point I realized we probably should have waited til it was even darker, so no one could witness this embarrassing attempt at landscaping. Most of the time Ronnie was using the hedge trimmers, he was laughing. "How's this?" he'd ask. "I have no idea," I'd respond. Talk about the blind leading the blind. I'm sure neighbors cringed as I'd bend down to pick up the debris, with my face just inches from where Ronnie was throwing around the hedge trimmer - talk about trust....or stupidity!

Anyways, after a few hours of cutting, raking, pulling and picking up, the yard does look better...in our opinion (I'm sure landscapers across the country would laugh at the shape of some of our bushes).

So here's to learning curves and giving it a good old college try. Anyone have any landscaping tips or horror stories for us?? Help us out or at least make us feel better by telling us how badly you stunk before you got the hang of it!

Flash Me Friday - Stunning "Art"

This week's addition of Flash Me Friday call for pictures of our favorite piece of art. This was actually very easy to figure out considering we only have ONE piece of "art" in our entire house. I actually picked up this "stunning" piece at a CFF auction. Still not sure what it is, so if you recognize it, please fill me in :)

This is what you see immediately upon entering the guest room

Thank you to my aunt Mary for the dried up sticks coming up out of the pot over in the corner of the room!

A close-up of the who-knows-what

Are you interested in also participating? This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Family blog is going to be a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".

Flash Me Friday - Outdoor Space

This week's addition of Flash Me Friday call for pictures of our outdoor space. The backyard and outdoor space was actually the determining factor when Mandi and I purchased the house. We knew the neighborhood that we wanted to live in, but we were disappointed with the backyards in many of the properties. Just when we thought the "perfect" house wouldn't come available until after we were married, this one showed up on the listings...

Outdoor fireplace which is perfect for making Smores!! Also, it's a perfect holder for that dead plant I planted a couple of months back :)

The old owners actually built on the arbor which definitely comes in handy on hot summer days!

My two girls playing around :)

Look right into the garden...

...and look left into a lawn that requires mowing :)

Are you interested in also participating? This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Familyblog is going to be a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".

Flash Me Friday- Put Your Feet Up!!

The theme to this Flash Me Friday is: Where do you put your feet up? Where do you relax?

Are you interested in also participating? This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Family blog is going to be a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".

Still have to have our neighbor the TV specialist come over and hide those cords hanging from the TV :)

Any suggestions for wall art?

This is LITERALLY where I put my feet up :)

This is generally where Mandi puts her feet up (although those are my feet). Who do you think has the better view??

Back in the Swing of Things!!

Today is the start of a new chapter in our lives. No, I'm not talking about being newly married or settling in to a new house, I'm talking about finally settling in to the life we're used to. It's been a whirlwind around here since May 22nd (well actually long before that) but I think we're now ready to settle down after the post-wedding madness. We just got back from our annual family vacation in Rocky Point, Mexico and now it feels like I need a break. You guys know what I'm talking about? I think that I live such a routine based life, that every time I'm out of that routine it actually takes more energy, even if I'm relaxing on the beaches of Mexico. Maybe it's just me, but vacations truly exhaust me. Don't get me wrong, they're certainly a great change of pace and something I very much look forward to, but I'm definitely most comfortable in the comfort of my own home.

On a side note (with the full story to come at a later date)- One thing I need to take care of though is this rib/cartilage/muscle/lung thingy that I have going on. Some of you may have seen the update on my Facebook, but I was in a pretty gnarly boogie board accident that required a trip to a Mexican clinic for x-rays and a doctor consult. He said that he didn't see any broken bones, but with the more days that pass, the less I believe him. I'm actually taking pain medicine. If you know anything about me, you know that I avoid that stuff like the plague. Without it however, I have a hard time taking in a deep breath or coughing, sleeping is quite tough and the most minor of movements will send me shooting through the roof. I hope to get it checked out tomorrow and I'll keep you guys posted.

Anyway, I'm ready to get back on the horse now. I'm ready for homemade breakfast sandwiches in the morning and sitting at a computer all day long. I'm ready for the gym and long walks around the neighborhood. I'm ready for conference calls and game nights with friends. I'm ready to learn my yard and do my best to not have it defeat me. I'm ready to get my dog back and take her to the new dog park down the street.

