victoriaINkansas

Pickups, Hearts and Onesies.

2012-02-17T11:11:00.000-06:00

So there were also some cookies for the baby shower. To match the theme, I made hearts, pick-up trucks and onesies. I really wanted those teal hearts to be a little closer to aqua, but I'm still perfecting the color matching.

This cookie problem is getting a little serious, but it's also getting really delicious. The sugar cookie recipe is nearly perfect, and I switched to a new kind of meringue powder for the royal icing, and I can't begin to describe the difference in taste. If you do tackle your own cookies, don't start with the Wilton meringue powder. It really does not taste as awesome. The CK meringue powder was sweeter, didn't get as crunch and totally protected the softness of the cookies. I really think that Wilton dried it out.

Whoa! I totally geeked out talking about cookies again. Whew. This is a real problem. I think about cookies a lot right now. It also takes kind of a lot of time. This round of cookies took about five hours in decorating alone. But totally worth it. They are so pretty.

I made another batch of cookies this week for Valentine's Day. Almost all of them were delivered, and there were two plates still at home waiting for photographing and special people. They were mustaches with chocolate buttercream and more pink hearts. When I came home, the cookies were gone.

I'll give you one guess about what happened to them.

Yep, correct. It was Belle.

I was mad. I totally cried. And then googled how much cocoa it would take to kill my dog. Mom helped me estimate how much cocoa she actually ate by eating six mustache cookies. I'm pretty sure 14 sugar cookies later that her belly had to be hurting, but she was totally fine. Weirdo. She was totally in the dog house.

And I've learned my lesson about just how high the cookies have to be stored.

A Valentine's Baby Shower.

2012-02-16T07:29:00.000-06:00

Tara and her husband both work for a company known for their clean red trucks. So a Valentine's day shower planned around a red truck with hearts was perfect. Especially because Tara & Tom didn't find out if they were having a boy or a girl it was better to stick with lots of lovely hearts.

Anne, Abbey and I hosted it at Abbey's mom house. Her supply of beautiful vintage linens definitely came in handy as a pretty backdrop for lots of yummy food. Anne made homemade strawberry oreos with frosting. They were awesome, and I had more than one. That's all I will say.

Mom was also there to celebrate Tara's coming babe. We all wrote advice to the baby - but my mom's was my favorite. I totally cried while reading it. All the little cards went into a red photo album with photos from the shower in between the sweet notes.

More hearts! Bright colors that matched the invitation and the cards.

Mom and I had a print from Ampersand framed for Tara. They are fantastic ladies and local! Anne's rice krispie treat pops were also delicious. That girl makes great shower treats. I made the favors but you'll get to see those tomorrow. So come back, okay?

Don't worry. I made everyone stand outside in the cold and take a group picture. It wasn't that bad and was pretty much worth it. I'd also like to point out that the guests wore Valentine's Day colors. Once upon a time I would have to tell them to do these things. Nope, not anymore. Look at all pink, red, and purple! O happy day!

Happy Valentine's Day.

2012-02-14T07:23:00.000-06:00

Monday Yes and No.

2012-02-13T08:23:00.002-06:00

Yes
We have to work today, but only on the KS side. Missouri kids are home.
The roads are fine.
There are two ceramic deer outside my office window.
It is still snowing.
I would rather be at home.

No
I did not find a donut today when I went on a random huge detour because someone said there was a new mom & pop shop near my route to work.
I did not need that donut.
The ceramic deer are not a tribute to Young House Love. In fact, I'm pretty sure that we had the deer before Sherry was obsessed with all white ceramic animals. (circa 1975 here)
I don't want to make up snow days, so this probably is better.

Luhrs Ladies Love the Little Apple.

2012-02-10T08:13:00.002-06:00

Here are the photo highlights from our trip to Manhattan last Saturday. Lunch with Jan & Candi at Harry's Deli (Howdy's is now Harry's Deli which MAY make more sense). Huge sandwiches that were delicious. (The one on the right is called the Johnny Kaw!) And a K-State win over Texas A & M in the Octagon of Doom. So thankful for a day in Manhattan with Mom, Lauren, Candi and Jan - seriously four of my favorite women in the world.

What's Up Bedroom!?

2012-02-09T10:09:00.001-06:00

For about the last 36 hours, I've wanted to say "what's up..." at the start of every sentence. I almost started a meeting yesterday, "What's up social studies teachers?" I considered saying to my principal, "What's up boss lady?" For my sugar cookies, "What's up sugar cookies?" You get the idea.

I'm not saying it in a "what's up dawg?" kind of a way but more like "Hey, I'm loving life and getting stuff done."

So what's up bedroom!?

It's a pretty spacious little room. I probably have room for a little decorative chair or desk, but I'm not in the market for it right now. Just more surfaces to clean dog fur off of all.the.time. I think a little old school desk painted one of the pretty colors from my quilt would be perfect for under the window. It would make a sweet place to pile up my reading list.

This photo is from two weeks ago, but I'm totally digging books from the library and friends right now. The pile got too big thanks to three large additions from the library and so it split into two. I'm trying to read more than one book in the month of February.

The current table is probably a little small for next to the bed, but it gets the job done and Erica gave it to me for free! The bed is the same old cushion topped awesomeness it has always been, but the quilt was Pottery Barn on sale. What's up sale priced bedding? (There I go again.)

Look carefully and you can see the cords to my electric blanket. Best.surprise.present.ever. Thanks Mom!

You can just barely see the two prints framed up above but I love both of them. My great grandma Della received the picture of Jesus in the temple when she accepted Christ as a young girl, and I kind of love that it hangs in my room now. The other print is a large scale print by Jamie Wyeth that I picked up on a trip with my lovely great aunt and uncle in Pennsylvania. It's totally gorgeous.

The chair and dresser are also vintage (this room is totally the opposite of my Ikea office!). The chair is from the family, and my mom had it refinished. When it's not covered with clothes or extra pillow, I use it to take all my boots on and off. The dresser is my daddy's from when he was little, and Tara's husband Tom made me the toolbox out of reclaimed wood.

There's still some blank wall space, but that Lincoln print from Abbey will have a more permanent home soon. Everyone has pictures of Lincoln in their bedroom, right? I love everything about this little room because it is so warm in contrast to my office. I sleep really well here - and so does Belle in her little dog bed.

A First (and ONLY!) 29th Birthday!

2012-02-07T08:40:00.004-06:00

Thursday night at the Blue Moose. Prices have gone up (slightly) with macrobrews a steal of a deal at $1.50 and (most) other beers at $2.00. It is really hard to have only one beer when you can drink two Boulevard Wheats for less than $5. Or three beers for less than one East Coast beer!

We were at the Blue Moose to celebrate Amy's 29th birthday, and she was embracing it! She wasn't fibbing about her 29th birthday and said that next year she will also be totally honest about 30. This is her first and only 29th year, she said.

Thirty is occasionally scary (but not until 2013 for me), but each of our birthdays have become more of an excuse to celebrate all of our blessings than a sign of pending doom. So much to be thankful for - friends, new & old relationships, babies and weddings on the way, and really cheap beer.

Rolling on the River (Or My New Rolling Pin.)

2012-02-06T08:32:00.004-06:00

Mom, Lauren and I went to the K-State game on Saturday (at least one Kansas team won that day!), and during the game, there was definitely some Proud Mary jamming during the second half. My mom can remember exactly when it was popular because her cousins sang it in show choir in high school in the 70s. I love that is why she remembers it.

Just goes to show that show choir was popular before Glee and probably will be forever more.

But back to the main attraction: my new rolling pin. This is not your grandmother's rolling pin. It's a little bit fancier than that. Joseph Joseph makes some very modern kitchen accessories, and I found this pretty pin on Amazon for less than $20.

One of the things I struggle with is making sure my sugar cookies are rolled out evenly. And not too thin. Abbey said she puts pencils on the edge of the dough to guarantee even rolling. I've read on a few blogs about using special rubberbands that go on the edge of the pin to keep it even. This pin comes with three sets of disks that can be switched out - 1/8", 1/4" and 3/8".

It really does work! However, it has introduced an even bigger sugar cookie debate. How thin or thick should the cookies be? I'm really loving the 1/4" because you get plenty of cookie and it's easy to manage. Some of my pals think that 3/8" would make a far better cookie. They may be right but I would get about 1/3 less cookies out of a batch of dough. So that's less cookie loving for everybody because the few I make would be just a little bit thicker. Is that worth it for a little thicker cookie?

I should just suck it up and do some sort of test. Anybody want to come over and taste test sugar cookies? Just let me know.

Family Dinner, 2012 Style.

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

First family dinner of 2012.
We added Richard.
He was surprised that everyone calls it family dinner, not just me and Erica.
I wore a dress from Banana Republic's Mad Men collection that I paid $36 for last fall.
This was the first time I had worn it.
We ate at Piropos for Restaurant Week.
Dereck ate at eight restaurants for Restaurant Week.
I dislike giving my camera to strangers because the focusing never comes out the way I want it to.
So sorry right half of the photo - you are just not in focus.
But my dress still looks good.
As usual at family dinner, we planned trips and future dinners.
We discussed politics, education and K-State sports.
And we ate a lot of really good food.

Doggy Door.

2012-02-02T10:28:00.000-06:00

Belle and I are the same age right now. She is four which is 28 in dog years. Her age is starting to show a little bit and there are a few more gray whiskers around her eyes. She remains as enthusiastic and life loving as ever, but just for less hours each day.

We have the same routine whenever I come home. She sits on the couch until the garage door opens (my car is not enough to trigger her to move), and then she tears towards the door. She is waiting as soon as I open the door but too excited to sit and have me pet her. Belle races towards her food dish, and I scoop out a snack or her next meal. (Three cups of light Science Diet a day for her!) She has to eat when I come home, even a few pieces or she paces around until I oblige.

Then the dance with the door begins. She's always ready to go outside, make two sprinting laps around the backyard perimeter and take care of business. And then she likes to come back inside. Just to make sure I'm still there.

If I am still there (I always am if she is outside), then she wants to go back outside. Maximum time on the second trip out: five minutes.

Usually after three or four trips in and out of the door, she is content to stay out. She can watch the trees in the backyard for long spells of time, just so long as she is sure I'm still home. It's predictable, her pattern of in and out. But it makes me really want to get a doggy door. It would probably take the happiness level in our house to a whole new level.

The One Book of January.

2012-02-01T07:21:00.000-06:00

Last January I read seven books. This January was a little different as I only finished one book. But it was almost 1000 pages, so that could explain why it took me a little while to finish. Many of my friends had already finished the book, so I was a little bit late to the party. And I've yet to talk to anyone who agrees with my opinion of the book. I liked it. I just didn't love it.

Fall of Giants is massive and not just in the number of pages. Ken Follett tackles World War I on three continents and with great detail. Even though he has many characters, they are fully developed, and I did really care for each of them. And I will read the sequel. But I didn't love it. I tore through the beginning, got really bogged down in the war, and prayed peace would come earlier than it did.

I have some complaints about his style, and you can tell this book was written by a man who thinks his name should be bigger than the title on the cover (a pet peeve of mine). My other complaints will give too much of the book away so I won't voice them here. If you agree with me, will you leave me a comment? If you don't agree because you loved it, will you leave a comment telling me what you loved? Maybe I missed something.

Also, while I have your attention, I added a link to book reviews and archives on the blog in the sidebar. Check it out if you're looking for something to read. The "about Victoria" section is also updated. Enjoy!

A Home Office.

2012-01-31T09:10:00.001-06:00

I have an office in my house, right in the back of the house with good morning light. I think that is one of the best things about my little house. For the first time since high school, I don't sleep in the same room as any screens. My ipad and computer sleep (and recharge) in the office. My only tv is in the living room. I use a regular old alarm clock so even my phone isn't by my bed.

Having my computer in another room makes me feel exceptionally grown up and less like I'm living in a dorm where I eat, sleep, compute all in the same room. I love this little office. My crafting supplies are handy, and my big work desk from Ikea allows me to keep several projects organized at one time. I have room to be creative and productive.

This room is actually very Ikea-ed - the trestle desk, the Expedit bookshelf and even all the white boxes and little jars that cover the top. The furniture I moved home unassembled, and it was lovingly built by Erica's husband Jon and my mom and me. Just kidding. There was little love. Sometimes Ikea furniture is a pain.

Rachel and I were originally obsessed with buying the little jars to fill them with candy and snacks for parties. But now they're filled with crafting supplies - extra blades, thread, lollipop sticks, paint brushes, ribbon. And my button collection. Because everyone has a button collection, right? (Please don't correct me if I'm wrong.)

I found the rug on sale by Surya on a One Kings Lane sale, and it was delivered to Jon and Erica's before I moved home. That's how sure I was that I wanted it for this little room. Belle is often laying on it, chewing on a bone or her squirrel. She could not be coerced into a photo shoot.

The art on the walls is a mismatch of Kansas and Virginia/DC, just the way I like it. After a while I was less concerned about what "matched" and put pieces up that mattered. Like my favorite Curly Girl Print.

And even though I have a new square bookshelf, I still have all the books arranged by color. You know you want to too so just do it.

Happy Kansas Day!

2012-01-29T18:45:00.001-06:00

I made sugar cookies for Kansas Day. File this one under "totally normal usages of time." I'm slightly obsessed with making sugar cookies. I decided to teach myself how to make royal icing and am slowly getting better. Tara told me recently that according to Outliers it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, so I've got a little ways to go.

I added a bunch of sugar cookie blogs to my google reader, and the sunflower inspiration came from Sweet Sugar Belle. If you look at hers, you will be a little less impressed with mine. Also, you might lose like twelve hours of your life looking at her cookies. I warned you.

Still practicing and problem solving with the cookies around here (maybe a little obsessively). I have a cookie recipe I really like, but I'm still perfecting the timing of the whole process. And the consistency of frosting. Thankfully Valentine's Day is coming up, and that's a good excuse to try again!

And happy birthday Kansas!

On the Road.

2012-01-27T10:45:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I find myself comparing life in Virginia to life in Kansas. Surprisingly, I spend about the same amount of time in the car. The difference is the mileage. In Virginia, everywhere we wanted to go was less than fifteen miles away. Pinkberry, church, work and even the White House. But with horrible traffic, a twelve mile trip could easily take forty-five minutes.

Since I moved home, I feel like I live in my car some days. The gyms I like to go to are both farther away. Work is a bit of a commute, over twenty-five miles round trip each day. I take the highway to work, church and to see my mom. The miles add up quickly even though the time in the car is about the same. I do not miss the traffic one.tiny.bit and I do some of my best thinking in the car these days.

To my mother's great delight, I spend less time on the phone in the car. That's precious NPR time. If I hurry and leave work on time, I can usually catch a good chunk of Fresh Air. And undoubtedly I've missed some big news event during my eight hours asleep or at work, so I need NPR in the morning and in the afternoon as well to catch me up.

When I first moved into the new little house, I was obsessed with Top 40 and country. Soon I was really tired of it - the songs repeat a lot - and I listen to a lot less music now when I'm driving or cooking. Mostly NPR all the time.

There is a very special exception in my car: mix CDs my friend Lindsay makes. Let's just say she's the mix master. No one else can put Christian music, Diddy and Wilson Phillips as well as she can. My taste in music and knowledge of different artists is definitely better because of Lindsay.

Such a sweet soundtrack for the move home and miles around KC...
"I need to get back to the place that I belong" (Diddy)
"Why do we try? When it always ends up fine?" (Matt Wertz)
"Don't you know? Don't you know things can change? Things'll go your way if you hold on for one more day!" (Wilson Phillips)
"And the older that I get the more that I feel wiser. With the love of friends and family - get stronger and it carries me on through." (The Roots)
"And when all's been said and done, It's the things that are given, not won, Are the things that you earned." (Gomez)

Dining al Fresco in Florida.

