The Kansas Cousins Come to Town

{AND the Kansas Aunt! Sorry, Kristen! The title was just a little too catchy.}

Last week, my mom's sister and her three kiddos made the trek down to Bolivar for a couple of days! My uncle was out of town for the week, so Kristen brought Reese, Drue and Tate (and Gizmo, the pup!) to visit us and spend some quality family time.

On both sides of my family, I am the oldest grandchild. I love getting to watch my younger cousins grow and change as we get older! Especially these three; they are so funny and bring a lot of excitement and happiness along, wherever they go!

On Wednesday evening, Reese was telling me about the running club she is in. This may be shocking to some, but I have been "training" (sure, we'll go with that) for a 5K this fall!! So, I asked Reese if she wanted to go run with me on Thursday morning! And she agreed! (Not knowing how very slow and  pathetic I was at this early stage of "training," I had tricked her into going along with me.) I went to pick her up on Thursday and we went to the park in town. It was fun and I think she liked seeing the park while we ran! She did great and I would gladly go again with her anytime if she would agree to try it out again with her old, slow cousin. :)

After our run, we all went to Halfway, MO to the Mennonite store. There is a small community of Mennonites who live about 20 minutes from us and have two stores and other places in their community that they allow "outsiders." Our first stop was at one of their stores to get some breakfast! They have the best fruit turnovers this side of the Mississippi; they're delicious!!

Reese opted for some Mennonite cheese. Girl after my own heart...

Our next stop in Mennonite-ville was to their miniature "zoo." Actually, it is a homemade cage with some exotic animals: two tigers and a black bear. I wasn't sure how much I trusted the cages that had been erected for these animals, so I kept my distance.

With three iPods in hand, these three had fun documenting our trip:

Side Note: Since when do Mennonites in the middle of Missouri have two tigers and a black bear?! (Unfortunately, the bear wasn't as willing to come out to get its picture taken.)

After getting back into Bolivar, we swam and hung out until they had to head back to KS. Those three are little fish and were awesome swimmers! They made me tired just watching them. :)

Even though it was a quick trip, it was so good to spend time with the Holloways! I am hoping to see them again some before this summer gets away from us!

Bloglovin'

So, I have begun using the website Bloglovin' (as well as the app on my iPhone) to keep all of my favorite blogs in one place and easily find out who has new posts waiting for me to read! It is kind of like a newsfeed for blogs; I'm really loving it and I find it very user-friendly. If you follow multiple blogs, you might find it easier to get an account bloglovin', rather than go to each individual blog and see if there are any new posts. Just an idea!

A Sunday Afternoon Garden Tour

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Tim and Gina's (the Senior DeClues!) for lunch and a tour of their awesome garden! Gina's meals are the BEST and I love getting a text during church with the full menu and an invitation to come out and eat!

Here is Tim and Gina's garden. Isn't it insanely big?! I can't wait for all of the fresh fruit and veggies to start ripening so we can chow down. If you know me, you know that summer is not my favorite season, mostly because of the intense heat and humidity. I'd rather have a nice Fall or Spring day!! But gardens with fresh fruits and vegetables and suntans and swimming make the hot summer days a little more bearable. I am so glad that Tim has such a green thumb, (sorry, Ty, for the cliché thumb remark), so I don't have to attempt to have a garden of my own! And, more importantly than being able to grow a garden this awesome, unlike the Little Red Hen, they are willing to put in the work and then share their harvest with loved ones. :)

Baby Grapes!

Myyyy favorite. Home grown tomatuhs.

Grandpa & Grandma Hency, if you're reading this... We saw the pictures of your garden and some of your giant cucumbers! It looks like yours a little ahead of the DeClue garden. :) We'll come over and do a taste-test this summer of everything out of each of your gardens and see who is the winner!

Haden's 18th & the 2013 Parade of Homes

On Saturday, June 22, my baby brother turned 18! (Luckily, I don't think he reads our blog, so I can talk about him just for a minute...) Haden has grown up into such a funny, caring, and fun to be around guy! In my first month of dating Ty, I vividly remember Haden pulling me aside at home one day and saying, "Mo! Don't. Mess. This. Up!!" He loved Ty so much from the get-go and I love watching their relationship continue to grow; they are truly now the brothers that neither one of them ever had growing up! I love this little guy (by that I mean 6' 2" and 120 lbs) so much; I have obviously done a very fabulous job as an older sister, training him correctly!

Here are a few pictures of Haden and me through the years:

I want to say that this is Easter of 1996?
(I am glad he stopped drooling on his dress shirts!)

Probably around 1999/2000

(Pardon the scary faces)
He is such a LITTLE boy!!!

