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The Review Extravaganza – April thru June #2014RE

Welcome to the second round of the Review Extravaganza! If you’re wondering about the rules, check out this post, otherwise grab the button and let’s get to this thing now! 🙂

April 2014

Our Babies were born this year within a couple weeks of each other.

Week 26, Week 27, Week 28, Week 29

Pregnancy wasn’t always easy on me, but I was given one heck of a man to go through it with! Then I pondered where we’d be had we not gotten back in each others lives.

I changed my blog title from Life’s a Beach to Midwestern at Heart this month. It was a big step but I feel more at home under this name… I liked the other but when I wanted a .com, lifesabeach.com was a realtor in California.

We took a class trip to Oxford, MS to check out William Faulkner’s old stomping ground. I also left my pillows at Comfort Inn down there and it would have cost me $30 to ship them home :(.

While there we ate at two different restaurants that were good Soul Food!

Hubby and I also had a quick trip to Memphis, TN.

Easter 2014

And we rounded out the month by taking KG to the Horse Chiropractor

May 2014

Week 30, Week 31, Week 32, Week 33, Week 34

The end of school stressed me out with the amount of work I had to finish at the end of the semester, but I did find time to participate in Tbug getting scuba certified and I made a Kentucky Derby Pie, hello YUM!

A story about “I don’t dance” and we’re not talking about me.

Mother’s Day 2014 and I got my Cherry Pie.. YUM! Actually I think I made it but maybe not, I can’t remember… maybe we should both go read this post?

We remodeled our Kitchen, finally!

You really should go learn about birds!

Baby Squirrel got a party in her honor! (That would be baby girl in case you you were curious :)) She had the absolute best party thrown by 2 very close friends of ours!!

Again I got accused of being a photography snob :(.

We spent Memorial Day at the Lake trying to finish up Tbug’s Scuba Certification.

And the last day of the month was NCHA Day and Tbug Showed!

June 2014

Week 35, Week 36, Week 37, Week 38/39

We may or may not have had a bunch of Maternity Photo outtakes

So I should mention that I ate a lot of Cheeseburgers right before baby girl was born. That was the only thing that sounded good.

We celebrated Father’s Day. Hubby actually got his present almost a month before Father’s Day because I had 2 different coolers picked out but wanted his final decision, plus I needed the truck to haul it and while I was at it I made him carry it too.

My list of things they don’t tell you about pregnancy…

All that bad with the pregnancy didn’t matter as Baby girl finally made her appearance, right on her due date (by our calculations not the doctors. And we told the doctor my due date all along…)

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You will have all month to be able to follow/like everything, so plenty of time to get all entries possible. Note: The rest of the the entries don’t unlock until you recap for the first time.

2014 Review Extravaganza
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The Review Extravaganza – January thru March #2014RE

The start of every year brings new hope and new light. You have a brand new slate to write your story. I’d love to say 2014 was an easy year, but it hasn’t been, instead though it helped shape and mold me to who I am at the end of the year. Now is the time to reminisce about the first 3 months of the year. The joys, the trials and everything in between.

January 2014

At the start of the year, hubby and I had been together 4 1/2 years.

Tbug celebrated her 11th year on this earth!

Week 13, Week 14, Week 15, Week 16, Week 17

The Chiefs actually made the Playoffs. It didn’t work in their favor but it was still great they did!

Hubby and I went on an emotional roller coaster ride this year. Not only were we having this baby but we got some really upsetting news and to top it off insurance became a pain in the tookus. It turned out to work out for the best. Just thinking about this has me in tears. I cried a lot this year, wow!

February 2014

We had our Baby Reveal Party

Week 18, Week 19, Week 20, Week 21

Hubby and I celebrated our 4 year engagiversary. There is a reason why we work.. this husband and I.

Valentine’s Day!!

I shared what we’d talk about if we were to sit down and have coffee.

March 2014

It snowed. That’s all 🙂

Week 22, Week 23, Week 24, Week 25

Rio disappeared and then… Tbug and I tried to claim some male dog as Rio… read the story is all I can say!

