by Sarah | Apr 25, 2012 | All About Erik, All About Marriage, All About Me
[flickr id=”7114409929″ thumbnail=”small_320″ overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”] From the time I knew we were going to St. Louis I knew i had to do a brewery tour. In my head I had the images of Laverne & Shirley on the line and I wanted to see that in person. I wanted to abuse my camera and get loots of pictures.
The day I went to sign up Erik & I for the tour I saw the price – $25 a person. I gasped, choked, and hit ‘pay’. I sort of hated that I was paying that much money when I don’t even like beer.
It was the best money spent the whole weekend (Star Trek Exhibit aside). Worth every penny.
The tour is amazing. If you ever go, skip the free tour. In advance shell out the money for the Beermaster Tour. It is worth every penny if you do – and worth every penny if you don’t – like beer. The campus of Anheuser-Busch is amazingly beautiful. The buildings are lovely and well maintained. Just stunning. The tour guides are well informed, friendly and didn’t sound practiced/scripted.
With the beermaster tour you actually go out on the bottling floor, walk among the machines. Up close and personal. I really felt like Laverne (or Shirley) out on that floor.
Oh, and at the end of the tour you’re left in the suite with an open fridge of many flavors of beer and told to sample what you want. (For the record, my husband ‘sampled’ four of them LOL).
now without further ado – I give you pictures. Because words alone can’t pinpoint all the fun that was had.
[flickrset id=”72157629519577434″ thumbnail=”small” photos=”” overlay=”false” size=”small”]
by Sarah | Apr 23, 2012 | 45 before 45, All About Erik, All About Marriage, All About Me, Random
[flickr id=”6960802096″ thumbnail=”small_320″ overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Erik and I have returned from our mini-vacation in St. Louis.
As you can see one of our favorite stops was the Anheuser-Busch Tour. Erik enjoyed it immensely – and even I did (and I don’t like beer as a general rule).
So much happened on our trip and I learned so much at Bloggy Boot Camp – and we met so many wonderful people…
My head is still spinning. My 45X45 list is calling out to be updated. My photo editor is overflowing with pictures to be edited (85% of which were on the BeerMaster Tour).
We have declared today our vacation from our vacation day.
Tomorrow I’ll be responding to a ‘tag-you’re-it’ post from a friend to give me an extra day for thought-processing and photo-editing, and then I hope to be back to posting as usual.
So I’ll keep it short and say – awesome weekend. Awesome people. Awesome learning. Awesome town (we really did thoroughly enjoy STL and its people).
Now we go back to bed.
~zzz
by Sarah | Jan 2, 2012 | All About Erik, All About Family, All About Marriage, All About Me
[flickr id=”5255380571″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]The New Years superstition says that whatever you do on the first day of the year you do all year.
For the first day of my year I was on a (no cost) date with my husband. We used an old Eversave purchase to go to the movies and a gift card to go to my husband’s favorite restaurant (Outback). We did lay down some cash for a tip, but after smuggling in snacks & water for the movie our day was pretty cheap.
If that’s how I’m going to spend my year I say…Bring It 2012!!!
*~*~*
We saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie. It was pretty good. Not so sure it was as good as the first but it’s been a long time since I saw the first one. There were several open ends leaving room for another movie and unanswered questions. For a more in depth review it would be better to ask Archie for a full review…he does a pretty mean movie review when you ask him too.
*~*~*
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season filled with joy and family! Here’s to a great, prosperous and happy New Year!!
by Sarah | Oct 12, 2011 | All About Erik, All About Marriage, All About Me
He was the first to ask US on a date. He included my beautiful three year old on our first date. He thought of us before he thought of me. He took us to an appropriate kid-friendly place. He talked to Brandon, he made Brandon laugh. And when dinner was over, Brandon looked at Archie and said, “Are you coming home to see Mimi and Papa?” The deal was sealed…he was special.
I held back, afraid to give up my heart. I couldn’t tell him I loved him…I was terrified of my past repeating itself. But once I was able to make that step, everything fell into place. Engaged and a wedding date planned before we’d hit the six month point. A fall wedding, as I’d dreamed.