Haden & Mariah at her Senior Prom and Me & Ty

On Saturday, Haden got to pick what we did and where we went to eat. Lucky for us, he chose to go on the annual summer Parade of Homes in Springfield! Every summer, we make the trip in and around Springfield, touring newly built homes. I love doing this each year; it is always fun to see what people are designing and building and begin to dream about what our dream home might look like some day! Ty is a such a great designer and has an awesome eye for picking out/designing what looks cool. I totally trust him to design our dream home someday!

Here are some shots from the trip on Saturday:

PHOTOBOMBED!

This house was a mere $900,00+ house with 7,000 square feet. It was just ok...... ;)

Put your shoe covers on!

These pictures don't do it justice, but this was the master bedroom closet. 

HUGE. With a CHANDELIER and washer/dryer!

**Dream Closet**

So jealous of that piano & huge foyer! I want a baby grand some day!

Just gorgeous!

After walking through a 7,000 sq foot house, you need to stop and rest! Yes, this was the back patio of the $900,000 home, and yes, that is my family chillin' on it like it is their own...

The Birthday Boy & His GF at dinner - Love them!

Then I looked over and saw this moment waiting to be captured. No words.

It was such a fun Saturday! I can't wait until next summer when we get to do the homes tour again!!

My First Mobile Post (and my new favorite necklace!)

I downloaded the mobile app for Blogger today! I am so excited to be able to blog on the go. (Also, if you didn't realize it... Yes! I DID get my new iPhone in the mail. Life is good once again.)

This morning, as I returned from my twelfth trip to Walmart this week, I had a package for me in the mailbox. I could not think of what it could be or who it could be from! It had no name on the return label, only the address. I opened it up and literally shouted for joy; my necklace had arrived! I thought it would be at least another week to two weeks before I got it. Much to my excitement, it had come much earlier than expected!

The necklace is called "Coordinates of the Heart" and I chose to use our wedding location as the coordinates. I. Love. It!!!!! Thank you, Vintage Pearl for making my Friday!

{Please visit www.thevintagepearl.com to view their wonderful stuff! They are located in OK and are a locally owned business that makes beautiful, hand-stamped jewelry.}

The Day... The iPhone Died

Please tell me you were singing the blog title to the tune of that line from "American Pie," because I certainly was when I typed it! Yes, my new baby iPhone - only two months old - had a slow, painful death over the weekend and finally breathed it's last on Monday morning. Just a couple of weeks ago Ty and I were talking about ways to save money and we mentioned downgrading to "un-smart" phones. NO WAY. NOT AFTER THIS WEEK. I have had an iPhone (first a 4 and now a 5) since my sophomore year of college, so about 4 years. I hate admitting this, but I know there are several of you that are right there with me: I depend so heavily on that stupid piece of technology it is ridiculous. Holy cow. I honestly did not realize how bad my addiction had become until this week.

Luckily, AT&T loaned me a phone until my iPhone got replaced (it would take 1-2 weeks!). Oh the loaner phone... So basic. So boring.

After living without it for over a week, here are the top five things I missed about my iPhone:

1. My Contacts - I seriously know about 3 people's phone numbers by memory. 

That is pretty sad!

2. Convenient Texting - I now have more empathy for my father, an "un-smart" phone owner, who sends us all texts like this: C U 2NITE ? or MVIE @ HME L8R ? (translated: Movie at home later?) Side Note: He does, however, gloat about that fact that his "un-smart" flip phone is virtually indestructible. The sales lady sold it to him based on the fact that, because it is water proof, he can talk on it in the shower if need be. So my question for him was: When would that ever be the need? I hope to never receive one of THOSE phone calls.

2. Instagram - This is my favorite social media outlet. And one that cannot be fully accessed on the internet. I have such fun taking & editing daily pictures to document the "goings-on" in our lives! I also love keeping up with the friends' pictures to see what they are up to! This was hard to be away from.

3. Pandora - Whether I am working out, cleaning the house, or just hanging out I (almost) always have my phone playing one of my favorite pandora stations on my iHome. If you don't know, I like music a little bit & having some background music keeps me motivated and makes boring tasks seem more FUN!

5. Solitaire Blitz (my new obsession) and Nerts (another card game obsession) - Thanks to my MIL, I have been obsessed with the game Solitaire Blitz this summer (WARNING: Do not get this app if you do not have lots spare time to waste playing it devote to it!). I also love the card game Nerts and I found a pretty good version of it and play it when I need a break from Solitaire Blitz.