I'm ready to officially start the "real life" with my bride.

Flash Me Friday- Open the Door

Today's Flash Me Friday is all about what it looks like when you enter your front door. If you'd like to participate in the Flash Me Fridays, please go to and link your blog here (http://www.groettumfamily.blogspot.com/)

Look straight

Look left

Look right

Flash Me Friday- Front of My House

So here it is, the first addition of Flash Me Friday. This brainchild of Jen over at The Groettum Family blog is going to be a weekly series in which we have to take a picture of her choosing without any cleaning up whatsoever. This first wee was easy :) I can only assume that it will get harder. If you want in on the action, please visit here for the "rules".

Just wanted to make sure that I point out two things. One, did you notice how nice and trimmed that palm tree looks. Yeah? Well that was me with a hacksaw and a ladder my friend. First time ever attempting to cut any sort of wood in my lifetime. Here's a second first, notice the two pots flanking the sidewalk? Those two flowers, bushes, tress, whatever you call them were the first things I've ever planted in my life on my own!! I'm growing up right before your very eyes :)

12 Days and Counting...

I sit here racking my brain for a topic to post on, but unfortunately for you, all that comes to mind is WEDDING. I know it seems like that's all I've been posting about for the last 6 months. And welllllll, that's because it's all that's been on my mind for the last 6 months. So here you have it, all the latest and greatest in wedding news; with a little house mixed in.

We're 12 days out and boy, oh, boy am I excited. I couldn't help but think through ALL of Saturday by completing, "Two weeks from RIGHT now...." Everything from "Two weeks from right now we'll be getting ready," to "Two weeks from right now we'll be sitting eating the salad."

These last 12 days hold a lot of to-dos. We still have place cards to make, programs to print, favors to "construct", final dress fittings, arrangements to arrange, vows to write, and the list goes on. Every to-do I check off the list is with excitement, relief, and a little bit of sadness (as you only get to plan one wedding, so I'm trying to enjoy the last 2 weeks of the chaos). I have yet to turn into a total bridezilla (no comments mom or Ronnie), but my stress levels are starting to rise. I have begun to really feel the anxiousness from trying to mix my expectations of the day with everyone else's. It is beginning to get exhausting. With that said, I'm sure it's mainly pressure I have put on myself to create a day that is not only enjoyable for me and Ronnie, but our family and friends as well.

My mom has been a HUGE help. She's got an eye for detail and a brain that is wired for event planning. I'm pretty sure without her, I'd walk down the isle in a paper bag, carrying a single wilting hydrangea (did you know that without water they shrink/shrivel up within hours?? I didn't!) and eat pizza off of a paper plate. Ronnie has been incredible too. Making it to all of the major appointments, listening to me ramble for hours about details, and most of all, throwing his arm around me when I'm on the verge of a break down to remind me why I'm doing all of this in the first place. For those of you who follow the blog closely, you know that I'm the spaz, and Ronnie's always the one to put me at peace...he's remained that calming force throughout this whole process. AHHH, I just can't wait to make that Steady Eddy my hubby!

Changing gears - The house is coming along. In the 10 days since closing, we've managed to paint the kitchen, dining room, family room, master bedroom, study, living room, guest bedroom and all of the halls. Not to mention that we got some gardening done, all of our furniture moved in, other furniture bought, and the boxes unpacked. Needless to say, our house has really evolved into a home...minus the minor detail of a family living in it; that will change May 22.

So I'm sure you're reading this thinking, "oh my, I wish there was something I could do to help" (you were thinking that, right??)...well you're in luck. I have a request. Leave us some comments on how you made it through the last 2 weeks before your wedding. Were you stressed? Did you find a way to relax? Did you do anything that made the last few weeks FLY by? Do you have any last minute wedding pointers that will make our wedding the bombdigity? (Yes, I did just say bombdigity and yes that is the first word that came to mind). Clue us in!!! We'd love any pointers and words of wisdom you could pass along.

The Kitchen- Kinda Before, Kinda After