2012-01-26T07:58:00.001-06:00

For some reason, I didn't accurately capture the gorgeous weather last weekend in Florida. It was beautiful. Vishal and I made a diet coke run on Saturday morning at 8 am and it was 62 degrees with a very sunny sky! The high each day was in the upper 70s. We ate dinner outside and enjoyed being so near the water. And it was so much nicer than last year when it was only in the upper 50s the whole weekend. The Floridans were freezing!

Vishal tried to suggest we eat at the hotel and play Uno, but then I reminded him my very favorite thing to do is try the local food. And he knows this because he's a loyal blog reader. He did some awesome research, rented a car and off we went to the Rumba's Island Bar and Grill in Clearwater. It was delicious. Caribbean jerk wings, fried green tomatoes and okra and a perfectly grilled grouper sandwich. Best grouper ever.

And of course, Pinkberry for dessert.

It was a good weekend with friends and my favorite national senior honor society, but it's taken me a while to get back in the swing of things this week. After a good night's sleep last night, I'm starting to feel more like myself. And I'm staying put in Kansas until March when I head to DC - YEAH!

Just in Case You Forgot.

2012-01-25T09:33:00.003-06:00

I love Pinkberry. In a way that surpasses how much I love cupcakes. Yes, even more than my very favorite Baked & Wired cupcakes that I served at my graduation party and occasionally dream about during meetings. If I had to choose, I would pick Pinkberry first. And then eat it every day. This is actually a pretty healthy bad habit really. Fresh fruit, healthy yogurt and even a little protein!

I spent last weekend in Tampa for the Mortar Board midyear meeting, and I was lucky enough to eat Pinkberry twice. We arrived on Friday, and I was talking to my friend Vishal, who casually mentioned he had Pinkberry for breakfast on Thursday morning. Soon it was all I could think about. We found the Pinkberry in Tampa and plotted our trip there for Saturday. And we went again on Sunday.

And I would like it again right now if someone could make that happen. Why do I live so far from the fresh swirling deliciousness that is Pinkberry? Why?

Cotton Bowl Leftovers.

2012-01-24T08:44:00.003-06:00

Many people went to the Cotton Bowl to see K-State play Arkansas. Mom and I did not. We stayed home and watched the game and wished we were there, even though K-State didn't pull out a victory. Little sister Lauren got to go, and so did many of our friends.

But as a sweet bonus, one of the teachers I work with offered me her basketball tickets for the day after the Cotton Bowl. K-State was playing Missouri in Manhattan, and we were super excited to get the opportunity to go to Manhattan for the day.

Keep in mind when we left that morning, we weren't optimistic. Missouri was in the top 10. We lost terribly to KU in basketball on Wednesday night. We forgot to catch some passes against Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. It could have been a terrible trifecta of losses for our alma mater.

But K-State showed up on Saturday. We led the entire game and sometimes by as much as twenty points! It was a big upset for us, and it was so fun to watch. Richard came too and enjoyed his first trip to the Octagon of Doom.

It was gray and overcast but the perfect Saturday for us. Basketball games take a lot less energy than football tailgates and trips to the Bill. We rolled into town at 11, had a leisurely lunch at CocoBolos, watched all of the game, and had coffee with Candi in Aggieville afterwards. We were only gone ten hours unlike football game day which often takes at least twelve hours. It made me very glad that we're going back in two weeks to see another game.

Last Week.

2012-01-20T07:20:00.000-06:00

Here's a not-so-glamorous look at my backyard. Wish I had some before pictures for you! Here's how it got this way...

On Sunday, January 8th, the sewer line leaving my house stopped working. No prior symptoms or warnings, just a really loud noise and then lots of liquid in my basement. Surprise! The plumber came out and took a look, snaked the line twice, and couldn't get it to drain again. The next day they came with a camera and a prognosis: the two large trees' roots had caused the sewer line to no longer function correctly.

Apparently this is quite common in cute little older houses like mine. So Belle and I moved to Mom's house for a week long slumber party (Lauren was still home too!) and they did some major digging in my backyard. I'm not exactly sure of the fix, but I am 100% sure that I'm thankful I'm a renter. It was very expensive. Prairie Village friends - I'd look into the insurance for this.

The backyard will stay disheveled until spring. Until then I will wipe Belle's paws. And occasionally her whole body because she likes to roll in the dirt now too. In the spring we'll figure out grass and how to grow it without Belle destroying it. And I might even have room for a small garden now! Those two tree type bushes were actually dead before they dug up my backyard, and they were in the only part of the yard with lots of sun!

Everett at Four Months.

2012-01-19T08:14:00.001-06:00

I took some more photos of Everett last week in his nursery. I'm getting better at capturing this little guy but now he moves more so it's trickier! I think he's the sweetest. Smiles are hard to earn - we did get a couple - but he's pretty dapper. And tough. Look at his K-State and Under Armour gear!

Oh yeah, and look at those cheeks. Swoon.

Still working on focusing, lighting, etc. Thankfully Nan keeps letting me practice with Everett. Even though it isn't perfect, I included the photo on the right because Everett looks like a Cabbage Patch doll. A very tough K-State Cabbage Patch doll.

Happy Birthday Victoria!

2012-01-17T08:51:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday VICTORIA!

No, it's not my birthday. It's Vicki's birthday. But in her State Department world she goes by Victoria. It is technically her name too. And so she decided she should go by Victoria in all parts of her life. On Gwen's birth announcement. On their Christmas card. Rachel and I like to tease her about "switching" her name but I totally get it. Victoria is practically the best name on earth.

This photo is from our last brunch together in Kansas City before their family of FOUR (including Gwen and puppy Jackson!) moved to Serbia. They're settling in to a new routine in Belgrade and hopefully will be blogging about their new adventures soon. And posting lots of pictures of baby Gwen, who is just a lovely little darling.

I miss them, even though we haven't lived in the same city since July. Serbia is a long ways away. I cried when I said goodbye after this last little brunch at Avenues. But there is hope in sight! In June, Mom and I are planning on traveling to Europe. I've been anxious to get back since my trip in 2010, Mom deserves a trip abroad and Belgrade (and Paris!) are the destinations of choice. Can't wait to see Gwen! And Vicki! And Daniel! And Jackson! Hurray!

New Year's Eve 2012.

2012-01-13T11:04:00.000-06:00

For New Year's Eve this year, we went way more low key than when we welcomed 2011. We didn't feel really awesome when we woke up in 2011, but January 1, 2012 I woke up feeling fantastic.

We had dinner reservations at Westside Local, one of my favorite places in KC. (See previous trips here and here.) Dinner was good, and we tried several of their $2 local specialties for appetizers. My steak sandwich was delicious and perfectly tender. It's just great local food, folks.

2012 is a big year for two of my besties - Tara and Abbey - and I'm so excited for the upcoming changes. Tara and Tom's first baby is due in April so we're busy with baby showers and preparation for the little guy or gal (it's a surprise!). Abbey and Drew are getting married June 9, and she is a super prepared bride. We're just planning all the really fun stuff now, including a bridal shower and rockin' bachelorette party.

Good to ring in the new year with them and good to be here to celebrate all the awesomeness in the coming months. Yeah 2012!

Donuts on Johnson Drive.

2012-01-12T11:52:00.000-06:00

I leave really close to three local donut shops. No, that's not why I chose my house. But it is a really sweet bonus. When Lindsay was visiting from Dallas, we planned to eat donuts together. But I surprised her as well with a donut tour and taste test. We both love donuts, so she thought that was an excellent surprise.

First stop: Fluffy Fresh. It's the smallest of the stores, so we needed to go there first. For scientific purposes, we needed to get the same types of donuts at each shop. I didn't want to choose sprinkles and glazed as my sample groups and NOT be able to get them at Fluffy Fresh. It was a good idea to start there (proper planning prevents poor performance) but we were able to get my favorite donuts described above. Lindsay was experimenting with cake donuts frosted with chocolate.

Heading back to the west on Johnson Drive, we stopped at Lamar's next. Look at the sprinkles! Better loaded for sure. Lindsay got a chocolate with peanuts, which affected her results slightly because this one "tasted like a sundae in the mouth" and was harder to compare.

Our final stop was the Doughnut Factory. Across I-35 and the railroad tracks, this Johnson Drive shop often appears at Friday morning meetings at work. We picked our three donuts, and then we answered a trivia question to win a fourth.

What's the capital of Montana? Duh. Helena. Rachel, Alison and I used to play that game whenever we drove places in the car. We would have preferred to get one of our three for free, but it gave us an excuse to try the red velvet. Which we didn't like.

Red velvet should stick to cake and whoopie pies.

Lindsay sample each of her donuts while I sliced, lined up, photographed and then sampled each of my donuts. While we liked a lot about the Doughnut Factory - trivia, good chocolate frosting, a funny man wearing a funny shirt - Lamar's was the best all around. Our summary is that if you need a dozen assorted donuts to take to work or Bible Study or for Saturday morning at your house, by yourself, then you should go to Lamar's.

And there will be some Johnson County residents who disagree with me, but there's really no reason to go to Fluffy Fresh. Especially with Lamar's two blocks away. We suspect the oil isn't as fresh (check out the glazed on the right!) and the frosting/cake donuts leave plenty to desire. Also, it's a weird place to hang out. So if the sign on the door says, "Sorry! Out of Donuts!" you'll be okay.

Trust us. We know our donuts.

The Six Books of December.

2012-01-11T11:42:00.001-06:00

It was great to have time to read six books in December.It was so not so great because it made me feel overwhelmed about sharing those six books with you. Six books is a lot. But you need to read some of them, okay?

The Christmas List was our December book club pick and a good holiday read. I told myself I wasn't going to cry. HA. It's about the same as saying that you aren't going to cry during a Hallmark Movie. Good luck with that. It's probably best read around Christmastime.

The Buddha in the Attic is one of my must-reads from this month. I have it in hardback so it will be available for loaning. This one was a finalist for the National Book Award, and a really swift read about the experience of Japanese women coming to the United States to marry men that worked in restaurants, agriculture, and the service sector. It is written in collective voice - "We were on the boat, we worked in the fields, we had three babies in four years..." etc. It follows the women from their experience on the boat through their forced relocation into internment camps, and I appreciated the way it told the story of so many woman together in one narrative style.

The Great Gasby ended up on my reading list after seeing Midnight in Paris and reading The Paris Wife. I'm pretty much fascinated by the Moveable Feast of Paris in the 1920s. Gatsby was required reading in high school, and we read intently for symbolism. Some of it came back to me as I was reading, but I was also just mushy for Gatsby. And because they're remaking the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, it was almost impossible for me not to picture him as Gatsby. I think it will be perfect.

Cutting for Stone had been recommended to me several times and I ignored the recommenders. Whoops. I loved it and read it fast and furiously over Christmas break. I was transported to Ethiopia, India, and a NYC borough and into the world of surgery, family ties, and love. And war and poverty too. So many good themes. I was hooked from the beginning, but I have heard a few people struggled with the first one hundred pages or so of the book. It was tremendous. I would like to read more by this author - anyone have suggestions of what else to read?

My Name Is Not Easy is the only young adult book in the list this month. Another finalist for last year's National Book Award, it was good for the history lessons I learned. It was about the Eskimos and Alaskan Indian young adults who went to Catholic boarding school in the 1960s. The state didn't support village schools yets, so that was a popular option for many young people. It's historical fiction that weaves in real events from the 60s, including the Cold War and other Alaskan events. I read it very quickly, and while it wasn't my favorite, but I think it would be great for young adult discussion. OH! And I love the title of this book. The main character's Eskimo name is too difficult for the teachers to say so he changes it to Luke. So many of students can relate to just the title of the book.

Run is my second Ann Patchett book of the year and certainly not as strange as State of Wonder. It's set in Boston, easily one of my favorite settings, and tells a captivating story about a white Irish Catholic father raising two African American adopted sons. Read it right now, in the winter. Or wait till you get some snow. Either way, you should read it. Rachel and I were talking about how we would rank Ann Patchett books, and it was tough because they are all so different. This would be the one I most universally recommend, even though State of Wonder and Bel Canto are both tremendous as well.

Happy Reading!

RV Parties on Heartsy.

2012-01-09T08:03:00.000-06:00

We've got something new for you this Monday morning. Our Etsy shop, RV Parties, is featured on Heartsy. It's like Groupon for homemade gifts! For $12 you get a $25 credit to our shop good for the next month. We have added some new items (TONS actually!) in the past couple weeks so if you are in the market for a birthday party, baby shower or wedding shower, we have some new designs for you!

Rachel and I are also thrilled to be guest posters on the very popular I Can Teach My Child today. Click over and read our party planning advice. It's pretty good advice and the pictures are pretty.

Linking Love
Heartsy
RV Parties Etsy Shop
I Can Teach My Child
RV Parties on Facebook

Farm Cats in Winter and a New Year's Note.

2012-01-06T10:12:00.001-06:00

My blogger friends have been all over the internet writing summaries of the year 2011, setting goals and intentions for 2012, and reminding me that I had to switch calendars. And the last couple years (2010 and 2009), I did year end wrap ups that were a summary of growth and changes from the years.

Even as I start to think about what I could write about 2011, I just keep coming back to a profound sense of gratitude. I am so happy to be home, in a cozy little house that I love, with days filled with a job I love and evenings and weekends packed full of time with friends, family, and by myself. Who knew the extrovert needed some time by herself and would love that time too?

In 2012, I'd like to continue to be reflective. To rest in God's grace and know the power of Christ's resurrection (Philippians 3:10). To be sure my time reflects my priorities, especially in terms of my faith, my family, my friends and a new one, my job. And as I say every year, to eat less cookies.

Happy New Year and EMAW.

Tootles: One Handsome Hound.

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

Glamour shots of dogs are far easier when they don't involve Belle because she won't look at the camera. These were taken at the request of my aunt and uncle, and they came out of the camera like this.

I have used a digital SLR almost all of the time since December 2005, and I bought my current Canon Rebel Ti1 in June of 2010. Rachel purchased a fancier camera last year, and I got a major case of camera envy. Rach's photos were looking good. The jealousy monster almost got the better of me - I thought about selling my camera and upgrading to Rachel's, a huge chunk of money better spent on tires and brakes for my car.

When she came to visit last fall, we took a photography lesson with Erica May. It was really good and gave me the courage to shoot in manual, adjusting the aperture and exposure when I shoot. Just like I learned way back in high school. I also have been shooting in RAW, but I have been able to get away with making minimal adjustments in Adobe Lightroom. Fun fun!

I think I still have a ways to go to be awesome, but I am liking the practice and have fully gotten over the camera envy. I have a great camera and a good forum for sharing the photos on this blog, and those are really the two parts that matter.

Family Happy Hour at Christmas.

2012-01-04T15:42:00.000-06:00

My family (minus Sasha, Mike and Mark who was taking the family) right after Christmas. We are practically wearing matching outfits. We totally didn't even plan it this way! K-State wasn't even playing, but we love to wear purple!

If you're just skimming through this post and looking at the family photos, that's totally okay. There's a lot of them. But this is my life, documented. I have an important family life lesson (a follow up to this one!) below the next photo, so pay attention.

If you are married with kids or without, you should take pictures of just the two of you. My grandma wanted me to take a picture of her and grandpa. And I think that's really special. Because that's where the story begins that eventually trickles down to two grown kids and three grown granddaughters. But we're so lucky to have the two of them too, and to have their relationship documented.

Do it. Because while kids are cute (see me and Lauren as great examples), I will always be glad to have pictures of my grandparents throughout the years as well.

Belle on Winter Break.

2012-01-03T15:10:00.000-06:00

It's the end of winter break and it was an awesome one. Lots of time with friends, family, and of course, Belle! Some times she makes me nuts. She is overly eager whenever anyone comes to visit. For a couple of days now she has been barking at NOTHING in the backyard. That "nothing" is near the fence. Belle keeps shedding all over the house but it sticks the worst in the kitchen. I've been vacuuming every couple days, and it doesn't seem to get better.