Hubby and I spent Spring Break in Kansas City (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

Ah, the Birthday cake debacle.

So I sit here today writing this post, listening to this beautiful baby girl snoring away beside me, watching another Christmas movie and crying my eyes out remembering the good, the bad and the ugly the first part of this year has brought. I hope that you’ll join in with us on this journey of reliving/recapping the year! If you have any questions, here’s the rules post, check it out and if you still have questions, please by all means let me know and I’ll try to answer!!

Here’s to the count down to the New Year, wait, where did this year go?!?!

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You will have all month to be able to follow/like everything, so plenty of time to get all entries possible. Note: The rest of the the entries don’t unlock until you recap for the first time.

2014 Review Extravaganza
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10 Things to Smile about November

So it isn’t the last Tuesday of the month (November) and it’s kind of late in the afternoon. And because it’s raining outside and I have a baby who is fighting sleep and screaming… I think I’ll participate in EmmyMom‘s 10 things to smile about meme!

So in no particular order:

1. We participated in the Newton County Christmas for Kids Chili Cookoff and Tbug actually won! An 11 year old walked away with first prize… score!

2. We celebrated hubby’s birthday!

3. We got to attend our first Chiefs game as a family. Tbug also experienced her first Chief’s game.

4. I created my instructional video for school.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFIKRYtdGwA]

5. Tbug got to go hunting with her daddy

6. Tbug got to attend another Chiefs game with us. She was a real trooper with it being 23˚. The baby girl stayed home for this game.

7. Baby girl is 5 months old this month. Btw, can we make time slow down please?!?!

8. Baby girl celebrated her first Thanksgiving

9. Tbug got to celebrate Thanksgiving with us too.

10. We got to tailgate with the Red Coaters and I learned I need to learn how to heckle better.

p.s. Get ready for Monday because the The Review Extravaganza is here! – #2014RE is happening!

The Review Extravaganza is here! – #2014RE

We are so excited to announce the 5th Annual Review Extravaganza! I cannot believe I have been doing this for 3 years now. This year there are many new faces for co-hosts and a new group of awesome prizes.

What is the Review Extravaganza

-It is your way to look back over the year and each week recap three months at a time of what happened in your life, your favorite blog posts, favorite pictures- whatever you would like to share. (Here is an example from last year – October-December 2013)

We would like to introduce you to this year’s 9 amazing hosts!

From Top to Bottom-Left to Right:(Click on the names below to get to their blogs)

(more…)

10 Things to Smile about October

So I kept forgetting to link up but I really wanted to and seeing as though I had 50+ posts in October… I might have gone over 10:

1. I completed the Blogging Every Day in October. All 31 posts

2. We celebrated Baby Girls first Halloween. I’m not huge on Halloween but it was so much fun dressing her up as a sheep.

3. Tbug helped her dad and grandpa haul cattle to the sale barn.

4. We survived our first night apart from each other….

5. Every now and then a rainy day makes me smile.

6. I made my first Pumpkin Roll and holy yum was it good!

7. I attended the SW MO Women Bloggers Meet-up even though I was extremely nervous!

8. Tbug carved her 1st pumpkin of the year.

9. Tbug carved her 1st pumpkin underwater.

10. Hubby and I carved our pumpkins finally!

Bonus Smiles:
Bonus 1. Attending a Pumpkin Patch.

Bonus 2. Chiefs game against the St. Louis Rams and they won!! 🙂

Bonus 3. Baby Girl turned 4 months!!

Bonus 4. I attended a beautiful baby shower.

