Hard Work

4-H is an organization that I hold very close to my heart. Although school and work taught me dedication and responsibility I believe 4-H created the foundation. Showing cattle for many years and being part of a    4-H club is something I will never forget. I am so happy I can watch my sister now as she is on the same journey that both my brother and I were. I am so proud of the young lady she has become. The calves she showed this year were outstanding due to her hard work and dedication by taking special care of them everyday. This year she showed the Reserve Champion Steer at the Hall County Fair and I couldn't be happier for her! Congrats Tay!



Molting Dog

On Monday night I got the crazy idea to give our little Jesse a good grooming and bath. Turns out I might have been a year late getting to it. I would never think a little dog had so much hair!

The massive pile of hair, still amazes me.

Our little Jesse, all cleaned up and 5 lbs lighter.

Happy Anniversary!!

Tyson and I celebrated our one year anniversary on Sunday. It is hard to believe how fast the time has flew by. We will be together for six years already in January, which seems like forever. We keep learning new things about each other everyday and I am truly happy I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.

Our day was planned kind of last minute, as we didn't have any set plans before Saturday. We played around with ideas in our heads, but since it being a Sunday we had to plan for a day trip somewhere. We slept in on Sunday morning and then drove to the Omaha Zoo. Tyson hadn't been there since elementary school so it was fun to explore the zoo together. Although it was a very hot and crowded day, we had a lot of fun strolling through the zoo together and enjoying all of the animals. Although the bats flying around us in the rain forest was not my favorite part. After the zoo we drove to the Old Market where we enjoyed a beer at Barry O's and Billy Frog's. I highly recommend Billy Frog's as a must visit bar, the decorations and atmosphere is absolute bar perfection. After our cold ones we headed on over to the Upstream Brewery for supper. Tyson enjoyed a ribeye and I cheesy pasta. We ventured home after eating and ended the night sharing a giant red velvet cream cheese frosted cupcake in front of the TV. Happy Anniversary Ty, I love you more each and every day!

Warming our House with a Party

It has been a long time since our last post, however we have been very busy. It seems that Summer is the busiest time of year and does not allow you to do all of the things you wish. Tyson and I hosted our first ever housewarming party on July 16th, which I believe may have been the hottest and most humid day of the year. We had a full house that day and night as all of Tyson's family stayed overnight. It was so much fun watching the kids run around in the sprinklers, the adults playing ladder golf, and my favorite was watching Grady play with our little Jesse. The food was delicious, the drinks were cold, and the memories were priceless. Having the people who mean so much to you in one place at once is unforgettable.



Clint will make a great uncle someday, he loved entertaining Karson.

My three favorite hooligans, notice how humid it was that day.

I think this was a contest to see who could sit in the cold water the longest.



Some sprinkler action.

At least my mom was paying attention.

 

Some of the Wagoner clan.

And finally the rest of the party.

I hope that we will have this many visitors again. Guests are always welcome in our home. Thank you everyone for making it such a special day.



Canada Trip

Last Wednesday night we left Wood River and drove to Hamilton, Ontario. We made the trip to help celebrate Craig Rathman's wedding. We traveled with two others and we drove all through the night and arrived in Hamilton by noon on Thursday. The bad news is the total hours spent driving was around 16 but the good news was the wedding was absolutely beautiful and the whole experience is one we will never forget.

When we arrived on Thursday afternoon we all freshened up and went to Hooters (classy right?). We enjoyed a couple of beverages and by the end of the night we ended up at the Whispering Walrus. This was one of the most entertaining pubs I have ever been to. We enjoyed the wedding on Friday, and traveled back to Wood River on Saturday.  We are both looking forward to Memorial Day weekend and a short work week!

The Beautiful Bride and her Dashing Groom

I loved the flowers she chose!

The setup for the head table was very elegant.

We enjoyed a four course meal and unlimited amount of beverages :)

The very cute and yummy cupcakes



I thought the groom's cake was adorable.