Why would my dog shed in the middle of winter? This is beyond me.

But on Christmas eve morning, I had to take Belle to the kennel early in the morning for her Christmas vacation. I came home and was by myself in the house for a few hours. And it was too quiet. No one came running when I opened the dishwasher or the garage door. She didn't faithfully follow me around the house. It was sad, and reminded me that I need her around even if I have to vacuum all of the time.

What an Honor.

2011-12-29T06:30:00.000-06:00

FedEx delivered a sweet little package last week. I just happened to be home and was excited to see an unexpected gift arriving from Jennie in Chicago. As I tore open the package, I had a feeling I knew what Jennie was going to ask. As you can guess, she wanted to know if I would be her maid of honor! I totally cried. And then called her to say yes!

Jennie and I have been best friends since late middle school. Even though we haven't lived in the same city since 2001, we've stayed very close. In fact, if you search for "Jennie" on this blog, you will see her appear in many posts as we have traveled and stayed friends across the miles. I think she and Joe are the best, and I'm super HONORED to stand up with them next December when they say "I do." It will be a pretty fun year as we get ready for their Chicago wedding - one year from today.

I'm also Abbey's maid of honor in June, so this is going to be a fantastic year of planning and celebrating! What an honor to be a part of these big days with great friends.

Christmas Open House and Notes on Family.

2011-12-25T09:50:00.000-06:00

I had a little party to see how many people I could put in my little house. It was an "open house" but thankfully most people came and stayed forever. I would rather have my house filled with friends than hang out by myself at Christmastime.

We had some long distance visitors, and it was good to be with Emily & Ryan, Vicki, Daniel and baby Gwen. We missed Rachel and Sol.

It was pretty perfect (minus a few friends that couldn't come). I made a few new dishes and learned a lesson about beer and wine. My friends drink beer. And plenty of it. Mom made a run during the party for more beer, and we drank almost all of that as well.

Important note about my mom at the party. She was there the whole time because she knows all of my friends, their significant others, and especially their babies. She helped take the apps out of the oven, made sure everyone had plenty to drink and kept the party going. Mom hanging around is normal and a huge part of why Kansas City is home. My friends mail her Christmas cards, and she sends ones back. Luhrs Ladies cards all around the country. I'm extremely grateful to have her around to be a part of my life, to know my friends and always be so supportive.

But I also recognize that this a natural gift she inherited. Her parents, my Kansas grandparents, were the same way. If you've ever met them, you're a friend. People always ask how my grandparents are because they were a part of the party for many years too. If you've met my grandpa, at a football game or on the farm, you don't forget it. I have friends who still have the K-State gloves he gave out every year. My grandma is the one with the details, who remembers where people are from and why they matter. This was what was modeled - know your children, know their friends, if someone invites you somewhere, GO.

Feeling blessed as ever. Merry Christmas.

Deck the Halls.

2011-12-22T13:48:00.001-06:00

It's day two of winter break. Hurray for winter breaks! It feels like I've been on the move pretty constantly since July 19th when I returned to Kansas City, and I am looking forward to the next 10 or so days of baking, working out, and large quantities of family and friend time. I have two parties I want to list in the esty shop and a pile of books I'd like to finish before the end of 2012, and hopefully will be doing very little that is "blog worthy."

Enjoy the holiday video filmed at one of the high schools in the district. Some of the students featured in the video are my former students from Northwest! I paused it a few times to look for them.

Ornament Exchanges.

2011-12-20T10:49:00.000-06:00

We had our annual ornament exchange for book club this year. It is one of our favorite traditions and some of my favorite ornaments come from the annual event (I mailed in my participation the two years I lived in Virginia!).

For the first time, I made my ornament. With some very nice wool felt and scraps from other projects, I pieced together these little partridges. The pattern came from Retro Mama, and I bought the wool felt from her etsy shop. She even helped me match the wool to the fabric I already had, which was great because I'm obsessed with it and loved finding a new use for it. Each of the four birds I made had different felt bodies and accessories, and the embroidery floss, buttons, ric rac and needles all came from Barbara's House, my favorite sewing store. Besides the wool, I also had to buy the boa cord which makes the plume at the top but it was easy to find at Wal-Mart.

I have a ton of boa cord left, and I'm happy to share. Let me know, and I'll mail you some pieces of it.

The sewing got better with each bird. The real trick is that it is tough to stuff the little bird and not have the blanket stiches pull and get funky, but I was able to make it mostly work.

I also went to an ornament exchange for my Junior League new member group and brought a partridge. It was a small group that night with only five of us, so I was pretty nervous that people would be disappointed with a homemade gift. Especially because the other gifts on the table were clearly from Nordstom, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. Awesome-sauce. But they were impressed, and my mom said she used to take homemade gifts to JL exchanges all the time with good results so I felt better.

The birds have all found a home - Abbey took home the ornament from book club, one went to Junior League, one to my secret Santa at school and one to Mom, owner of the best sewing store in town.

Section 118.

2011-12-19T09:45:00.001-06:00

This weekend I went to two sporting events, and in a strange coincidence, I sat in Section 118 at both games. First up: K-State v. Alabama in the "Wildcat Classic" at the Sprint Center. Our seats were great. Actually, we were closer than it looks like in this photo! I love watching Frank in person. When he gets mad (and he was during the first half), you can hear his shoes stomping on the court. We had a lot to cheer about as K-State came back and kept the lead in the second half over Alabama.

I've got one trip planned to Manhattan with the family in February but want to watch them play more. It was so much fun to see them play in person, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

About twelve hours later, it was time for another game - the Chiefs and the Packers. Here's Lauren and I before the game - we weren't very optimistic at this point. We expected that we would see Jordy Nelson catch a few passes and check out how well Kyle Orton would play for the Chiefs.

We sat in the lower level in section 118 (again!). Our seats were awesome, right at the 35-yard-line, and we had perfect weather for a December game. Another bonus: the Chiefs decided to play some football instead of letting the Packers continue their total domination. Kyle Orton decided to get some stuff done, and the Chiefs looked pretty great the whole game. They should have won by more. On TV they were calling it the upset of the season!

Every time something awesome happened, I looked at Lauren in shock. And then we cheered a lot. Our section stood and yelled the whole game! There were a ton of Packers fans there, but the Chiefs fans were loud, and it was a great reminder of why Arrowhead is so awesome. And "the loudest stadium in the NFL."

My church had it's first Sunday in our new building this weekend, so I squeezed in a trip to church between the two games. It was a really crazy 24 hours with two games and church, plus driving all over Kansas City. I was exhausted by the end of it - thankfully all my teams won and it is only two days till Christmas break!

Gram & Dun.

2011-12-16T08:31:00.000-06:00

If you are wanting to check out the Plaza lights, and you want to eat on the Plaza too, please go to Gram & Dun. It's local owned by the same people as Urban Table and BRGR, and this may be my favorite of the places. I think they might be Nato's neighbors, so if she leaves a comment telling about how awesome all of these places are, ignore her. She's biased. And correct.

Anyways, back to Gram & Dun. We were there for lunch after church, and it wasn't too crowded. We were able to take our time - and some photos! Our waiter even thought it was kind of cool. They have a great cocktail menu that I'd really like to try, but it was the right time of day for diet coke. When is it not?

I had a "sangria salad" and we split the "not-so-ordinary potato chips" for our starters. My beer can chicken sandwich was fantastic, and also enough food for two meals. I substituted to get the steak fries. Potato number two!

The real star in the sandwich department was the beef, sausage, pork and coleslaw sandwich. All three meets were perfectly prepared and can make KC barbeque fanatics proud. And this sandwich had a THIRD different kind of potatoes. Chips!

There aren't a lot of locally owned options on the Plaza, so let's try to keep the ones that are around. It's only a few minutes away my house, and with the lights on right now, I'm always up for a trip. I'll even put up with the parking! What other locally owned restaurants do you like on the Plaza? Let's go, okay? I'll even go back to Gram & Dun if you insist.

Cookies & Pinterest.

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-06:00

Some of the most common things that I hear about Pinterest include:

I pin it and never do it.
I lost several hours of my life sucked into the vortex of Pinterest. And I'm probably never going to do it.

I've got this little board on Pinterest I like to call "Just Bake It." And my problem is not that I don't follow through with the projects. It is that I DO keep baking from this category and pounds of butter are flying out of my fridge and into various recipes. Thankfully it's Christmas and I can give the cookies away pretty easily.

Most of the time I start with a recipe I've made before that my friends like, one from pinterest or a random google search that results in a good recipe with good reviews. I usually only do the googling with specific ingredients I want to use. Dried cherries for example. Result: Giada's Dried Cherry & Almond Cookies. They were great but I want to try them with apricots and pine nuts.

The two cookies above were saved on my pinterest board for a little while before I made them. And I'm sort of obsessed with the homemade oatmeal creme pies. I ate a homemade one once at Ted's Bulletin in DC and have been craving them ever since. They got great reviews here around town, and while there are a couple of weird things in the recipe, they are super easy to make!

The dark chocolate and peanut butter cookies have also been a success. I baked them twice this fall and am glad to have a quick chocolate and peanut butter cookie in rotation. That Bakerella. She really knows her stuff.

Bake something. Just do it. I heard on the radio that the holidays give us an inexplicable need to use butter. I wish it wasn't so true.

James' Puppy Party.

2011-12-13T06:30:00.000-06:00

Remember when I lived in Virginia and Rachel and I planned parties all the time? Yeah. That was really fun stuff. Don't worry though, we still plan parties. In fact, check us out on etsy! <--Shameless plug!

Kate wanted to have a puppy party for James' first birthday party! He loves a little stuffed puppy and it was a perfect fit with a touch of red right before Christmas. Since the baby shower I designed for Kate still is my best seller, I was happy to oblige with some new designs just for Kate & Baby James. They aren't in the shop yet, but they will be over Christmas break.

There will even be a custom melamine plate that goes with all the designs! I have it in chocolate brown and red for little boys, and I'll be making a chocolate and PINK option for little girls too!

Kate and Adam throw great parties at their house, and it was a fun way to celebrate James and the start of the holiday season. The guests got to take home bags of puppy chow, (get it?) and I even got to hold the birthday boy for a little bit. A true honor because he's walking now with lots of places to go! I kind of love him a lot and was thrilled to help with his sweet little first birthday party.

Spencer, Age 6.

2011-12-12T06:30:00.000-06:00

Little brother, you are a study in contradictions.

You look like a big kid, keeping up with the big boys for many hours every day.
But sometimes you are really tired and need to take a nap at Hard Rock.

You've recently switched to a dedication to all things vanilla, including your birthday cake,
but I've seen you drink tons of hot chocolate.

The chocolate fudge sauce on top of the whipped cream on top of the hot chocolate made you cry,
and yet in this picture you've got chocolate crumbs by your lips.

You've got Dad's giveway characteristics,
but your occasional bouts of drama remind us of other Luhrs besides Dad. Not naming names.

Tracy said you were nervous about losing those front two teeth
but super willing to show how a cute first-grade girl how they wiggle.

You didn't want to color me a picture when I was visiting,
but last week on the phone you were sure to tell me you loved me.

Lucky us to know you.

Ambrosia Macaroons.

2011-12-09T06:30:00.000-06:00

I made five types of cookies this week, plus cracker jacks (again!) They were all very different types for cookie exchanges and friends, but I didn't have to buy anything besides butter, eggs and brown sugar. This tells you about my baking cabinet. It was overflowing with cookie supplies. These ambrosia macaroons happened because I was determined to use a bag of coconut and a recipe I'd been waiting to use since 2008.

Don't be fooled. If you don't like coconut, you won't like these. If you like coconut, you will LOVE these. Kate bit into one on Tuesday night and proclaimed it tasted like it was from a bakery. They were super easy to make and held up well throughout the week. Don't refrigerate or freeze these cookies, that's against the rules in the macaroon club.

These cookies are a little different from macaroons I have made before. I used the whole egg so they are a little yellower than macaroons with only egg whites. And the orange zest is super helpful to add a new twist. I love ambrosia salad, which was the draw when I tore this recipe out of Bon Appetit.

Ambrosia Macaroons
adapted for one bag of coconut from Bon Appetit, December 2008

1/4 cup (half of a stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
a dash of salt
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel (I scraped about half of an orange - more would have been fine!)
1 egg
1 egg white
1 14-oz bag sweetened flaked coconut
3-4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used semisweet disks from Trader Joe's for melting and dipping!)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat butter in bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and salt, beat until blended. Beat in the orange peel, then eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in coconut.

I chilled it for about twenty minutes before using my cookie scoop. Drop batter onto sheets by tablespoonfuls, spacing about 2 inches apart. They won't spread but I had one or two kind of unstick and fall apart. I ate them before anyone could see that.

Bake macaroons until golden on bottom and browned in spots, about 25 minutes in my oven.

When they are cool, use a fork and drizzle melted chocolate over macaroons. It was way fun to swirl chocolate around the pan and had a dramatic effect on the finished deliciousness.

P.S. The Christmas fabric in the picture above is a tea apron from my great grandma Della. Love it.

Lukas Oil.

2011-12-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

Remember when I used to be mildly obsessed with Peyton Manning? It was a big part of my classroom - we had a Peyton Manning corner - and I talked about how he was my boyfriend regularly with my students. This year hasn't been a good year for "us." Peyton hasn't taken a single snap, and he didn't make any new commercials.

But that didn't stop me from wanting to see Lukas Oil where he has played before and could play again. Or the future home of Andrew Luck. However you want to look at it.

Carmel High School, the high school closest to my dad's place, played in the state championship on Saturday night over Thanksgiving break. We all put on some royal blue and gold and headed downtown to see the game at Lukas Oil. We even ate at Hard Rock Cafe before the game.

Here's a fun fact: Spencer was so tired he slept through the entire meal at Hard Rock. I'm not sure the last time you were at a Hard Rock Cafe. They are not quiet. Also, they don't show football games on their tvs. They show music videos. Un-American.

Little brothers were complete with face paint even for the game. I have never seen Blake sustain excitement for as long as he did during the game. Screaming and yelling pretty much the entire first half.

I don't have a picture of Cooper, but if I did you can bet he wouldn't be smiling even though he was excited to go and spent the night running around with other middle schoolers. I wish you could see his sneakers. They were covered in blue and yellow duct tape. I think he may have needed to cut his feet out of them at the end of the night.

Carmel won the state championship with a complete shutout of the other team. We had a good time, ate some cotton candy, and now I can say I've been to Lukas Oil. Also, I swear Spencer had a good time too. He just wasn't excited about the photo opp in downtown Indy.

Santa Pajamas.

2011-12-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

My stepmom's mother, Bonnie, does a sweet thing every year and buys all the grandkids new pajamas for Christmas. "Santa" comes with his big bag of presents and delivers them to the kiddos on Thanksgiving night. I was super glad to be included in the mix this year and am now the proud owner of new flannel pajamas. Perfect for a 28-year-old who pays her own heating bills and keeps it cool at night.

Before we continue, I hope you properly appreciated the nutsiness (new word!) that is my family in this big group picture. Spencer is missing his two front teeth. Mitch is packing a Santa belly inside that Ohio State sweatshirt. And Cooper the Elf kills me too. Even if Coop outgrows this not smiling stage, I think I will forever remember him this way.

Blake and Spencer's pajamas were adorable. Blake put his on first and Spencer couldn't bear to be left out. You can see the Luhrs dimples in these photos. Or a junior version of my dad.

The rest of the photos I just added for your enjoyment. There is just so little else I can say besides you're welcome!

Tuff, T-U-F-F.

2011-12-05T09:23:00.000-06:00

I took a few photos for friends' Christmas cards this year. I don't think this one made the cut for Tara and Tom, but their dog Tuff is a very handsome hound. It was a very cold November afternoon, and poor Tuff was shaking even with his little coat. He's so dapper! I love to talk to Tuff and spell out his ironic little name. T-U-F-F, I'll say. He responds with a tail wag of course.