Halloween Costume Reveal | Blogtober ’14

The story. So obviously this isn’t my costume, I’m not 0-6 months old :). So a year ago October Tbug and I were walking through the store trying to find hubby when we veered off looking at the Halloween costumes. I should add he found us because we got distracted :). So I saw this costume and fell in love. I even said something to Tbug and then took a picture. I wasn’t pregnant at the time or didn’t know I was anyway. About a week later was when we found out I was… odd right? Then when I found out I was like dang I wish I would have bought that but at the same time, I just found out so… definitely didn’t know if I was having a boy or a girl. After we found out in January then I was like, dang it why did I buy this. Well they just so happened to have it this year! Yey! So we bought it back in like August or whenever the Halloween costumes came out into stores because I knew that’s what I wanted this beautiful baby girl to be 🙂

Facts About You | Blogtober ’14

Oh goodness, what haven’t I told you the many many times it feels like I’ve shared facts about myself…

How about instead of listing facts about myself, I list posts containing facts about me…

A letter to my Younger Self via October 2014
My Pet Peeves via October 2014
Things that make me happy via October 2014
Secrets via October 2014
A letter to 41 Year old me via October 2014
45/99 Things I’ve done via October 2014
How about the reason I don’t push Carts via August 2014
31 things about me via July 2014
We can do a him vs me set of facts too via February 2014
How about the School Edition of me… Via October 2013
Want to see a list of firsts that comes to mind via January 2013
btw, I’m That Girl via August 2011
I’ve described myself via numbers via March 2011
Does handwriting tell you something about a person via February 2011
Who Am I via February 2011
If you really knew me, you’d know via August 2010
There’s a list of 15 things that make me happy via July 2010
There’s also a letter to 20 year old me via July 2010
A Sampling of myself around 20 years old via May 2010
100 things about me on my 100th post via April 2010

(more…)

Most Embarrassing Moment | Blogtober ’14

Sometimes I live my life as an embarrassing moment :). I swear I’ve done more stupid things it feels like… So the most recent one that I keep getting harassed about is I was at our local dive shop recently (well a year ago now probably) and the last lady left. It was an abrupt leaving with no warning or anything that she was quitting. She also took a lot of things with her, one being a fish bowl that they used to take collections up in for dive club meetings. So the following Friday I made the comment to Earl that since the other lady whoever she was took that, I volunteered her last night to make a new one. Sadly though… this lady’s husband still works out of the other business in there and well… I don’t know who he is and I said it in front of him. Dang it!

Open Mouth, insert foot!

Things You’re Superstitious about | Blogtober ’14

So I show horses… I think I’ve mentioned this a time or two or twelve…

So my superstitions kind of revolve around that.

1. Never EVER put your cowboy hat on the bed. OMG, that is a total nightmare. My mom once put my dad’s hat while it was in the hatbox on the bed and oh goodness…. you just don’t do that.

2. Never wear yellow when you’re on a horse. When I showed at the AQHYA World Show back in the day, there was a guy who also made the finals. He and his family went to lunch the day of the finals and thought they’d want bubble gum so they put their quarter in the gum machine. It kicked out a yellow gumball. He left it and decided to try his luck again, maybe it wouldn’t hit the yellow. The second gumball it kicked out was yellow as well. They decided to just leave so they left both gumballs and walked away. I can tell you he went on to win the show that year…

A Letter to your Younger Self | Blogtober ’14

Dear younger Nicole,

Let me start off by saying that life hasn’t exactly gone the way you planned but it’s definitely GREAT! The ride to get here has been quite interesting with some bumps in the road, but still, it has made you stronger. Don’t get discouraged. Oh and at one point you made the comment you needed to get a PhD… yeah scratch that. We’re doing good to get the Masters and I think we’re done. Ask me in a few years how I still feel about that though :). Baby girl says hi although you weren’t ever sure you wanted kids, she’s pretty darn great!! There are some things as an adult that looking back now I wish I would have done differently such as gotten my head out of my butt and went to Oklahoma State or dumped the stupid boy but still, if I had done those things differently then I might not be where I am today… married to my best friend, which always sounds so cliché. And don’t get me wrong, there are days we get under each other’s skin but it’s totally worth it. So, just know that that boy finally gets his head out of his rear and asks you out again, it only took him 10 years to do so… whatever. You both had to go make your name in the world and actually write your name in the world. His is written on a wall in Afghanistan and yours was written in the sand in Costa Rica. Life has a way of surprising you so just hold on and know that even now it surprises the heck out of you!

Love,
Old Lady Nicole 🙂