Arizona VIII

It's strange to be somewhere and have all sorts of Christmas spirit but no snow.


I actually think it's pretty.


Quite festive!


And ... Santa evidently doesn't need snow ... a cactus or two will do.

Things I love about my husband

In honor of Erik's 40th birthday, I've been compiling a list of my favorite things about Erik. Let's see where this takes us!

Things I love about my husband (these are in no particular order)

1. That he's my husband. That automatically makes him the smartest man on the planet.

2. His ability to raise one and only one eyebrow. It's a great parlor trick. One I can't replicate. And he can only raise his right eyebrow in a comic way. The left eyebrow wants no part in his silliness.

3. That he always refills the soap dispensers. I know it's silly and small, but it's one of the things I love about being married to him. It's as if the soap dispenser in the bathrooms and kitchen are endless supplies of soap.

4. His mad researching abilities. Seriously! When we were deciding where to honeymoon, Erik spent what I'm sure is the equivalent of days going over tropical locations. Same when it came time to buy a car. He researched the heck out of it. (which basically means he tells me a few options and I pick the one I like best, and don't have to go crosseyed over the whole thing).

5. That he loves him some big salad. Erik's affection for having a big salad at dinner is contagious. While a salad never quite fills me up, eating a salad most evenings before dinner is a new and good habit. If it weren't for you, honey, I wouldn't be so healthy! ;)

6. That in the beginning, Erik was not really a gardener. I simply love to go outside and see him checking out the tomato plants every morning. Usually, it's the first thing he does after he wakes up!

7. That he trusts me enough to saw holes into walls in our house. You're the bestest, honey! :)

8. Oreo ice cream. I'm not sure if it's his favorite, but I certainly associate it with Erik.

9. That since Esse moved into Erik's house, I haven't had to scoop kitty litter. Once. Nope, not once. Erik rocks out that household chore and I'm SO thankful he does it. Not that I mind doing it, but I have to admit, it's one of the more tedious tasks of being owned by a cat.

10. Chapstick. Seriously! If a girl ever needs chapstick, Erik has a tube on him. It's the middle of the summer? Not to worry, he has one! December? He probably has 2! Erik is the chapstick king!

11. That he makes a mean pot of chili. :)

12. On weeks when I am too buried in life to tackle the laundry, that he just does it without being asked or hinted at. Gotta love a fella who takes initiative, ESPECIALLY with the laundry!

13. He knows what shows I watch as a guilty pleasure. And he records them on TiVo for me ... really, could a girl ask for more????

14. That he'll eat anything I put in front of him. Even brussel sprouts. And he doesn't like brussel sprouts. Bonus points for that one, honey!

15. Flowers. Erik likes to surprise me with flowers, which is a wonderful treat. AAAAnd, the best part is that they are from a FLORIST. I can't explain why I feel so strongly about this, but I love it when a guy goes specifically to a FLORIST to get flowers. It sort of says to me "I made this special, out of the way trip to somewhere I don't normally go just for you." Yeah, that versus just grabbing some while in the checkout at the grocery store. It makes me feel more special.

16. That he's the grill master. Erik makes the most amazing pork chops and grills a MEAN steak. Yumminess!

17. His online bargain-hunting skills. I've never met someone who purchases their "forever" stamps online, but Erik always gets them at a STEAL on ebay.

18. That when I'm supposed to take a supplement or something as such (over the counter-ish), he often is able to find it at a better price online. THEN HE ORDERS IT FOR ME!!!!! I'm totally absentminded and often forget to purchase more supplements, but Erik is always on top of this. And I appreciate it immensely.

19. His attempts at eye rolling. Seriously. Funny.

20. Lastly, Erik is the world's best snuggler. But I better not catch any of you ladies trying to take a test drive!

Happy birthday, E! :)

xoxoxo, ~K

The Infinite Frog

Erik and I were talking last night, and I mentioned that perhaps we should pray to the Infant of Prague.


Erik's response was "Is that a cousin of Kermit?"


HUUUUH!?!???!? I thought.

"You know, the infinite frog .... is he Kermit the Frog's cousin?" Erik persisted.

Groan.

So, as you see, while Erik is becoming more versed in the Catholic faith, there are certainly gaps, such as "The Infinite Frog."

Erik's fellas ... UPDATE!!!!

Remember when Erik insisted we get a pair of cherry tomato plants? Well, they have started to bear fruit ...... and he is *beside* himself with excitement.


Erik is rather obsessed with salads. He loves to eat his "big salads" ... almost every night. So, of course, the cherry tomato would go on top of it.


First cherry tomato of the season!!!!! Doesn't that salad look beautiful? Yeah, I made it, and Erik gobbled it up. :)

Happy birthday, ERB!!!!!!

Last month, I had Erik's birthday gift shipped to my parents' house so he wouldn't snoop around. ;) Mom even wrapped it for me!


Erik was certainly EXCITED about finally getting an iPod of his very own! I was excited I kept the secret of what he was getting for about a month. Sheesh, keeping secrets from a new husband is NOT easy!