What's That? A New Blog?

2011-12-01T17:00:00.000-06:00

Friends, it's no joke that I love my friends. And I especially love when they blog about their far away lives. Add it to your blogroll because you'll be able to follow along with the adventures of the Nibargers. You know I will.

Check it out friends...

The Nibargers Wide Wide World

And in case Vicki is seeing this here before she sees it on Rachel's blog, SURPRISE! Happy Anniversary from your husband. Now write stuff. Serbia is a looooooooong ways away and Rachel designed you this sweet blog!

A Super Sweet 16 for Gabby.

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Happy super sweet 16 to my stepsister Gabby. We had plenty of quality time together over Thanksgiving, united as two sisters against four brothers. I was happy to provide back-up and am amazed that Gabby does it all the time. Those boys are a lot of work! Gabby has grown into an awesome 16-year-old who does extremely well at school, just landed a role in the small cast of the high school play and will see the Muppets with me (the only one in Indy who would!). I know teenagers people, and Gabby is a good one.

Lest you worry about her on the road, don't. In Indiana, you don't actually drive on your own until 16 and a HALF. So Gabby will keep logging her practice miles, driving the minivan with "student driver" magnets on the outside. This makes me giggle...

Happy birthday Gabby!

The Three Books of November.

2011-11-30T09:16:00.000-06:00

Before we get to the books, an exciting announcement related to everyone's favorite bumble bee shower. Yesterday afternoon it was featured on Amy Atlas' blog, submitted by someone who purchased the items from the etsy shop. Totally a surprise to Rachel and me, but a really awesome surprise. If you don't know who Amy Atlas is, that's okay, but you should. Here's her bio. Sure it's not my party, but it is my design, and Amy links back to the store. That's pretty close to the big time for me. I'll take it.

Now for the books. It's a good thing we had Thanksgiving break or I might have only finished The Night Circus. I squeezed in two more books over the break!

The Night Circus was my book club pick. I was a little confused after the vote for the book, but we ended up glad we had read this book. It is a total fantasy - magic and mystery surround the circus at the turn of the last century mostly in Europe and New York. I liked it because it was so totally different than anything else I've read this year. I tried to research fair/circus food so we could do it up with a theme, but ended up with Giada's winter minestrone (super yummy) and homemade cracker jacks. I can not get enough of that popcorn. I'd recommend the book if you like fantasy books. It's got a love story tucked in there too, but the mystery and magic is where the best parts of the book are.

The Paris Wife tells the story of Hemingway's first wife, Cat, and their years in Paris. It totally IS a love story. It reminded me of Loving Frank, about Frank Lloyd Wright. You can see on the cover that the author of Loving Frank liked The Paris Wife. Obviously. I read this really quickly - probably in about two days - and really enjoyed it. I saw Midnight in Paris last summer and am interested in the lives of those crazy artists and writers in Paris in the 1920s. Occasionally it felt a little trite and imagined, but for the most part I really did like it. I can't make myself say that I loved it, but I did really really like it.

Shine is the third book I've read that was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. It's just barely for young people as the story is about teenage students/drop outs in Appalachia that are wound up in meth, a very very violent hate crime and a mystery. It was really difficult to read, but it might be my favorite of the three books. Three days later, I can't stop thinking about the characters, the plot and the ending which OH WHEE took my breath away. I finished it flying home from Indiana and my hands were sweating as I nervously finished the book. I don't know anything about Winter's Bone, set in the Ozarks, but I wonder if this could be similar in some ways. The book is probably the most coarse and graphic young people's book that I've read in a while, but it seems to be real life.

Up next: The Buddhas in the Attic, Christmas Train and a couple other things I've downloaded to the Kindle but not started yet. Maybe Cutting for Stone? I hear really good things about that book too!

Genessee Royale Bistro, for Brunch.

2011-11-29T09:05:00.000-06:00

Dad and Grandma landed in Kansas City at the downtown airport, and Lauren, Mark and I picked them up for a pre-holiday brunch last Wednesday morning. Everyone was skeptical when I picked Genessee Royale Bistro for our meal. This is Mark's skeptical face, in fact. They were concerned it wasn't very big, the menu was pretty standard, and the location in the Stockyards was a little bit off the beaten path.

And then we started eating and all their concerns were silenced by the awesomeness. Behold my cornmeal pancakes (with apples and sour cream) and the homemade granola.

And a very stockyard type of breakfast. The potatoes were incredible. Perfectly done so that the insides were still soft. Biscuits and bacon too. Oh do I love bacon.

My family was all pleased with their choices. My dad was so pleased that he complimented the manager/owner. This rarely happens, folks, so it must be good.

The place was just adorable and cozy. I hear there can be a long wait at lunch but this could be due to the fact there are only a few tables inside the place. The lunch menu also looked awesome, but I would quickly return for the pancakes. They aren't open on Sunday, which is unfortunate because it is so so close to my church and would be a favorite post-church brunch for me.

I had brunch at Beer Kitchen on Sunday, but there are no photos (remember, camera in Indy). It was also fantastic. Jon said the breakfast sandwich at Beer Kitchen was the best he had ever had, and Dereck said that the french toast is his favorite ever. I also resisted a strong urge to order a burger (I love Beer Kitchen's burgers AND burgers for brunch), and I thought the french toast was also awesome. And it came with bacon too! Surprise!

KC is really doing brunch up right these days.

Back from Thanksgiving Break.

2011-11-28T07:32:00.000-06:00

I took a break from parts of my life for the past few days, and it was nice. I didn't do the dishes, clean my floors or walk my dog. Or blog. Besides the internetting, my nice family took care of all those details for me, and I took it easy. I read two books, wrote Christmas cards, worked on design projects, watched 37 football games and spent tons of time with my Indiana family. I'm a little tired heading into a full work week, but I know I'll find the rhythm again soon.

When my dad picked me up to take me to Indy last week, the sky was bright and sort of hazy. This is the view of the skyline from the downtown airport. When we landed on Sunday, it was dark and a little more ominous, but in photos the skyline would have looked bolder and more distinct. Imagine it - I left my camera in Indy. Silly me.

I do have a ton of pictures from my visit, a restaurant rave review, and book posts ahead this week. Provided I make it through Monday. Only four Mondays until Christmas break (not that I'm counting).

Need a Christmas Present Idea?

2011-11-22T10:13:00.001-06:00

I've got two Christmas present ideas for you today. They happen to be things Rachel and I designed and sell, but they are totally designed and sold with LOVE. The first are the sweet little enclosure cards pictured above and available for sale here on the Etsy shop. I made these for some girlfriends Christmas 2010, and they were so popular I made a new design this year and decided to offer them to more friends and family! $15.00 for a set of ten personalized little cards and Paper Source envelopes in a sweet little bag.

If you're local in KC and you'd like order some, contact me at VLuhrs AT gmail.com, and I have a special local special (cheaper + no shipping). Or feel free to order through the Etsy shop and I can ship them to you. Use the code SAVE10 to get 10% off your orders on Etsy before November 30.

Rachel's collection of custom design plates keeps growing in the shop as well. Hurry to order soon to ensure Christmas delivery. Probably by November 30th. Using the code SAVE10 to get 10% off, obviously. She's got plates for kids, Santa's cookies, newlyweds and 28-year-olds who like melamine plates. This one is my current favorite, preferably in G5 and D2.

Rachel and I don't blog to make money. No adds, sponsors or anything, just us. We're adamant about blogging for the memories. (See Rach's post on Martha Stewart as a recent example.) This design business stuff totally comes from the fact that we made some stuff for ourselves and our friends and then other people wanted to buy it too.

Don't forget to use the code SAVE10 and cross a couple presents off your Christmas list before Thanksgiving. Also, like us on facebook for future sales, coupons and discounts.

Living Room.

2011-11-18T14:31:00.000-06:00

I live in a sweet little house with my pretty sweet little dog. I waited and waited to post photos of the living room until it was perfect. It's not exactly perfect, but I totally love how it's shaping up. Especially because so many of the items were bargains, and I never find bargains.

You have to look for bargains to find them. Sometimes I just get distracted by more expensive awesome. The yellow chair fits in that category. But it is so cute and happy and actually comfortable.

Tara says it is better for short people. But I still like it.

It's a little room that bleeds quickly into a small dining room. Here are some details about the things you can see from these photos. The two little white end tables are former pieces of a vanity that someone refinished and sold at the antiques mecca that is in the West Bottoms. Both pieces were $75 total. The drawers are lovely and perfect for dog leashes, mittens and the mail. They're tall like the couch so easy to use too!

I also found the blue table there too but it was sad, gray and overpriced. $45 later and a quick coat of paint, it was a perfect fit for my living room! It is sturdy and the right size for my smallish flatscreen. I don't have a cable box (still going strong) so I didn't need a lot of entertainment type space.

As usual, all the art means something. The framed print by the door was brought to me from Germany by Jennie. The canvas print behind the TV is my favorite shot from Dublin.

I acquired the brown couch, chair and ottoman from my pal Lindsay. They were a great price because I didn't need super new stuff. Despite my best efforts, my dog Belle sits on the couch all day waiting for me to get home. I wish I was kidding. Also, I made sure to take these photos in the morning because the couch looks army green later in the day. Silly couch.

I found these bright pillows at Pottery Barn. I have two blue ones. I could totally justify it because they cost me $12.99 each and that included the pillow. They were outdoor ones but you can't tell. Plus, if I lay on the couch with wet hair, the pillow takes care of the moisture. I'm such a smart shopper.

The lamp needs an updated lampshade probably, but it did get some oil-rubbed-bronze love, a la Young House Love. I have another one that I want to do too. Thanks Mom for the free lamps.

Still on the list: more art for the walls and more pillows. Bright, happy patterned pillows.

Thankful Thursday.

2011-11-17T07:39:00.001-06:00

Today I'm thankful for a lot of things. I was driving to work and just feeling really thankful. Not even because Thanksgiving is next week but because I have a lot to be thankful for each day. Here's a few of those special things:

I have a garage and didn't have to scrape my car this morning.

My little brother is SIX today (these photos are two years old and still some of my favorites!). I'm thankful he is dramatic and tall. That's how I know we're related. Oh yeah, we look alike too.

He wanted Papa John's delivered for his birthday dinner. This cracks me right up.

People read this blog.

My mom. She made me sloppy joes last night, a special treat because she makes it with a little of this and a little of that and it can't be replicated. Then we went "shopping" in her house. I will be able to make some Christmas crafts almost entirely without going to the store. That's awesome.

I'm grateful to have a job, and even better, one that I look forward to each morning.

For Thanksgiving break. Even though last year at this time I was packing for Europe, I'm really looking forward to a stateside Thanksgiving.

I get to see the Kansas City skyline every.single.day when I drive to work. It makes me extremely happy.

For the good people that fill my life. There are lots of them, and I know I'm happier on the days where we get to talk and share life together.

Happy week until Thanksgiving, friends. Hope you have plenty to be thankful for today too!

Bluestem Bistro Brunch.

2011-11-15T12:23:00.000-06:00

It seems like Bluestem Bistro has been everywhere in the news lately. Melinda suggested this restaurant because she heard about it on NPR, and their new cookbook was featured in the FYI section of the paper recently. A group of us met the morning after the latest Anderson wedding, and it was pretty close to perfect.

The 2007 New York Times review of the restaurant had the title, "Far from the big city and not missing them." It was an appropriate description for our group and this meal. A year ago, we were getting ready for a trip to Dublin and London together. Kenneth and Melinda moved home from LA, and I returned from the east coast where I went to brunch and blogged about food much more frequently.

And now we're home. Places like Bluestem are perfect for "recovering east/westcoasters." It's like the best of both worlds with great food and company in my hometown. There are no excuses about Midwestern life - it really is as good as we make it out to be.

This was the special. Three of us ordered the homemade biscuit with eggs, bacon, cheese, homefries and salad. And I definitely had leftovers and ate them. We all started us out with little bowls of granola and blueberry yogurt. Dereck had already cut up his french toast before I could snap a photo. Erica had the smoked salmon plate, and it was also beautiful. But I really loved the special.

I made my sister shoot into the sun with imperfect results. She did warn me. I was so happy and so very full, both from brunch and being home in the Midwest, that I didn't even worry about the overexposure. It's like a post-brunch happiness haze.

My Favorite Andersons, Part II.

2011-11-14T06:26:00.000-06:00

When Erica married Jon in 2008 and became an Anderson, I walked around the whole weekend talking about "my favorite Andersons." Erica is totally my favorite Anderson. But then I would magnanimously declare one brother or another my second favorite Anderson. As if any of them really cared. I thought it was hilarious and named all the wedding photos on facebook, "My Favorite Andersons."

Two weekends ago we celebrated the addition of another Anderson to the family when Logan married Mark. It was a little bit like seeing a little brother get married because I've known Mark since he was a freshman rooming with Kenneth at the DU house. The same age as my little sister, we were super stoked to get to attend the beautiful party here in the neighborhood. The wedding was at Village and the reception was at Indian Hills Country Club.

The reception was during the same time as the Oklahoma State v. K-State game, so I liked to thank Mark for having such a nice watch party for us. Open bar and the K-State game = awesome. We were huddled around the tv for a large chunk of the early evening as we watched a shoot out of a game. At time-outs, we'd dance a song or two, and then end up back at the tv. It was a great game, even if the final seconds didn't go the way we wanted them too. After the game we danced, danced, danced till the band quit just after midnight.

I didn't do a great job taking photos except for with my favorite sister and my favorite Anderson, who was a bridesmaid in the wedding. There were many of our favorite K-State friends at the party, and we really had a lovely time. Thanks Mark and Logan for having us - hope Hawaii is treating you well!

Baby Everett, Again.

2011-11-11T10:19:00.000-06:00

Do you need some sweet baby photos on a Friday morning? Okay. I'll help you out. Here are some more photos of Baby Everett. He came over to my mom's house a couple weeks ago, and Rachel and I got to practice our skills.

One where he was awake and then he got plain tuckered out and had to take a snooze.

And while the close-up photos are usually everyone's favorites, I also love this not-as-great shot of how big he is. Happy Friday!

The Game We'd ALMOST Like to Forget.

2011-11-10T10:30:00.000-06:00

We would totally like to forget everything that happened inside Bill Synder Family Stadium that day. But outside the stadium, we had just the best time and want to remember all.of.it. So many friends and lovely people at the tailgate that day, it more than compensated for the game shenanigans. We started planning a big tailgate as soon as we knew that little Finn and his family would be joining us.

Speaking of family, how much do we look like sisters in this photo? And how much do the boys look like brothers? Poor Braden had a cute K-State outfit on before he had an accident. Oh baby.

There were a lot of Alpha Chis present at the tailgate, just like the old days! It's been ten years since we joined Alpha Chi, and the number of babies in this group is now FOUR! We took a photo with all the Alpha Chis and the babies but it's not nearly as cute as this one. Only Dinah made it into this photo. (If you want to see it with Alison wearing purple, check out Rachel's photoshopped version.)

There were lots of babies and it wasn't too difficult to watch them with the cars. But it did take lots of eyes and hands! We also had some of Mom's and Lauren's sorority sisters come by too. We had barbeque and lots of yummy sides to go with it.

This little boy's dad made him his Wildcat hat. Photo op! This is about the happiest we got. Once we got inside the stadium things went downhill. If only we had seen the Oklahoma State game and not the Oklahoma game!

As Mom said to Sol at the end of the day, let us know when you want to do it again next year. It was a fabulous tailgate with so many dear friends.

Friday Night in Aggieville.