There is a phrase that I see today: "First World Problem." Simply put, there are struggles that we face that are pathetic to even categorize as a "struggle" when people all over the world endure real struggles and difficulties in their lives. The inconveniences that I have faced over the last several days have no doubt been first world problems. 

There is a part of me that wishes that I had lived in an earlier time period. Life seems like it was so much simpler and slower in the "good old days." I really dislike the fact that until I die, I will likely always have some piece of technology in the form of a cell phone constantly attached to me, but I suppose it is what it is. I will, however, be quite ecstatic to get my new iPhone in the mail and be able to continue on with normal life, however very complicated and fast-paced that life may be.

Fathers Day 2013

Each year, my dad will remind me weeks before Fathers Day that the holiday is fast approaching. Last week, I was unable to go with them, but my brother was relaying to me stories of my dad walking around Bass Pro Shops and pointing out numerous items that he wanted to add to his Father's Day "wishlist." Never ceasing to amaze us (not always in a good way), my dad is one of the funniest and most genuine people I have ever known. He has so many incredible qualities, it would take me an entire blog to recount them all. However, at times, it does scare me a bit when I do things that remind me of exactly something that he would do.

Here's a quick recap of my dad and me over the last 23 years:

I'm not sure what this expression means, Dad?!

Mullet Town Baby!

Can you say "awkward phase?"

One of the most special times with my dad to date.

I love you, dad!

Also... I am so blessed to have an amazing father-in-law. Tim is one of the most endearing and consistently cheerful people that I know! He is always the same no matter what! As I said earlier, I sometimes worry when I see myself acting like my own father, however, when I notice Ty doing some things like his dad does, it makes me so happy and comforted because I know that he is growing into a Godly and loving man, just like his father!

We are both so very blessed to have had these two wonderful men raise us! 

A very Happy Fathers Day to you both!

The Fathers of the Groom and the Bride

One Year Down: A Look Back

June 9th, 2013 was our one year anniversary! So much has happened this year; it is not only hard to believe that it has been a full year since we got married, it is equally as hard to believe that so much has occurred since June 9th of last year that we have managed to survive!!

In the last year, I completed my first year of teaching - and I had an AWESOME one, at that. My students were the absolute best and made my first year a very memorable and enjoyable one! I know that first years do not always go that well for teachers, so I am humbled and grateful that the Lord allowed me such a special place to be and to be surrounded by such incredible students. Here are some of my students on *Rock Star* spirit day last fall:

(Note: They do not always dress like this. I, however, being the cool music teacher that I am, do.)

Ty continued to work at the O'Reilly corporate offices until the end of May this year. He is now self-employed (more to come on the blog about that later - check out Ty's Workshop in the tabs above) and getting his masters at SBU in Education. He is now the owner (and CEO as he likes to point out) of two small businesses/LLCs in Missouri: Revival Iron & Wood (woodworking/furniture making business) and Brush Arbor Studio (design and drafting business). He also works some for my dad and is continuing to contract work for O'Reilly as well as for the marketing department CMH, the hospital located here in Bolivar. Needless to say he has a full plate, but a plate that he is very grateful to have been given to him. I can already tell that he is relieved and excited to be back in Bolivar and around the hometown culture that he loves so much!

Along with working, we have also stayed busy with family (both of our parents and most of our siblings live in Bolivar), with church friends and family, teaching Sunday School, and trying to update and decorate our house! Our home is really coming along. I have always loved decorating and now that we own a home, I love it even more! It's so fun to create inviting and pretty spaces. :) The tab "Our Home" will include pictures and updates from our house as we continue to make changes and improvements!

Our First Anniversary Trip

For our first anniversary, we took a little getaway to NW Arkansas. I absolutely love this area, since it is where I went to school, and I haven't visited that area in far. too. long. I was so glad when Ty agreed to take a quick weekend trip down that way for our anniversary! 

We went to the Crystal Bridges museum which was AWESOME. (I felt so artsy & cultured!) There were people there from literally all over the world - or at least there were Arkansans there who could fake really good foreign accents. After the museum, we went to my favorite restaurant, Bonefish Grill. Literally, of all of the times that I've been able to eat there, it has never once disappointed! Bang bang shrimp, baby!

Headed to Bentonville!

A diagram of the entire venue. Besides the museum,
there are really cool walking trails, too!

Our favorite painting - Ty had seen this in an art class he
took at SBU. It is called "Kindred Spirits."
We even got a magnet for the fridge of this one! Ha!

I loved this sculpture! It is called "Beethoven's Ear."

My cute little artsy fellow!

Bonefish! Bonefish!

On the way home we saw this rainbow! I seriously took about 30 shots
trying to get a good one. Ty was getting a tad annoyed...
What a special ending to our trip!!