And since they were willing to engrave it .... but let me tell you. It was no easy feat. I tried to do it online, but evidently they didn't like "Esse" ... so I had to call ... and they still had trouble getting the computer to accept Esse on the back. SO we had to put in "Booger." Who'd have thought Booger wasn't offensive or questionable and Booger was? So strange.


Test drive.

Now he spends tons of time transferring his infinite music collection into 120GB worth of electronic space.

Sleepyhead

When Esse moved in with Erik almost a year ago, she was an early riser. And she was a girl who liked to have the lights out at 9 p.m. so she could go to sleep.

Now .... not so much. She'll cuddle w/ me in bed a little whenever I go to sleep, but when Erik returns about midnight, she'll go downstairs to inspect whatever he's doing.

And in the morning? Well .... this is how she looked at 11 a.m. yesterday:


She's ALL ABOUT sleeping in. What a change for this feline.

Braggin' on my husband

Last night, E told me he is amazing.

I already knew that.

But he received an award from the Kansas Press Association for work last year. In fairness, the awards are shared w/ his co-desk designer.

Erik and Troy won second place in headline writing.

They also were awarded third place in sports design.

Yay for the fellas!

Week 1: Fantasy Success!

For those of you waiting with baited breath, you'll be happy to know Bone Collector scraped by with a 12-point win over the always feared Bluntmaster Generals (don't ask about the names. Some of these dudes ... lets just say you don't really want to know where they've been.)

My new man-crush Donovan McNabb was outstanding, throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-3 rout of the Rams.


Next Sunday, I've got a difficult matchup with the perennial tough Daniel Larusso All-Stars. Wish me luck!!!!!!

Lists, lists and laundry lists...

It took me until college to realize I'm a list person. I love them. Writing down everything that needs to be done can be daunting, but crossing things off the list -- oh sweet reward!

Last night, I sat down and compiled today's "to do" list. It was 17 items long. ACK! Slowly this morning, I've chipped away at 8 of them, feeling quite productive before noon.

But here's the best part: I came to Erik's this morning, and figured I better finish the laundry. I don't mind doing laundry, but when the two of us don't do it for 2-ish weeks, it piles up and the net result is 7 loads. UGH. I started a few loads last night, and figured I'd finish it up this morning .... and lo and behold, I go into the laundry room and 2 loads have magically been done! I LOVE ERIK!!!!!!!! With 16 other items demanding my attention today, that's 2 less loads of laundry to do!

Leave a comment telling the sweet (but seemingly mundane) items your spouse/significant other does that just brightens your day!

Are you ready for some football?

Back to the Erik part of our program ... Yay!

For the for the fourth straight year, I'm competing in a fantasy football league with some other gridiron geeks like myself.


Last year, I had my best season yet thanks to my man, Peyton Manning. Sadly, our league dropped its keeper format this season and Peyton has left me for another.


Undeterred, I found a new fella ... Donovan McNabb. If DM can stay healthy (fingers crossed) I'll feel good about my chances this year. If not, it's back to the baseman for the Bone Collector (Karen prefers Bone Crusher ... She's so violent ;-)

Here are some other members of my squad.


Although, I detest T.O. as a person, he scores lots of touchdowns, and that makes Bone Collector quite happy.


I'm also hoping for a productive season from Marvin Harrison. He was hurt most of last year, but a comeback isn't out of the question.


Larry Fitzgerald got a fat contract in the offseason. I hope that doesn't slow down his production.

Stay tuned.

Of course, I'm not the kind of owner to sit on his arse while his team struggles. I'll make changes if necessary.

Who wants Erik to blog???

Hey, if you want Erik to do a post, leave a comment! Let's ALL encourage him to blog along... :-)

Possible topics include:
- Rants on the Royals season
- Robo kitty
- Speculation about the upcoming Chiefs season
- Erik's method in preparing for his fantasy football draft
- Eating squash grown from his own backyard
- Erik's first yoga adventure
- Karen's insane antics, including walking the newly-purchased roto-tiller 1.5 blocks from the seller's house to Erik's house ...

OR leave your own topic suggestions in the comments!

Where's Erik?

Hmmmm...this blog probably seems really "Karen heavy" right now. Not to fear! Erik is still around and kickin' but behind the scenes.

His No. 1 priority right now is seeing the Royals to 500. They're 2 games away from 500, so at that point, Erik will do lots of dancing right here on the blog.

He's also sending regular updates on our GARDEN! The beans are up and we have LOADS OF LETTUCE peeking out of the ground. He's concerned the rabbits will eat it, but once I move to Salina, Esse will be unleashed on the yard, so I'm not concerned too much about it!

I've been replaced!

Erik and Esse had all last week to adjust to living together. I would get daily reports, and they were always good. It sounds like Esse is a *little* clingy to Erik, but he's a handsome dude, so I can't blame her! :-)

SO I am around over the weekend, and was of course snuggling with Erik. Esse was NOT happy. If we were snuggly, there wasn't room in Erik's lap for HER. Ok, so after the first day she learned. Once Erik sat down, she'd IMMEDIATELY hop up into his lap.