2011-11-09T08:06:00.001-06:00

Almost two weeks ago, Mom, Lauren and I went to Manhattan for Homecoming! We arrived during the parade and watched a little bit before catching up with some of our SAB friends. It was a beautiful night in the Ville - a bit cold but pretty as we watched the floats come through Aggieville. Not much has changed about Homecoming from our days of floats, Pant the Chant and sorority/fraternity pairings.

We met up with one of Mom's sorority sisters and had dinner at Kite's. I know what you're thinking. WHY would you eat at Kite's when So Long Saloon is directly across the street? The wait was like two hours. And there is only so long you can wait on a Friday night when you are really hungry.

But there was tons going on at Kite's, so it ended up being the right choice. Members of the band came in to play, complete with Darth Vadar and a lightsaber! ESPN Road Trip was filming a story about a really large burger. I restrained from jumping in the background of their shots.

Off and on over the years, donuts have been a late night staple for K-State college kids. Daylight Donuts would open at 1 am when Lauren was in college, and my mom's generation loves to talk about Vern's donuts in the basement of his house. Varsity Donuts is newest on the scene and a super creative twist on the late night donut experience.

Or the 9:30 pm donut experience. We were really tired and didn't stay out very late in Aggieville on Friday night. As for the donuts, the chocolate coconut was not so awesome. We really liked the apple and pumpkin donuts way better.

Varsity Donuts is in the old Palace building. I've loved pretty much everything in this space since before I started at K-State in 2001. Donuts are always fine with me because, as the sign on the door says, "Donuts make people happy."

P.S. The first two shots in this blog post were shot in manual and came out of the camera looking like this. Things are getting better all the time!

The Four Books of October.

2011-11-08T10:36:00.001-06:00

A friend recently told me that she couldn't get down with my young adult lit recommendations that fill our collective kindle. To be fair, the ones she tried were from The Summer I Turned Pretty Series. They were pretty Judy Blume-ish and definitely teenage chick lit. But two of the books this month translate beyond the teen years in totally not Twilight ways. This is just good literature, my friends, and I loved loved both of the books.

Okay for Now takes a smaller character from The Wednesday Wars, which I haven't read, and gives him his whole book. I loved this book. I was walking with Tara when I was about forty percent in and just begging her to read it so I would have someone to talk about the book with me. I cried many times reading this book, but it is totally worth reading. And finishing. The author's style is different, and he sounds like a middle school boy telling you the story because occasionally he will include or imply a heart-wrenching detail in a perfectly teenage way. I was 90% satisfied with the ending, but I think that the rest of the story is so over the top redeeming it is a worthy read for teenagers and adults.

Inside Out & Back Again is written in verse so it takes less than a couple hours to read. Right after the fall of Saigon, the little girl and her family leave Vietnam and emigrate to the United States. I've got a thing for immigration stories, as you know. She's in elementary school, so this would be a tougher reader for middle school students to relate to because they don't like baby books. The material is middle level appropriate, it's just hard when the protagonist is young. It's autobiographical, and the story is also a great depiction of the uphill battle to learn English for many kids. Both of these first two books are finalists for the National Book Award, young adult category. My vote: Okay for Now.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian did win the National Book Award for YA Adult Literature in 2007 and totally deserved it. I think you should read Okay for Now. I insist you read Absolutely True Diary. It's not a middle school book because there are far too many things parents would complain about with middle school students. It is probably an ideal freshman read. The protagonist is a high school boy who leaves the reservation to attend school in a nearby small town and there are only two Indians in his school - him and the mascot. Sometimes funny, always creative and occasionally heart breaking, I really loved it. I have it in paperback if you need me to loan it to you.

and speaking of National Book Award finalists, Tiger's Wife made the list. I approve.

Faith was the October book club book and the only not YA book I read in October. What else is new? It was pretty great, and we all appreciated the inside look at the life of a Catholic priest. I also appreciated it because it is a Boston tale, and I thought the story around a child abuse scandal was well developed and revealed. I read it on a trip with my mom to my grandparents' farm and I updated her as we went with what I learned about the story. We had a rich and fascinating discussion around religion at book club and that was maybe the best part about the book. I liked the story, but I also love a good discussion.

I cried or wanted to at all of these stories. Sorry to be the bearer of sad books this month, but that's what I read. Happy reading!

Mortar Board, Backsnacks and Books.

2011-11-04T10:54:00.003-05:00

I work with all the Mortar Board chapters in Kansas and Missoui - we call it a section - and I'm advising at UMKC. I missed summer conference this year to celebrate Anne & Ashley, Emily, and start my new job. So I was really worried that the section project wouldn't have a lot of steam because I didn't bond with my presidents.

Instead, Mom and I hosted 68 college seniors from 6 chapters for an afternoon of work at Harvesters on October 23rd. In our fourth year of the section project, we had our largest group yet!

My mom is a huge part of the success of this section project. She hosted the last two years when I lived in Virginia. She packs up the coolers full of water and diet coke, makes treats and brings snacks for the students before and after they work.

Together we packed over 1400 backsnacks, nutritious food for students to take home for the weekend. The longest time for many children is between school lunch on Friday afternoon and school breakfast on Monday morning, and this helps fill the gap.

It is the kind of work that you can see making a difference really quickly. We worked in long assembly lines and it's a fun way to work together with students from other chapters. I have special love for the K-State kids (below) and my UMKC kids. MMBL - much Mortar Board love.

I love to brag about the college seniors and the work they do. If you feel inspired by their dedication to service, support the Virtual Book Drive at Mortar Board. For every $2 you donate, a Mortar Board chapter gives a book to a child in need. Awesome impact for not a lot of cash. $20 = 10 books! (Specify UMKC or K-State as the chapter. Mmkay? Thanks!)

And if you want to give money to backsnacks, check out this information at Harvesters. Harvesters needs to buy all the food in backsnacks so that they have maximum nutrition and are kid friendly. So they'll be greatful for your support too.

Back from the Rain.

2011-11-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

(from Sporting KC)

My life came and gobbled me up for the past week, and I'm just again finding my way out. Rachel, Sol and the boys were here from Wednesday through Tuesday and it was FANTASTIC! No school on Monday, a district training on Tuesday and again tomorrow, and I've had only two very brief days in my school this week. My school that I love, by the by.

Tuesday night was all about the Mo-Bo, and I scrambled to make three pans of peanut butter Rice Krispies treats for the Mortar Board bake sale at UMKC. Not technically "baking" but hopefully a big hit. I'm loving serving as an advisor, and I was glad to help with their bake sale for First Book. Also on Tuesday night, Erica, Jon and I had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. If you had the advertisement, twenty percent of the bill went to Mortar Board. I saw a few of the seniors while we were there too.

Last night we went to Sporting KC's playoff game. It was cold, wet and fun. I don't think I've been that wet and cold at the same time since the trip to Ireland last year. We stood in the rain for several hours, saw Sporting KC score two goals and win! I did not have enough layers on, but I can finally feel my toes again this morning.

If there was ever a time to own a pair of Hunter Boots like the Queen, last night was it. Yes, I can't let this go. I KNOW you have to buy fancy fleece socks to wear inside of them. I KNOW that I won't use them very often. But I do think a good pair of rain boots would come in handy enough times a year to justify the Hunter price. They would be good for years to come. If only I could pick a color...

And I can't find any photos, but I'm pretty sure that Kate Middleton probably also has a pair.

Cute Baby Alert.

2011-10-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

Baby Braden wants you to have a very happy Friday. He's enjoying his first trip to Kansas and all the sites and sounds of the town. Finley was a little confused about where Kansas actually was. Yesterday he asked when we were going to go there. It's a state and not a place like church, work or Chipotle, so admittedly a little trickier. We're having so much fun, and I'm missing them while I am work today.

Mom, Lauren and I are headed to Manhattan tonight for the Homecoming parade and festivities. Big game tomorrow - my fifth of the season! Hard to believe how much life can change in a few months. Thankfully Finley still is sweet to me, and I think even B-Town remembers who I am.

K-State @ KU.

2011-10-26T08:44:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning the family met in Lawrence for the Sunflower Showdown. My uncle Keith had been eying the hospitality tents on the hill and decided this year would be a good one to host. It was perfect. Seriously. We could see the stadium, it was easy to find all of our friends and family, and we had a great place to hang out together. It was also an excellent preview of my cousin's wedding next spring. Sasha and Mike are getting married at the Oread - you can see it right behind the stadium. Can't wait for that party either!

I heard an estimate on the radio this week that there were about 20,000 purple people in Lawrence for the game. All those K-State fans were treated to a big win. I just feel bad for Turner Gill. They say he is a nice man, but man, his team is suffering.

Lest you've forgotten, my sister is a KU Law student. Her she is with fellow KU 2L, Clarissa, but they stayed true to their purple roots. Thank goodness. Here's the other details from my fourth game of the year:

Tickets proved a little bit tricky to find, but finally founds some on Craigs' List. I think the KU fan was a little disappointed to sell his 50-yard-line tickets to me, but I was glad to have some. Saw plenty of people looking for tickets Saturday morning, and I got to enjoy my family more because we already had ours ready to go.

My sister and Mom brought a hot thermos full of cider and wine. It was so delicious, and the perfect type of hot beverage for a Saturday morning. Big fans.

The Union catered the food for the tent, and we had the famous Monte Cristo casserole. It was hot and yummy.

K-State won. 59-21.

We could hear the band during the game which is different than Manhattan where we sit a little too far away. They do some ridiculous things, but I'm still giggling about their chant at the end of the game. They started saying, "Warm up the bus, bring on the Sooners." I thought it was a little annoying at first, but it grew on me. In fact, I've been saying it all week.

My uncle wore purple. Sometimes he wears green on Sunflower Showdown weekend.

After the game, we were just sure we would be on Game Day this weekend. Thanks Oklahoma for blowing that one!

I am really jealous of my sister's purple North Face.

Jon Turning 30.

2011-10-25T07:45:00.009-05:00

Two weeks ago on October 15th, our friend Jon turned 30. Luckily K-State was playing on his birthday. He's a big fan, so that's the perfect kind of present for Jon. Erica planned it out with barbeque, beans, cheesy potatoes, great appetizers and one really large Costco cake. I really wish that they would have added the 30-yard-line for Jon. It would only seem appropriate.

Erica got a keg of Coors Light for the party. In discussing the details of this party, I got really worried that kegs had to be ordered a long time in advance. Turns out - you don't. The guy at the liquor store sort of laughed at Erica when she tried to order it Tuesday for Saturday.

Yes, we are 28 and this is the first time we have been involved with the procurement of a keg.

At 7-0, this is the point in the season where we "could" start to get superstitious. For example, in some grouping, Anne, Ashley, Erica, Jon, Kenneth, Melinda and I have watched every game together this season. Even if some of us missed, others were together, cheering and willing the Wildcats to win.

I have worn my purple watch every game so far this fall. (Thanks Dad and Tracy!) I also think it's an important part of a K-State win.

And look! I'm drinking beer out of a disposable cup again! This could also be part of the winning strategy. just.kidding. It just happens sometimes.

Last Saturday at KU, I asked Jon to take a picture of my family. He did it, and then I made him take it again. I think he was a little offended.

I think he forgot about the last time he took a picture of my family. I didn't. Here's Lauren and I pretty up close and personal. She looks pretty good for a morning half marathon.

We had a great time celebrating a K-State victory and Jon's 30th. My mom was the only Luhrs Lady who remembered to get him a card, so she wins. I'm thankful to be living so close to Jon and Erica, and not only because he helps take care of my yard without me even asking. He's a good dude and good friend.

Nelson's Landing.

2011-10-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

Indirectly, this post about a restaurant in Leonardville, Kansas, is also a post about two football teams that are 7-0. When Mom and I went to visit my grandparents after the K-State v. Baylor game, we stopped for a quick burger at Nelson's Landing in Leonardville. About thirty minutes from Manhattan, Nelson's Landing is owned by Jordy Nelson's parents. My mom had stopped before, but I was pretty excited about my first trip to the Nelson family establishment.

They have signs up for the Riley County high school team, K-State and the Packers where Jordy plays now. While our stop was several weeks ago, it's crazy to think that K-State and the Packers are both now 7-0!

We both ordered hamburgers, and I was super excited to see Mr. Nelson bringing us our food. Not because of the hamburgers, but because he is JORDY NELSON'S DAD. I almost geeked out and asked for a picture with him, but I maintained my cool and ate my dinner instead.

While we ate, we watched Wisconsin beat up on Nebraska. See the screen in the photo above? That's Coach Bielema, a former K-State coach and now the head coach at Wisconsin. It's a small world. We got a little distracted by the game and didn't notice the fridge full of slices of pie in the back corner until too late. Apparently someone in the Nelson family makes it, and it's supposed to be fantastic. Looks like we'll have to go back again for the pie!

P.S. How many K-Staters reading this started chanting "Jor-dy Nel-son!" in their heads? Love that kid.

State of the TV.

2011-10-21T11:18:00.008-05:00

It's October 21st, and I'm just now blogging about television. Something is totally awry. Here's the sitch: I don't have cable. And I don't have a DVR. Also, some shows that I could watch in Virginia because I was already home are on earlier in KC, and I always miss them. Basically, I watch less TV.

And here is the weirdest part about it: I don't mind it or miss it.

On occasion people will mention something to me about a tv show, and I will have to say, "Oh yeah, I didn't see it." Surprisingly, it doesn't happen that often. Apparently the rest of the world doesn't watch as much TV as Rachel and I did last year in Virginia. I miss talking about TV with Rachel, but I feel like she's really not watching as much either. There are just a few shows I'm watching every week, and I love those shows. They've really made the cut and are my favorites. Here's the list.

The Good Wife: We've got more Eli in the office this year. Diane is brilliant. And I think Kalinda and Cary might actually work out. And that is all awesome stuff that has nothing to do with The Good Wife herself. I love her character, and Alicia is a pretty awesome 3rd-year-associate at Lockhart Gardner. This could be the best part of Sunday night.

Parenthood: My undying love for Lorelai Gilmore continues. I love all the story lines and family dynamics. I want to go to a Braverman dance party in the kitchen sometime.

Modern Family: How do they come up with this stuff? Between an Emmy winning K-Stater and the funniest TV dads (all four of them), I laugh out loud almost every week at this show. I think Luke might be my favorite of all the kids. I'm still giggling about Luke and Phil buying the pizza without their pants on.

Parks & Recreation: In today's heated political climate, it's nice to have a heroine like Leslie Knope who gets stuff done. She is a model for politicians and bureaucracy today, especially for women! Leslie gets stuff done. (Also, this show is very silly. I like that Leslie is a strong female lead, but it wouldn't be the same show without Ron, Andy, Tom, April, and BEN WYATT). Thanks also to Jon Anderson for sharing the image above.

Yep, that's it. Four shows. If they're online, I have extra time, or ~~everyone~~ Rachel said they were really funny I'll watch Community, New Girl, Up All Night or The Office. But that's happening less and less because I am not home, I don't turn the TV on OR Fox delays shows for 8 days. I'd love watch Bones when it starts up again, but the eight day delay and Thursday night at 7 pm are going to make that tricky.

I miss some of my old friends: Mr. Schu, Barney, Marshall, Olivia and ELLIOTT, Beckett, Kurt Himmel, and Omar Little. Just kidding, Omar is on Community now.

Are you surprised? Proud? Jealous? Think I have a long ways to go? I'm pretty proud myself. Four shows! Or eight depending on how you count

P.S. TGIF.
P.S.S. Go K-State! Beat KU!
P.S.S.S. Rachel, Sol, Braden, Finley will be here next Wednesday!

Kansas City Marathon.

2011-10-20T11:32:00.000-05:00

When I lived in Virginia, I missed my sister run five half marathons. That's over 65 miles of running. I was thrilled I would be home to watch her run number six. I even offered to drive. That was before she told me that she would be at my house at 5:45. AM. But it was still fun and totally worth it.

I captured these photos at sunrise in downtown KC. The first one is near the beginning of the race, and the second is near mile two as the runners come back down near Union Station.