Cherished

My great grandmother has always played a role in many peoples lives. Whether it was her children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren she kept every individual close to her heart. I have so many memories of her traveling the long drive to the ranch in Burwell to help us celebrate every birthday party. She was there for every major event in my life and has truly been an inspiration. I feel so lucky to have had her in my life and to have the cherished memories that I will never forget. I am so happy that she lived such a passionate and cherished life up until God called her home. Although it is never easy saying goodbye, I look forward to seeing her, along with many others, when the time comes. My great grandmother will always be an inspiration and I strive to be as giving, caring, passionate, strong, and graceful as she was.

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy"

Spring has Sprung......

and so have my allergies! However, we are enjoying the recent beautiful weather here in Columbus. Everything here is in full bloom and I am amazed every day I walk outside and see a new plant sprouting out of the ground or a new flower about to bloom. Today was so beautiful and was the first day I sat on our deck with the dogs and started a new book. A lot has happened since my last post, a few being Tyson's birthday party, Easter, and various others. So I am just including a cluster of pictures to recap our events in the last couple of weeks.

                                                                          My beautiful flowers!

                                                     Everything is looking so green and vibrant!

                      Our cats won't go outside, ever. I think they just feel very safe and comfortable.

                                                     Taylor and Kenna at Tyson's Birthday Party!

                                   We were so happy that Craig made the trip to help us celebrate!

The raging party!

I thought I had taken more pictures than I did, I guess you just get caught up in having a good time!

Surprises!

Tyson's 30th birthday was yesterday and to celebrate we traveled to Lincoln to eat at Misty's steakhouse and brewery. It was so much fun with just the two of us, and what is better than eating great food. Tyson enjoyed some of their homemade brew with an 11 oz. ribeye, au gratin potatoes, and a house salad. Which got two thumbs up. I enjoyed one to many glasses of chardonney, lobster stuffed salmon, mashed potatoes, and a ceaser salad which got three thumbs up. We were so full from dinner, but I had to ask the waitress if they had any special desserts for birthday guests. So we ended up with a cheesecake sampler. It was a very memorable night together which I will never forget.

When I was walking in the yard yesterday looking for my misplaced car keys that I thought Jesse had, I noticed a surprise. We moved into our house in November so we knew we had plenty of trees but nothing was very fresh and bloomed. The surprise was a giant tree that has bloomed pink flowers. I am absolutely in love with it. I guess we were meant to buy this house!

Slowly but Surely

With the beautiful weather this weekend, Tyson and I have never been more motivated to tackle the landscaping around our house. When we bought our house the previous owners had used vast amounts of wood chips to landscape around the house, trees, bushes, buildings, and anything else you can imagine. Well.....after searching from place to place for just the right brick and  river rock, I am proud to post pictures of all of our hard work.

On Saturday we spent all day sweating and grunting getting the landscaping done in the front of the house. Today (Sunday) we have completed the landscaping by the tulips and by the driveway. We are still debating on all of the duties in the backyard yet, but at least the front of our house is looking absolutely amazing!

       The landscaping before, pretty rough!

 My hardworking husband breaking a sweat cleaning out all of those wood chips!

 We got most of the brick put in and some of the river rock.

                                             The best picture of the finished project I could get!

  Our neighbors were shooting blue rock next door, we didn't realize how scared Jesse was of guns! Needless to say she stayed close to Tyson and didn't give him a lot of working room.

               The tulip/flower bed before, we removed the wooden logs that were previously bordering it.

                     The finished project with the same interlock bricks we used in the front of the house.

                        Didn't get a before shot on this, but it does look much better than before.

A new bush we got this morning from Earl May, to replace the bucket we put in the front!

It is so nice to have a place to call our own. We have so many ideas for our backyard we should start sketching them out on paper. A few of my personal ideas....hot tub for starters and then a small waterfall. I think within time we will pick up some more motivation and save some money to make that possible. It is nice knowing that we will not have to touch or new landscaping for a long time, because it was a ton of work!!

We are celebrating Tyson's 30th birthday party next weekend on the 16th, he will be the big 30! And we are looking forward to Caleb, Tisha, and Cadyn's arrival on Wednesday! 

Another Day....