There wasn’t a doubt…WE would be married. Not just Archie, and I…but Brandon, too. He asked Brandon permission to marry me, and he had Brandon give me the ring – sending my mother into a fit of tears. The ceremony would involve Brandon, and we’d be announced as a family.
And so we were. Our small family embarking on new territory. Making a path none of us was too sure how to follow. But we trudged ahead and forged it together.
The first year was tough as I pursued roles in Community Theater as well as marriage and mommy-hood. But from there, community theater was put on hold to focus on family.
We’ve had our struggles…financially, and emotionally. But we’re now at nine years and stronger than ever.
He’s the one that’s supported me, no matter what my dream or desire. He believes in me when I’m not so sure I believe in myself. He tells me daily that I’m beautiful, or a good wife, or both. He is proud of me as his wife, and as a mother.
So Archie, thank you for nine years of wedded bliss (and miss)…our struggles made us stronger…and your love makes me better.
by Sarah | Oct 5, 2011 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Marriage, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Crap
[flickr id=”5293689107″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Cross Country season is drawing to a close. The final (County-wide) meet is in less than a week. Coming up there is nothing but PTO meetings, Parent/Teacher Conferences and life in general.
This also means that the teen will be home before 4PM every day.
I always thought once the girls were both in school I’d go back to work. Nothing so dramatic as full-time day jobs (and definitely NOT banking again ~gag~). I figured I would return to waitressing. With the teen old enough to babysit in short spurts, I’d be able to get a job at a real restaurant with real tips since I could now actually get into work before 6PM. Maybe we could get a (slightly) steadier increased income. Maybe we could leave SSI and its unreliable, and ever decreasing, amounts behind. Become self-sufficient again. Maybe even one day live the dream of giving up Child Support (or actually putting that in savings).
Now that day is here.
Yet we hesitate.
Last year Angel ended up in the hospital for the first time ever. It was five days where our only focus was her and making sure we saw the other two kids. Last year she wasn’t even in school. Only exposed to those hundred of viruses on the periphery.
It could happen again at any time.
We are six weeks into the school year and Angel has already missed five days due to illness. That’s one week out of six. Most of them in the past three weeks.
So now we toss up in the air whether I would even be able to maintain a job or if I’d constantly have to take off for illness or hospital stays or whatever.
I know, we can’t live life hanging by that ‘what if she gets sick’ thread…but it is a fact and a factor in everything. Having to weigh the consequences of not just being away from home several evenings a week – versus the likelihood that I will have to call in at least a couple of times, maybe more.
The thought of working again only scares me peripherally. I actually like the thought of having adult interaction, even if it is only as server to customer. I worked in banking for about eight years. It sort of ripped out my soul and stomped on it and I never wanted to work again after it. But I did, and I found a job at Bob Evans (the only place that would hire me w/ the hours I could work). The tips weren’t horrendous, but they weren’t top of the line. BUT. But…I loved my job. Even when I didn’ t like my new manager, and the employee turnover brought in some people that weren’t my favorites…I loved what I did. It was fun. It was interactive. It made me happy.
There are positives, many of them, to me going back to work…
But there are so many balls up in the air I’m afraid tossing in one more would be too much. Plus, I’d really hate to get a job I love, maybe even start earning enough to lose SSI…only to lose that job because of things well beyond my control.
We can’t live in the what-if’s…
But we can’t ignore them either.
by Sarah | Mar 10, 2011 | All About Erik, All About Marriage, All About Me
For the first time in a while I’m using a prompt from MamaKat. One of her prompts this week was: Write a poem about a time you were left behind.
Vows were made, sealed with a kiss.
Onto the reception they were whisked.
Dinner, dancing, a bit of drinking.
Family, friends, the party was shrinking.
Tired, worn out, the day was ending.
Time to depart, the honeymoon pending.
Bride and groom gathered their things,
Bits and pieces in the wings
Then returned to the hall to go home
Only to find themselves all alone
Everyone had left in a rush
Leaving us in the dust.
So we favored the still open bar
Until family arrived in a car
****
True story. Hubby & I got left behind at our own reception. We’d used a limo to get from the church to pictures and then the reception…and not one person had planned on how we would get home to our cars so we could leave for the hotel. We had to call my parents and remind them of our existence.
Thankfully they only lived about 5 miles from the reception location!!