Lauren ran with Veronica and Megan, and I was able to see them three times during the race. It is definitely NOT as fun chasing marathon/half marathon runners by yourself. There is a lot of math involved in calculating their pace and location, maneuvering closed roads, and then watching the big crowds of runners to find your runners. Once I found them one time, it was easy to find them again. I would recognize the people ahead of them, and I saw Them at mile 7, 8.5 and maybe 10.

After the race, Megan and I drank some chocolate milk, and Lauren and I ate some GREAT Kansas beef sticks. Lu runs for Team Beef, and they pay for her entry fee. And she gets to wear this great jersey. I totally yelled "Go Meggie! Go TEAM BEEF!" every time I saw them.

I love going to marathons. I think they are inspiring, and I totally always cry. It does NOT make me want to be a marathon runner, but I still like going. Next time I need a buddy to help me track the runners. I am planning on spectating again in November. I will bring a hot thermos of something warm as we chase the runners, okay?

Book Club Special Guests.

2011-10-18T13:47:00.008-05:00

Two weeks ago we had two back-to-back book club events. We had a delicious brunch at Tara's on a Sunday afternoon and regular book club on Monday night at Kate's where we discussed our October book.

Tara makes a mean brunch. Baked french toast, mimosas, yogurt parfaits and a lot.of.bacon.

I am terrible at cooking bacon. That's probably a good/bad scenario. If I could cook bacon well, I'd eat more of it. Luckily Tara does it up right, and she lives 3.5 miles from my house. Round trip = seven miles for bacon that is correctly prepared. Fantastic.

While not a regularly attending member of the book club, Alison happened to be in town and joined us for both events. Perfect fit and an excellent excuse for me to hold baby Dinah, who I adore.

Baby Dinah was born in June and really not as sad as she looks in these photos. She was ready for a nap, and I was ready for a photo shoot. She looks a lot like her daddy, Matthew, but we collectively agreed that those eyes remind us of her mommy.

Yep, she's pretty adorable. I don't get to be around a ton of baby girls so I'm always marveling at how sweet little girls are. They get to wear cute little pink clothes and RUFFLES. Dinah was wearing socks on Monday with bows on them so they looked like little Mary Janes. Please stop.

Dinah's got a great life ahead of her hopefully filled with girlfriends as nice as mine who get together for everyone's birthday, cook bacon well or devour a pumpkin butter cake.

Oktoberfest.

2011-10-17T10:16:00.001-05:00

The now 6-0 K-State Wildcats were only 4-0 the last time I wrote a K-State recap. That was before Oktoberfest and a win in Lubbock against Texas Tech. On a recent trip to Germany, Kenneth bought a pair of lederhosen complete with a purple shirt. He decided that we should celebrate a K-State game, the German way, and it was fantastic. I think Oktoberfest could be one of my favorite ideas ever, and I already can't wait till next year. Here are some other notes from game day:

Mom and I were already in town because of the Leadership Studies event. (Thanks for all your feedback on the sweater vests!) So we started the morning with breakfast in Aggieville, a quick trip through Varneys and completing an etsy order.

Ashley made a PERFECT hefeweizen for the event. It's a good German beer that's easy to drink, and even Mom had some and liked it.

We drank out of steins. The Nortons have a collection that almost ended up at Goodwill but now have a special place in K-State tradition.

I wore the Oktoberfest t-shirt Kenneth got me in 2007 to the tailgate. He was surprised and excited! I totally changed for the game and spent most of the game taking my raincoat on and off. It wasn't that bad because we were beating Mizzou.

Oh yes, the Cats won.

Kenneth and Melinda brought fantastic German style sausage from a place on Johnson Drive about three minutes from my house. The German theme was well carried out in the meal we shared!

My friend Allison from work also has a bakery. She made 24 of the most fantastic black forest cupcakes ever. Chocolate cupcakes, sliced open, filled with cherry pie filling and homemade pastry cream, with homemade ganache on the top. We had to eat them with a fork, but they were so worth it. After I described it to Rachel, she said, "I have never been so jealous of a baked good in my life."

Kenneth's dad rode on a Harley for Harley Day. It was pretty cool - read more about it here.

Another photo of me holding a beer. But as the Nortons pointed out, at least it's not in another plastic cup.

This was the first game that my ticket group was at together. It was great sitting together in our season tickets - we've been looking forward to this for months! Three more home games to go!

Pumpkin Butter Cake.

2011-10-13T09:41:00.003-05:00

I have a couple regrets about this cake. One, that there was no natural light to take a photo of it. Two, that it is all gone. Please make it. For people you like or people you want to like you when it's done. I made it for book club, took the extra to school and had many happy friends. Several people had seconds at book club and the school secretary asked, "Are you SURE you don't want to marry my son?"

Pumpkin Butter Cake (from My Baking Addiction and Paula Deen - be warned, butter ahead)

Cake:
1 (18 1/4 oz) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (I actually used the 1/3 less fat kind!)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16 oz.) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9 baking pan.
3. To make the filling: beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Don't taste it just now. It's gross. Then add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next add the powdered sugar (yeah, you want that much sugar), cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well.
4. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

This is where a judgement call is necessary. The cake could have been way gooey-er if I had taken it out closer to 40. I do not like my cake to jiggle so it got closer to the 50 minutes treatment. The edges were not super tender but the inside was fabulous. I think next time I'll shoot for about 45 minutes because it set up a ton as it cooled.

And don't forget to make homemade whipped cream. Whip 1 cup of cream until you've got some peaks. Add two tablespoons powdered sugar.

A Correction.

2011-10-12T08:32:00.001-05:00

Last week I shared a photo of milo for my mom's birthday. To the undiscerning eye like mine, it looked great. To my uncle and grandmother who read the blog AND look at a lot of milo, they thought it was wimpy.

My uncle Keith sent me these photos of my grandfather and much better milo. His composition blows mine out of the water. I'm obsessed with the horizon and especially my grandfather standing amongst the milo.

Now seems as good as time as any to write down a little story about my grandfather. Especially because, as I mentioned recently, the number of photos of me holding a beer has risen significantly in the last few months at home.

Once, in high school, I met my grandparents and my mom at a Mexican restaurant on Southwest Boulevard. They were already seated when I arrived, so I asked how long they had been there.

Without missing a beat, Grandpa said, "Oh, about half a beer."

I remember thinking that was the funniest thing in the world. My grandfather measured time in BEER! So funny to teenage Victoria.

And now, to grown-up Victoria, I find it to be incredibly accurate.

School of Leadership Studies and Other Notes.

2011-10-11T08:46:00.001-05:00

Friday night, Mom and I hurried to Manhattan for an event at the Leadership Studies building on campus. We've been loving this building since it's infancy - Mom's a donor, and we're both extremely proud of the Mortar Board National Senior Honor Society office perfectly located on the second floor. Leadership Studies was a home to Lauren, Mom and me during our years at K-State, and we love seeing this program grow in the new building with a new title - the School of Leadership Studies.

Now here are a few things I want to tell you about the night. First, the dress for the event was something along the lines of "purple business casual." That's how we do it at K-State. We specify purple and then everyone wears it. Mom and I are both sporting new purple shirts for the event. Rocking the purple patterns - thanks JCrew and Banana!

Second, I am beginning to feel like the last person on earth who hasn't made the pom poms out of tissue paper. Seriously. I might make some in orange and black and hang them above the table in my dining area just so I can fit in with crafty bloggers.

Next up: the sweater vests. In this great but poorly lit photo of Ally and me standing in the foyer, look to the left hand side for the man wearing a sweater vest. The OTHER senior honor society at K-State, Blue Key, has decided that their members should wear sweater vests at official events. Here's the conversation re: the sweater vests between my sister and I over text message. (Note: Lauren was in both Mortar Board and Blue Key but her heart's allegiance is to Blue Key.)

Me: Um. Blue Key wears sweater vests now. Not cool, right?
Lauren: I'm sorry but I think the sweater vests are the best thing ever. It started two classes after us and we were all very jealous.
Me: I'm sorry we are related. I cannot stop laughing.

There was a wall with "Faces of Leadership" posters. Rachel and I completed ours together, obviously. It had to include an inspirational quote so we wrote "Children are the future."

You are totally inspired right now, right?

Anyways, Rach and I did really complete the minor together and both honestly believe that children are our future. I have a lot of happy memories of Leadership Studies AND Rachel - we took our first class together as freshman, our education honors research was supervised by one of the two founders of the Leadership Studies program, and we took our mad leadership skills to Virginia where we revamped Student Council at our old school.

Also featured on the wall were Lauren and Vicki, both were too busy to attend the event. Lauren was in California with Mark mourning Steve Jobs. Vicki was in labor. True story.

This is just another reason I'm so happy to be home. It's nice to be able to pop in on events like this and see so many friends and familiar faces.

The Two Books of September.

2011-10-10T09:57:00.000-05:00

I actually read four books in September, if you count the three times in one week that I read The Lover's Dictionary. Yep, I loved it so much that I read it three times and still pick it up to read some of my favorite passages again. Here's a review of what transpired in September.

The Lover's Dictionary was Leah's book club choice for September and a good one. I may be the only member of the book club who read it three times, but I missed a few things the first time that were fun to discover the second time. And I really appreciated so much more of it on the third. It's the story of a relationship told through words and their definitions which are often anecdotes or short bits of prose. Writing about it right now makes me want to read it again. I haven't read it in about three weeks, so I could probably justify a quick read of the book again. It's pretty short, and a lovely little read that can be finished in about an hour. Loved The Lover's Dictionary.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror & an American Family in Hitler's Berlin seemed like a good idea at the time. I loved Erik Larson's Devil in the White City and have shared my beat up copy (held together literally by rubber bands) with many friends over the years. My stepmom's dad gave Lauren and I each a copy of the book, and it's a classic Chicago tale that everyone loves when they read it. So I had high expectations for Larson's newest book, and the reviewers (except Tara) seemed to really like it. I finished it, and I learned some things. Some parts were more interesting than others. If you haven't read Devil in the White City, read that one instead.

Milo for Mom's Birthday.

2011-10-05T11:48:00.000-05:00

Mom and I made a quick trip to North Central Kansas over the weekend after the K-State win. I wanted to see my grandparents for the first time since I moved home in July, and it was a great little visit.

Fall is in full force across Kansas. It looks like the leaves changing beautifully here, but there are less trees and the fall colors are more subtle in Jewell County. The milo in the fields is in several autumnal shades, including this rusty red. We stopped to check out my uncle's new combine, and I snapped a few photos of all the fall colors in the country.

It was a great overnight trip, especially because I got all this time with my mom in the car. She cares for me daily and is always helping out with things around town, but she also just cares for my heart. I can tell her my stories, dilemmas, and dreams, and she safely carries them with her. She is beyond good to me.

Happy birthday Mama!

Beating Baylor.

2011-10-04T10:17:00.002-05:00

Did you see what K-State did on Saturday? Yep, we upset the #15 team in the nation. It was a glorious day to be a Wildcat. Here are the details and the highlights:

K-State vs. Baylor. Down 9 points in the fourth quarter, come from behind, WIN. This is why we are glad Coach Snyder is our coach. He makes miracles happen.

First game of the season for Erica and Anne. Their husbands were both absent, so it was a girls' weekend of sorts. We also got to see our sorority sister Jesi who lives in Manhattan.

FUN fact about Jesi - we were on the same soccer team in kindergarten.

Brand new K-State shirt from Kansas Sampler. Super cute and soft, it was an easy choice to add into the K-State shirt rotation.

We've had 16 sunny days in a row in Kansas. Saturday was not an exception. A few people got sunburned, but thankfully my seat doesn't face the sun.

Mom made everyone's favorite fall cookies, pumpkin snickerdoodles, Anne brought sandwiches, and we bummed some more cookies from the ladies next to our tailgate. Low key tailgate day. WAIT till next week...

This makes three posts in a row where I'm holding a beer. My parents are proud.

From the rumor mill: if K-State can beat Mizzou, Texas Tech and KU, we'll be 7-0 when we play Oklahoma at home for Homecoming. Maybe an ESPN Game Day visit to this gorgeous stadium? Maybe?

American Royal BBQ.

2011-10-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

Friday night marked my triumphant return to the American Royal BBQ. Not the American Royal people, the American Royal BBQ. There seems to be a bit of confusion around just what the Royal is and it is not just a BBQ. It's livestock judging, rodeos, educational opportunities, and a huge Kansas City tradition.

But the BBQ is definitely a highlight for so many Kansas Citians. They estimated about 35,000 people were there on Friday night with over 600 barbeque teams competing for the grand prize. There were also a ton of parties, but you have to know people to go to a lot of them. Our plan was to check in at Big Brothers Big Sisters party, and then meet back up with Kate at her firm's tent.

Big Brothers Big Sisters party was huge, but we snagged a little barbeque and then spent most of our time waiting in line for beer. With our mugs full, we headed back to meet up with Kate. It was easier to talk, we met some new people and saw a few of my old friends as well.

It's really hard to describe the area where the barbeque is held unless you have been down to Kemper Arena before. The whole area around this large arena is full of barbeque smokers, tents, rvs, bands, djs and a lot of people. You buy a ticket to get into the area that is marked off for the bbq, but it's a huge area that you could walk and walk forever. Parking is a bit of an adventure, but it wasn't that bad, and we were able to park relatively close.

When we got to Kate's house, the babysitter was a senior at my high school. And then I felt old as I told her I graduated ten years ago. TEN years ago. But it was foreshadowing for later in the evening when we spent quite a bit of time with some of my high school classmates. In a small world connection, I got to see several of them and catch up. Ten years goes pretty fast, and by the end of the night I was feeling young again.

The Plaza Art Fair.

2011-09-30T13:05:00.000-05:00

For Lauren's birthday, Dad and Tracy came to town for dinner and a little bit of the Plaza Art Fair. It was a good night on the Plaza - we are having the most lovely fall ever here in Kansas City. Highs have been in the seventies for several weeks with clear blue skies.

Would you like proof we are related? Here you go. Me, Lauren, Dad.

I don't think I have ever purchased anything at the Plaza Art Fair. A lot of the art is out of my price range, but my pal Abbey usually finds something. She knows the places to go and found more gems this year. We didn't spend a lot of time looking, but thankfully, I have many years ahead of Plaza Art Fairs. This year was the 80th Anniversary.

See that beer? It was delicious but after a martini and before a glass of wine. I need to learn that order of operations with alcohol again. Silly Victoria.

Baby E.

2011-09-29T06:35:00.003-05:00

Do you want to see a really sweet baby? Just two weeks old? He's sweet. And cuddly. And so gosh darn tiny. In an effort to get better at taking photos, I practiced with Everett. Here are two of my first favorites.

Nanette and I were doing our best to keep the baby fed, warm and snuggly so there wasn't a tone of variety in the shots. We did try really hard to get creative with some cowboy boots, but Everett disagreed with our brilliance. This baby was given a ton of sports apparel, so I feel like that could be the theme of our next shoot! Because baby E was born about three weeks early, we've still got plenty of little baby photo shoot time left. I'd like to experiment with another time of day and different lighting.

Me and RaeRaeGrim.

2011-09-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

Occasionally when I write a post, I am aware that my mom is going to shake her head when she reads it. Probably even say, "TORI!" under her breath. This falls in that category. But it is worth recording these statistics because I think they are hilarious.

Rachel and I don't live in the same house or even zip code anymore, nor do we teach in the same school and carpool to work. But that doesn't mean we don't have TONS of things to say to each other. It's like if we didn't tell each other about it then it didn't happen. So I decided I should do some research on just how much we communicate.

I started with emails. A quick gmail search pulled up thousands of conversations. I started with yesterday and started adding up email numbers, not conversation numbers. Counting from the 26th backwards, I went until I got to September 5th (three weeks earlier), and then I was so tired I had to stop.