Well I have slacked in posting anything lately, however I do have good reasons. We have been ssssooooo busy! Between work, family, and fun we haven't had a lot of time to relax. I have also been spending a lot of time outside getting my flower beds ready for planting! But now there is snow and cold again and my urge to go outside has come to a halt.

On more exciting terms, we received our passports in the mail yesterday!! Now we can proceed with planning our much needed honeymoon in paradise. Tyson will be starting league golf in a couple weeks at Quail Run golf course here in Columbus. I am glad that he found a partner and is able to keep doing what he loves. He will be turning 30 soon and I am planning a birthday party at the Wood River Country Club. I decided that it was not going to be a surprise because I wanted him to have a say with all of the details, and boy did he like that!

I have been traveling A LOT for work, and had my first ever 15 hour workday. Having this job requires me to eat out alot, and while I have tried to eat on the healthier side, that is not always the case. As a result of my bad food decisions I feel the need to whip myself into shape. So with the purchase of my new Reebok Zigs I am establishing a few goals for myself. The number one goal is to be the hottest person on the beach in Cabo (but then I remembered that goals need to be realistic and attainable). Once the weather warms up here I will be outside hitting the running trail with my trustworthy canine companion Jesse.

On Friday I am traveling to Fort Collins, CO to watch my brother college rodeo. My dad and I will be spending some quality time together, I am really looking forward to time with family. I will be sure to post pictures from the rodeo.

Tyson and I ventured back to Wood River for a birthday party on Saturday and to pick up our new bike. I enjoy the times with family, and I feel so fortunate to be so close to my husband's side. I love spending time watching the kids, listening to their stories and visiting with the adults. It seems like every special occasion where we are all together is filled with plenty of laughs and love. I just wish I could slow down the clock and make it last longer.

We don't have a whole lot going on here in Columbus. We have a wedding this weekend which means good friends and good food (wedding cake). I feel like we are both consumed with work right now and our honeymoon cannot come fast enough. I dream of laying on a sandy beach sipping on a mojito or perhaps just a beer. I am glad that we waited to take our honeymoon later, it gives us both something to look forward to and is also a wonderful way to escape work.

I do not have any pictures to share right now, however (even better) I have a hilarious video that my brother shared with me. I hope that none of my nieces or nephews have a problem like this. But a good lesson is to remember "No matter how rough life gets, remember to get back on the saddle and enjoy the ride". Enjoy!

Update

I have not posted for quite awhile, I am blaming it on the beautiful weather that we have been blessed with. It is not bothering me staying inside today as the wind is howling and the cold is back. While Tyson is working, I am trying to find things to do on my day off (President's Day). However that will not be hard to do as I have a house that needs cleaned and fortunately I do enjoy cleaning.

We are very excited to travel to Wood River on Friday for family time. We are also going to pick up our motorcycle, we have decided to start our own gang, applications will be up shortly.

Tyson and I have been pulling our hair out lately dealing with naughty puppies. I hope they are still in a transition phase and getting use to the new house. I can only fill in so many holes in the yard before I will go insane. But we do love them and the move was a big adjustment for the both of them. I was looking forward to seeing the beautiful bushes bloom this Spring, however the branches are now mulched down to the base. If anyone has any advice on destructive dog behavior be sure to send it my way.

Just to leave you with a few pictures of the culprits.

Notice the mulched bush to the left in the picture.

Jumping On

Well Tyson and I have finally decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. I figured that since we are starting a new life away we should keep everybody updated on what is going on in our lives. I hope to stay up to date with posts!

For those that don't know, we are living in Columbus and loving it. We bought our house in end of October and are still getting settled in. We have had a lot of snow and now with the nice weather it is finally melting. I am anxious for the warm weather to arrive so I can begin planting flowers and enjoying my new backyard.

Tyson stays busy in his shop working on his old camaro and tinkering with his toys. We bought a 2006 1100 Yamaha VStar motorcycle a while back and we are anxious to pick it up in a couple weeks. The bike will be put to good use this Spring and Summer when we drive back to Wood River and to the lake. Now we just have to decide if we are going to be "Hell's Angel's" or start our own biker gang (Just kidding!). I will put my very first blog post to an end and leave you all with one of my favorite pictures from our wedding day.