Rachel and I emailed each other 287 times in that three week window. That's an average of 95.67 times per week. About 14 emails per day.

This does NOT include blog comments, tweets, facebook wall conversations, phone calls, gchats and the four days I stayed in her house.

I'm glad we had this talk.

At the MLK Jr. Memorial.

2011-09-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

My dad and Tracy were in town over the weekend, and they were asking Lauren something about her boyfriend's recent visit. Turns out, their timeline was a little off because I blogged about Mark being home on September 18 when actually I saw him on September 5th. Blogging in an orderly and timely fashion is not in my skill set right now.

Two weeks ago on Monday the 12th, Rachel and I took Finley and Braden to see the newest memorial in DC. Finn's knowledge of MLK Jr. is pretty limited (he's 2) so he thought Martin Luther King's statue was a giant. They have giants and not civil rights leaders in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

We took this photo to prove Braden was there with us for his first visit. He's in the stroller.

There is a quote on the side of his statue that caused a little bit of controversy because it was taken out of context, but the news stories didn't include that really the whole memorial is filled with his words. Quotes from speeches all over the world, some that we recognized and others that were new to us.

I'm back in a more urban school, and our theme for the year is remembering the fight to end segregation in our schools. Remembering ends up being the key word to me because it's easy to go on with daily life and not remember all the fighting people had to endure for equality. I believe in education, and I would say it's a pretty important part of my life. But not on the scale of these giants like MLK Jr. I'm just a novice and a beginner still comparatively.

Little James and Little Lu.

2011-09-23T06:24:00.001-05:00

James came over for a "happy hour at home" on Thursday. While Kate and I had a beer, James scooted around on my relatively clean floor. I tried to get him to be my model because I need practice with my camera. Have you seen Rach's work lately? It's getting to look like she was the president of the photography club in high school and not me. It's not perfect, but it is adorably James and shot completely on manual (aperture, exposure, ISO and white balance). WHAT!? I guess practicing helps. And a ridiculous cute model who used to be super little is also beneficial.

Today my little sister is 26. The older we both get, the more I say little. In fact, my coworker Monica called me on it this week. "She's two years younger," she pointed out. She's that grown-up who goes to law school in Lawrence. Little Lu, all grown up. We're going to celebrate with grown-up things like the Plaza Art Fair, dinner with grown-ups and I'm sure a drink. Or two. Being a grown-up has it's advantages. Happy birthday little sister!

Back at the Bill.

2011-09-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

I'm going to seven K-State football games this fall, so I want to be sure and remember a few details from each one. I missed game one because I was taking photos with my hand on my hip at Emily and Ryan's wedding, so my game one was last Saturday. Here are the details and highlights:

K-State vs. Kent State (K-State vs. K-State. hahahaha). KANSAS State shuts them out = awesome.

Sat in my new season tickets for the first time which meant getting to see a whole new round of people I hadn't seen since I moved home. View of the field is so perfect.

Learned that Mark Anderson prefers to call what I'm wearing a cardigan and not a sweater.

Also learned that I should have purchased one of those $10 cardigans from Target when my sister told me to.

Didn't get rained on (I was SURE we would) but did drive through terrible rain coming home.

Made pulled pork and chocolate chip cookies.

Tried to warm pulled pork in this crock pot from Amazon but the plug MELTED. Mailed it back to them but took the pork out first.

Went with Lauren and Mom. We tailgated at my grandparents' spot because it feels like the place we need to be. It's the same square of cement we've been standing on for a very long time, and even if they aren't there, we're paying tribute by being there. We're keeping the tradition alive. People will stop and ask about Grandma and Grandpa, and it's good to talk to anyone who knows my grandparents. Good people know good people. So we'll probably be there next time too, drinking a Coors Light. However, unlike my grandpa, we prefer our Coors COLD.

Kauffman Center Open House.

2011-09-20T07:38:00.002-05:00

On schedule and on budget, the Kauffman Center opened last weekend in downtown KC. There were sold-out galas and big time concerts, but my invitation got lost somewhere. So weird! Instead, I went on Sunday with 50,000 other proud KC people to check out the beautiful building for myself.

I was really excited to see it. We've been watching its construction for a while, and the press coverage has been incredible. My friend Claire, who lives in Boston, sent me this article from the NY Times last week. She wrote a note with it that said, "I just got excited for you." All of Kansas City is thrilled!

After waiting about a little over an hour, we made our way inside. Thankfully there were a few outdoor stages, so we had performances as we waited. Including the Shawnee Mission West drum line. It was kind of funny, especially because I just saw Washington High School's drum line, and they were far more awesome. Yeah KCK!

After a quick look in the lobby, we found seats in the symphony section of the Helzberg Hall. I don't plan to sit this close again - I'm pretty sure they aren't cheap seats. We enjoyed a quick performance by some Bach singers, and then it was back to more exploring.

Up and up we climbed, looking down at all of the people coming in to check everything out. And more people still outside waiting!

We went into the Kauffman Theatre much higher up in a balcony. Dick Wilson from Oldies 95 was the emcee, and he introduced two musical performances featuring local female singers. They were both excellent! It was easy (and perfectly acceptable) to just stay in each theatre for a little bit of time before moving out for someone else to enjoy. The Helzberg Hall was in high demand, and there was a line to get in to sit down most of the time we were there.

Mom and I are looking through the schedule to find something else to attend, and we will find something awesome for sure. Unfortunately, Idina Menzel is coming back Homecoming weekend, and we have a pretty packed weekend. I really wish Idina would have checked the K-State football schedule before scheduling her performance...

I didn't think the crowds were that bad, and it was totally worth it see all of the spaces. Buy tickets KC! Be proud that we've got this great reminder of how good the arts are for communities and individuals. And thank the fine arts teachers in your life. They keep it real for our kids.

B-Town.

2011-09-19T12:12:00.004-05:00

B Town. Braden Luke. LL Cool B. I love this little baby. His mom has been putting up a million cute photos of Braden lately, but I wanted to be sure and add my own. I'm sure Rachel was relieved I'm super photogenic too so that she had two cute models all during my visit.

Finley, however, is not interesting in photo shoots. At five months, Braden can't walk away so he has to be in all these photos. And he's so stinking adorable that I wanted to hold him the whole time.

I call this middle shot of me and B-Town, "Look cute AND silly while Rachel plays with the aperture." I coached Braden on that look off into the distance pose. Also, Finley IS trying to run away in photo number 3. I didn't take it personally.

My good buddy Adrienne came and brought baby Avery for me to hold as well. She was born at the beginning of June, but her leg strength rivals Braden's. She was enamored with Braden.

No joke, Avery, ladies love cool Braden. That's why we call him LL Cool B.

Monday morning we stopped to see the MLK Jr. Memorial and had lunch at Shake Shack. I've been thinking about it some more, and I like it better than Five Guys. This is 80% my opinion and 20% because I like to do what the cool kids do. At least I'm honest.

And honestly, this baby is c-u-t-e. I'm ready for it to be the end of October when they come to visit.

Sporting KC v. LA Galaxy

2011-09-18T20:10:00.000-05:00

Kansas City has a new special stadium just for soccer. I would like to see the statistics on the number of stadiums that are just for soccer, but it definitely allows the sport to really shine. Located in KCK, my second home, it is fun to see so many people embracing it.

This is the view at the stadium. No photoshopping - that's how blue the sky is in Kansas. And you wondered why I wanted to move back.

You get to sit really close to the ~~hotness~~ action. Well hello David Beckham. And good to see you too Landon Donovan.

"Local hero" Mark was back in town, but I sat with Abbey and Drew who taught me the ins and outs of sitting in the Cauldron. The general admission part gets pretty crazy with the drums, cheers and yelling!

They get a little nuts whenever a goal is scored. I put a video at the bottom so you could see what it was like when Sporting KC scored a goal. Watch all the way to the end, Abbey appears at the end.

The regular season is almost over, so I'll be sure to make it to more games next year. It was a fantastic way to spend $20 and get to cheer for KC!

Breakfast at Urban Table.

2011-09-15T11:30:00.002-05:00

There may not be as many fancy restaurants run by hipsters in KC as there were in DC, but the good news is that they are all closer than the places in DC. I can say to a friend, "Let's meet at Urban Table!" and we can both show up within twenty minutes. The convenience factor is great, but I'm also growing increasingly fond of this preppy little restaurant in Corinth Square.

At breakfast and lunch, you step in to place your order at the counter, and then servers bring it to you. This works pretty well but it's tough because your table server doesn't know what you ordered, so a coffee can get lost in the system (happened to us). At dinner a few weeks ago, Vicki and I thought the service didn't miss a beat.

The food is also pretty yummy. This healthy omelet made with egg whites passes as something far richer than it is. The waffles with FOUR different sauces looked fantastic. I had a great salad at supper recently and would really like to try all their types of focaccia on the next trip.

My last trip to Urban Table was with this fun group of women from K-State and Alpha Chi. We had made other plans, but things changed, and we were able to meet up for breakfast at Urban Table again. Literally like 20 minutes later.

The Two Books of August.

2011-09-14T08:46:00.001-05:00

I had this grand idea that living alone would mean I would sit around and read. This, in retrospect, is really funny. Why did I think after 28 years of being a tad overcommitted and a people person that I would suddenly want to sit and read all the time? A big comfy chair helps, and I do squeeze in a little more reading after school and before the gym, meetings, dinner, etc., but I still find myself falling into bed at eleven, exhausted and ready to recharge for the next day.

So in August, I read two books. I moved half way through the month, went on a trip to Chicago, and spent a ton of time readjusting to Kansas life. Overall tv watching is down, but reading hasn't necessarily gone up. I'm not exactly sure about the time in between.

Bossy Pants is the book everyone tells you to read. It's funny, they tell you, so very funny. And it is really funny. A few times I even laughed out loud at the anecdotes of ~~Liz Lemon~~ Tina Fey. But they other thing that they don't tell you is that it is also a really important story about women, mothers who work and those that don't, and even female politicians. It's pretty sharp stuff. I think she tells the truth too.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 is a young adult book. Of course one would sneak back in here! It's one of three books our school is reading as part of our building wide theme around remembering the fight to end segregation in our schools. My mom thinks I've read it before, but I couldn't remember many parts of it. You could read it if you'd like. But really you should read Breaking Through because I love it and it's also one of our theme books this year.

Say What? Another Wedding? Okay.

2011-09-13T06:44:00.000-05:00

I went to my fourth wedding in two months this past weekend. BONUS: this one was in Virginia so I could see all my friends and my little buddies, Finley and Braden. There are nine million more photos of me and Braden to share with you, but Finley's a busy 2.5-year-old and those photos are a little trickier to take. You'll see. But before we get to excessive amounts of the "World's Best Baby," here are some wedding photos.

I like to call this, "Photo shoot in the Virginia countryside." Rachel likes to call this, "Waiting for a shuttle to the reception in a soccer field."

Rachel was my wedding date and also photography teacher. She's doing great work with her camera, and I'm jealous. Look at her good work with the lighting in all these shots!

My pretty friends from my old school were also at the wedding. It was fun to get the scoop on school, and also it helped address my missing of the old haunt. The groom was my coworker for the past two years, also a Civics teacher and my partner the first year at school. It was great to see Zach get married to sweet Jess.

We did spend kind of a lot of time traveling to the location for the wedding and then the reception. They were both really pretty locations, but in Virginia, a little distance usually ends up taking a lot of time. I don't miss the traffic, for the record.

This, my friends, is actually the last wedding I'm going to write about. Until November.

Hands on the Hip, Wedding Edition.

2011-09-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

There are probably not three friends who like posing with our hands on our hips more than Anne, Emily and me. Don't believe me? Just flip back through a few of these posts to remind yourself of our favorite photo styles.

In linking up to those old posts, I found that my friends Vicki, Rachel and Jill D. are also almost as guilty! The hand on the hip shot has become the new "sorority girl squat."

Em and Ryan's wedding was in Kansas City was last weekend, and I was honored to be a part. I was the guestbook attendant, but I also entertained her two-year-old niece, held her lipgloss, rocked her eight-week-old niece to sleep and told silly stories to try and warm up the crowd during photos.

I joined the wedding festivities on Friday night at the Rehearsal Dinner at Grand Street Cafe. It was super nice, and I loved sitting and talking with Anne and her husband Ashley all night. Ryan's family is all from the Philadelphia area, so there were many out-of-town guests mixed in with Emily's big Kansas City family.

The best man joked on Saturday at the wedding that he really wanted Ryan and Emily to plan a destination wedding. And they did - to Kansas City! The wedding was Saturday afternoon and the reception later that evening. Emily was a beautiful bride. With her hand on her hip, obviously.

A quick word about the reception - I have never seen a family that dances as much as Ryan's family. My friends and I discussed this at length, and it could easily be one of the most impressive showings we have ever seen at a wedding. I am not sure why I was so surprised, actually. I've been dancing with Ryan in DC enough to know that he can tear it up. But then his dad, his brothers, and his groomsmen literally kept the dance floor buzzing all night long. It was ridiculous, in a totally awesome way.

The dancing was so awesome that we didn't really want to sing our Alpha Chi song and break up the flow of the party. But we sang anyways (with Emily's mom, also an Alpha Chi) and resumed crazy amounts of dancing with "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy." When the wedding reception ended, we moved the dance party to O'Doud's on the Plaza. We were determined to show all these east coast boys a good Kansas City time, and I think we did. Or at the very least, we showed them a new way to pose in photos.

That, my friends, is the end of the wedding week on the blog. Except, I'm headed to DC later today for my friend Zach's wedding tomorrow so there are more wedding posts ahead. Cupcakes! Babies! Friends! DC! Yeah!

Generalizations and Triangulation.

2011-09-08T07:06:00.001-05:00

In grad school, we spent a lot of time learning about how to triangulate our data. You look for examples from multiple sources and perspectives to back up your arguments. After four Mission Pub Crawls, here are some generalizations that I think are supported pretty well by anecdotal evidence and photographs.

1. The Mission Pub Crawl is based in strong tradition. Started by three of my best guy friends in 2008, it continues to be an annual highlight. One of these guys missed one pub crawl (silly grad school in California), but they all remain dedicated to the cause. There are two other friends who haven't missed a crawl (Erica and Abbey), and they are key to the longevity of this ridiculous tradition.

2. The Crawl thrives because of family. Mine especially, but some other families as well. As previously discussed, my mom was there. So was my sister. But we also had brothers and sisters of the founding members in attendance. You're welcome to come along and bring your family with you next year. We are certainly looking to expand to include more parents.

3. Mission is best enjoyed with greasy food. Whether it is Don Chilitos with the nacho cheese buffet, RJ's Bob-be-que, or a $5 Hot-and-Ready from Little Ceasars, we all enjoy the best food Mission has to offer. (Look at that triangulation - THREE food examples!)

4. Besides the stories (and legends) of the pub crawl, #MissionPC4 is remembered by the memorabilia. T-shirts from years 2 and 3 and this year, coozies! I've already heard that the coozie is a favorite toy of a certain baby around town. Year 2's shirt with the blue dinosaur could be my favorite t-shirt of.all.time. No joke. "We dig Mission."

I think my grad school professors would be really proud of this work. I just don't want all that hard work from my masters to get rusty.

Jennie, Joe, Hurray!

2011-09-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

Sweet bonus to Kaitlin's wedding - we also got to spend some quality time with my BFF Jennie and her family in Chicago. We're friends from middle and high school, so our families knew each other really well. We met up with them in Bucktown the morning after the wedding for a big family brunch. It was fantastic to get to see Jennie twice on a trip to Chicago for another high school friend's wedding!

Brunch was just straight up ridiculous. The Italian place in the neighborhood serves an incredible brunch. French toast loaded with caramelized bananas and walnuts, mimosas for $3, and breakfast pizza done perfectly on a thin, flaky crust. Next time I go to visit Jennie and Joe, I think I want to try one of their dinner pizzas.

And the good news is that there will be plenty of next times. Jennie and Joe are engaged! It happened on the 28th, and I couldn't be more excited

In some sort of weird best friend kind of way, I knew that they were engaged when Jennie called that Sunday night. I'd been busy with friends and was trying to get a little bit of work done before the week. But I saw her name on my cell, and thought to myself, I better answer. I bet they are engaged.

Oddly enough, the week before in Chicago, I asked Jennie if they were getting engaged soon, and they were just in the process of ring perusing. But I still knew when she called Sunday evening! Always so happy when a good match find each other, just like with Jennie and Joe.

Kaitlin Getting Married.

2011-09-06T06:48:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a wedding themed week on the blog. There's just lots of stuff that has to do with weddings. And it's a pretty stinking awesome assortment of wedding related items.

A couple weeks ago, my little sister's best friend got married in Chicago. Lauren was a bridesmaid, and we were all thrilled to go along!

Friday morning, Lu and Mom went up to Chicago. Lauren went to a bridal lunch at the top of the John Hancock and watched the airplanes practice for the air and water show (su-weet!). I came up later on Friday night after work and met Jennie for dinner. My mom was so sweet to arrange for us to stay at the lovely W Hotel City Center where the wedding would be on Saturday.

After a Saturday morning full of shopping at stores we don't have in Kansas City, Mom and I got ready for the wedding. Lu spent the day being a bridesmaid and living it up in the hotel with champagne and Garrett's popcorn. It was a great wedding, a fun dinner and a night full of dancing.

This totally falls in the "how old am I?" category of life. I swear, it was like, yesterday when my little sister and her best friend Kaitlin were high school freshman. And kind of annoying. I was a senior and totally important. Those little punks grew up, both became ADPis, and got real cool jobs. And Kaitlin got married to sweet Josh. I'm totally not old enough for this to be happening.

The Extrovert Lives Alone.

2011-09-02T07:11:00.003-05:00

How is this for a GEM of a photo? Yep, two of my best guy friends, my family and me. The end of the Mission Pub Crawl, and we were having a great time. It wasn't as much about the number of beers, it was more about all those people together all night. I was WIRED.

When I lived in DC the first time, the Foundation paid a lot of money to have really official Myers-Briggs tests done for each of us. They put each of the the descriptions on a spectrum. On my extrovert vs. introvert scale, I was at the far end of the extrovert side. Here's an illustration to help you understand:

The basic implications are really simple: I get practically all of my energy from being with other people. I thrive on conversation, story telling, and doing things together. With my last few roommates, I used to say at about ten o'clock, "OK! I have to go be by myself or I will never wind down and go to bed." I could talk to them for hours and then still be wound up when I was by myself for hours.

I want to add that sometimes introverts get a bad rap - they aren't people who like to be alone and have no friends. They just need that alone time to recharge and get ready for extroverts like me to zap all their energy.

And now, the extrovert lives alone.

Most days, it is a total success. I have plans with friends, see them at the gym, go to a meeting or see my family. It is easier for me to go to bed, read to relax and get some other projects done around the house.

And sometimes, it is really hard. If I had a tough day at work, my domain name is broken (still is, thanks google!), or I am too tired to be reasonable, then it is much harder. I miss having that extra dose of energy to perk me up, and the friends to help me problem solve.

Overall, living in my sweet little house all by myself is great. I just wanted to acknowledge and remember that sometimes it is a stretch for me. It is really good for me to learn how to be okay by myself (and perhaps a little more reliant on God - cool! bonus!).

P.S. I really hadn't had that much to drink in the photo above. I was just really excited about my mom being there.
P.S.S. And even if I had more than two beers, photos from pub crawls with my mom in them makes instantly more appropriate.

Vintage Baseball Baby Shower

2011-08-31T12:37:00.003-05:00

My beloved domain is still not up and running. But there is hope, and I have a few humans who are helping me now. That means I'm writing fewer emails in all cap letters and trying to get a few other projects done instead. I am still very frustrated by the whole process. If you are reading in google reader, click on over, and you will find the blog at victoriaINvirginia.blogspot.com. So all is not lost.

I showed you the pretty quilt we made for Nanette already, but there was a lot more to the shower at Anne's house. The theme was a "Vintage Baseball Shower" because Nanette is a die-hard Royals fan. Anne pulled out all her old baseball items and her house was the perfect place for a Sunday afternoon shower.

One of my casual sewing projects of the summer was homemade fabric buntings. Mom helped me put this one together because it was rather last minute, but I love how it came out. The triangles are sewn inside out and turned, pressed, and sewn together tucked inside a long piece of bias tape. The sign and astroterf runner came from Nato and her son's fifth-birthday-party. Reuse. Save the earth. Make a friend.

Anne frosted some spectacular baseball cookies. I love all things sugar cookies. Especially this homemade recipe of Anne's that I used earlier this spring. Tara made delicious cupcakes for dessert. Twice the sugar, twice the fun.

Obviously a baby shower is a great excuse to have cute stuff on etsy (check out the new baseball section!) I designed the invites, cupcake toppers, thank you cards, water bottle labels and tags for favor bags. We served Old Style, everyone's favorite beer. Or at least at Wrigley Field.

Anways, it was goooooood. It went perfectly with our hot dogs and nachos. We used the real nacho cheese and not velveeta. It was baseball grade nacho cheese, and it was very popular.

These are good party planning tips: basic food can be classy. It's all about presentation and theme.

For the guests to take home, I made homemade Cracker Jacks. The hardest part was popping the popcorn without a popcorn maker. But it was so worth it. Mom, Lauren and I were loving it right out of the oven, and I want to make it again for football games this fall!

The guests in attendance are all book club members + Leah's sweet baby. We're dressed casual because we thought "sports fan attire" would be the most comfortable. But I did warn everyone I wanted to take pictures of our whole book club together. And I did it paparazzi style which meant rapid fire flashes and some interesting posing. These are my three favorites.

Currently Missing from the WWW.

2011-08-29T14:34:00.000-05:00

My blog is currently missing. You can see the posts in google reader. I can see the elements of the design. But because GOOGLE STINKS TERRIBLY I can't renew my domain that expired without a warning. And so if you are reading in google reader or via email, you'll get to see this update.

People who go to my blog and leave comments cannot.

This is the kind of problem that makes me want to throw things at my computer, but one time, I dropped my computer and I've seen it's actually very bad for the computer.

It is a problem that should be able to be solved with $10 and a google checkout, making it that much more frustrating.

I have tried switch domains, contacting google while WRITING IN ALL CAPS to try to make them pay attention but alas, computers don't care if you write in all caps or not.

So don't bother leaving a comment on this blog, unless, you are smart enough like my uncle to know that you can technically find my blog right here for the time being.

http://victoriainvirginia.blogspot.com/

GOOGLE and I are going to break up, maybe, if this ever gets resolved.

Bambino's Quilt.

2011-08-25T09:11:00.002-05:00

We made this quilt for Nanette's baby. It was a labor of love, mothers, and mother-in-laws. Some of us in book club are crafty and some of us are really lucky that we have mother-in-laws that are good at sewing.

Each square represents a beloved children's book, an appropriate gift from a book club. I did the "Cat in the Hat" square, all by myself. A great accomplishment considering Rachel and Mom usually help with at least part of my sewing projects. The four red fabrics are all scraps from my mom's collection, including three from outfits she sewed when we were little girls.

Tara assembled all of the squares with their borders. Mom did help by binding the edges. I also don't think we'll be doing this project again soon for anyone else. Labor.of.love. (emphasis on labor). I know Nan loved receiving it as the last present at her shower two weeks ago, and we were pretty proud of our secret planning and crafting.

P.S. It looks much prettier in real life than the colors in this photo do it justice. It is beyond me why I did not take another picture of the finished quilt in natural light. I'll just have to make sure to snap some more pictures of it hanging in Bambino's nursery. Please forgive the poor quality of this photo and enjoy the quilt instead.

Baby James, Moving.

2011-08-24T07:27:00.001-05:00

One of my first official visitors at the new place was James, sweet baby James. Who is, in fact, no longer that much of a baby and more of a mover and a shaker. He crawls! He is pretty mobile and made it around my (mostly) clean floor with record speed. During the moving in process, James was also willing to be held by my mother. Kate unpacked, Mom got to hold a baby, everybody wins!

Here are some other nuggets of love about James.

We are obviously already planning his first birthday party. His baby shower made me a success on etsy, so we would like to keep the streak alive with something new, adorable and just for James.

Kate likes to ask us if we think he has red hair (like his dad). We like to say yes, but my mother won extra points for hesitating in her answer. I think Kate is worried about raising a red head. I think he's the cutest red head baby I know.

Which brings me to interesting point. I wanted to call him a ginger. But then yahoo answers told me that some people think it is derogatory. I didn't mean for it to be, so I erased it and referenced the red head to the point of redundancy.

Last week at brunch, his mom was skillfully eating with one hand. I offered to take a turn. She protested, saying I wasn't done yet. But thanks to my two years in Virginia with Finn and Braden, I am also a graceful one-handed diner.

When I stayed at their house after Em's bachelorette party, I woke up at six am just like his parents so I could see him. I love him and his three little teeth.

Anne and Ashley got Maui-ed.

2011-08-22T07:51:00.000-05:00

I haven't been to four weddings in one year in a long time. My friends are less in that stage of life and more in the baby stage. So four weddings in 2011 is a really exciting thing to me - lots of pretty friends getting married and celebrations of new lives together. Yeah! Wedding celebration number one was back at the end of July for my friend Anne.

Anne and Ashley actually got married (or Maui-ed!) in Hawaii in early July and celebrated with a big party back in Kansas City later in the month at Lake Quivira. Many of our Alpha Chi friends from around the country were back for their reception, and it was good to see many faces I don't get to see on a regular basis.

Anne is a bridesmaid in Emily's wedding later this month, so Emily was in town from Baltimore from her bachelorette party and Anne's party. She sent me an email yesterday with details for her approaching wedding. I read it on my way back from a wedding in Chicago. I am in the wedding zone, people.

Anne was a beautiful bride and her husband, Ashley, a stellar groom. During one of the toasts, someone described their marriage like the coming together of the Martha Stewart network with the outdoor, do-it-yourself network. So true too! Anne has a great eye for details, and her wedding was put together perfectly. Ashley is a team player who gets stuff done, and he brews excellent beer.

I am sitting with Anne and Ashley this fall at K-State football games, so it is only appropriate that we ended the evening with a rousing version of the Wabash Cannonball.

I had to throw this picture of Nanette in here as well. Bambino Mills is still a ways from making his appearance in Kansas City, but Nan is a pregnant lady like none other. She doesn't miss much! (Look for a blog about her lovely shower sometime soon too!)

Learning a New Job.

2011-08-19T08:23:00.001-05:00

Four weeks into the new job, already? I have no idea where that time went, exactly, but I do have a short list of things from the first four weeks.

A retreat at my principal's family home out in the country, affectionately called "The Family Place" (pictured above).

Learned all the names of a new staff. Done.

Met with a few teachers to start building relationships.

Shared K-State football posters with members of the staff. I called and told the Alumni Association I worked in a school with a lot of KU fans, and I wanted to get middle schoolers excited about K-State. They came through for me.

Presented about reading, writing, and other staff development needs.

Went to seven days of training at the lovely new Central Office. I'll be there every Friday for training and staff development for teacher leaders.

Tried to figure out a little bit more about how I can serve the school community.

It has been humbling and exciting. There is so much to do, and I think I will really love my new role and new school. I do miss the classroom and the kids. I see them in the hall, but I don't know them yet. I'm hopeful I will get to over the coming year through activities around school. I see kids that remind me of faces from last year. There are others whose brothers and sisters went to my first school in the district and that's kind of nice because it's good to know familiar faces.

Webster House with the Luhrs Ladies.

2011-08-18T07:47:00.000-05:00

Lauren is back in Lawrence, and Belle and I are getting adjusted to the new digs (Wednesday = success in the kennel!). But for three GLORIOUS weeks, the Luhrs Ladies were all together at my Mom's. It was fantastic. We walked Belle, ate together, did the laundry as a team, and watched The Closer.

I don't have cable at the new place, which will be fine, but I'm missing Brenda Lee Johnson.

Last summer we ate at the Webster House, and we did it again this summer. It's such a fun downtown location. The food is solid - I don't tend to order the right thing - but the atmosphere in an old school is right up my alley. We had happy hour beers - $3 Boulevard Wheat - and dinner together. It was the first week I was home, but it was the pattern of life for the next weeks. Share a meal and many, many stories.

We make a pretty good team.

And even though we're living in three different places now, don't worry. We'll be in Chicago together for the weekend. More stories, stories, stories with the Luhrs Ladies.

Clouds over Kansas.

2011-08-17T07:59:00.000-05:00

Belle and the New House.

2011-08-16T08:10:00.001-05:00

I have marveled recently many times at my pup Belle's great adjustment skills. Driving across the country proved to be no big deal. She was able to adjust to living at my mom's just well, staying out of her crate all day. Belle was showered with extra love, plenty of walks and enjoyed the great fenced-in backyard.

We moved over the weekend, and Belle likes the new house. There are windows she can see out of at the front door and the back. The backyard is full of a lot of squirrels.

But she's not adjusting super well. The first 24 hours were really rough.

Night one, I couldn't find the covers for her bed (Rach - are they in Virginia?). So she sort of slept on a blanket and also on the couch. Nope, Belle, not an option. You are not a couch dog.

Monday morning as I tried to leave the house, she escaped. She didn't stop running around the neighborhood and jump back in the car like she has in the past. Instead, Belle ran. Sprinted around the neighborhood for 20 minutes while I jumped in and out of my car in my white jeans (in the rain) trying to catch her. There were times when I couldn't even see her. It was slightly terrifying, and I was 20 minutes late to a meeting with my principal.

Well hello neighbors, I'm Victoria and sometimes my dog Belle runs away.

Belle, on the other hand, was pretty thrilled with herself.

Lauren checked on her later in the day and everything was okay. Then she broke the blinds while waiting for me to come home. She hasn't been in her kennel when I'm gone for about five months, but I think the transition is too much for her.

When kids aren't doing well at school, we talk about putting them in a setting where they can be safe and successful. Hopefully today goes MUCH better. Because even though Belle is tired and kind of pleased at the end of the day, it was way too much stress for her owner.

This morning Belle stayed in the basement. Her old kennel is blocking the stairs so she can't scratch the door. Maybe I should go back to the kennel? That was a battle I was tired of fighting. Belle just hates that thing. She cried when I left, but she has plenty of room to stretch her legs and sleep all day. That's all she does while I'm gone anyways.

P.S. The house is AWESOME. Besides the broken blinds.

My Brother Went to Kindergarten.

2011-08-11T13:53:00.003-05:00

Huge milestone this week in our family: Spencer went to kindergarten.

It's startling to realize that he is in kindergarten and even scarier when I think about how we won't graduate from high school until 2024. I'll be 40 that May. Oh gosh.

As you can tell by the photo my dad snapped, he was ready to go. Could.not.be.bothered with photos getting on the bus. He's got places to go. Teachers to impress or exasperate. So proud of the littlest Luhrs.

Happy 80th Birthday!

2011-08-10T05:40:00.000-05:00

Today my grandma is 80. I think that is just nifty. When I was little, my great-grandma Della turned 80 and that seemed old. Now, I'm 28 and my grandma is 80 and that seems so young! She is so active and engaged in the world that there is no possible way she is 80. Quite possibly my grandma is redefining 80-years-old up in North Central Kansas. She responds to every blog post, reads the books we read, and loves each of us so much.

I think a lot about the lessons my mom taught me about serving and faithfulness. And I'm always aware those were lessons that her parents taught her. Even Grandma's second hand lessons are powerful and shaped who I am today.

My family is so lucky to have Grandma at the top. Happy birthday Grandma!