Booger.

But that means she likes Erik, which I'm glad for.

Now it's just getting through a few more weeks in Hays ... but sans kitty! I know she's in good hands with Erik, but Esse and I have lived together for more than 4 years, so this is a BIG change for me.

Erik believes ...

in the Royals!


Ok, so I SHOULD have posted this after their first series when they were 3-0, but I didn't, so they're not 4-2. Sorry!

Anyhow, I'm trying to bribe Erik into the blogging world, but it hasn't worked yet. Perhaps when we get internet at his house he'll be more inclined to putter and blog about his eternal love for the Royals and Chiefs. Or whine about the staffs and pitchers. You never know ....

I have a feeling I'll be learning a LOT about the Royals in the upcoming months. I will also hear a lot about the Brewers because one of Erik's good friends is from Wisconsin. I was amused last year at this friend's staunch quest to pee his pants for the Brewers.

I must admit, though, that during one of the Brewers games I was introduced to the Sausage races. I LOVE how there is as profile of each sausage, as well as a distinct personality and that they keep track of number of wins. I'm cheering for the Polish Sausage!

Here's a video of one of the Sausage races for your viewing pleasure:



(hmm...somehow this turned from the Royals to Brewers ... sorry, Erik!)

SO, while Erik follows the Royals, I'll be following the Brewers Sausages!

Visiting the Sheps

Easter evening, Erik and I ventured over to the "west side" of Wichita to see Mike and Angie's new house. Mike was excited to show us around .... above we're in the new Heartland Photography office ... but it needs a *little* work. ;-) Mike has grand plans for it, and I'm excited to see how the south office shapes up. It's the "south" office because I'll set up the "north" office in Salina soon!

See how Mike completely ignores me here? And Erik's giving me this "Would you stinkin' quit taking pictures?" look! :-) tee-hee-hee.

So....here's Erik getting action from another chick. This is Harley, Angie and Mike's dog. (I think she likes Erik!). She was trying to give Erik kisses ... but he kept saying "Not on the lips! Not on the lips!" Doesn't look like Harley listens very well...





(Maybe eventually Erik will get up to speed on how to use my camera, and you'll see some silly photos of me on here, too!)

Easter Egg Hunt No. 2

This is a little bit out of order, but I wanted to share these cute photos of Max and Gianna with Auntie Sarah in Atlanta! (We all MISS YOU SO MUCH, SARAH!). On Easter Sunday, the Mikols family invaded the Sheldon household. We converged with Marie & Gary and their kiddos. Gianna, top, is all smiles and talk. Max, second, is more quiet, but during the Easter egg hunt, had bunches of rowdy fun! (Isn't Gianna's dress cute? I'm told Auntie Sarah got it for her!)

(BTW, Easter Egg hunt No. 1 was at St. Thomas Aquinas before this hunt ... be sure to check back tomorrow for a few photos of that ... but they will be not of kids, but of priests playing!)

The thing of the Sheldon Easter egg hunts is the eggs are filled with one of two things: coins or confetti. If you get coins, you pockest them. If you get confetti, you crack them open over someone else's head (BUT that must be done OUTDOORS!). It's heaps of fun, usually involves chases around the backyard and peals of laughter and shrieks. The above photo of Max is after Gianna smashed an egg on his head. Gianna wanted to know what to do with the egg, so we told her to crack it on Max's head, and she LITERALLY did it...smacked it on his noggin. Oops. She learned how to open them and dump them on people's heads, though ... see Marie help her get her dad, Gary? (side note: Gary used to NEVER let us get him, but his kids are awesome at getting confetti on their daddy-O!)


Check out these smiles! I think Max and Gianna had a blast! (Did I mention they will be our flower girl and ring bearer in September? They are excited, as are Erik and I!)






The twins, Agnes and Clare, were in on a little bit of the romping and playing. Here's Mary carrying Clare around:


I LOVE how you see the teething ring and her little mouth! It sounds like Agnes and Clare are teething, but Clare gnawed on my fingers for a good portion of Sunday, and I didn't feel any teeth .... but she was chewing away regardless!

Lastly, it wasn't the little kids having all the fun. My dad was distracted with his new camera, so Erik took advantage of it and let loose with some confetti...

Easter

Erik joined me at the Sheldon household for Easter. Dad grabbed a few photos.

The twins were over and I spent lots of time holding Clare. She's cute as a button!



I have more pictures to share from the weekend, so be sure to check back!

RIP, Fred

Sad news today.

Erik's dog, Fred, was put down. He had a kidney tumor, and any treatment would just delay the inevitable. :-( We're all so sad about the situation, because Fred was SUCH a friendly fellow. He didn't know a stranger, except for Erilk's brother, Bryan. For whatever reason, no matter what Bryan did, Fred would have none of his good will.

Fred and Erik met when Erik lived in Missouri. A co-worker of Erik's brought Fred over after the pup was heisted from a puppy mill. They were buddies ever since.


When Erik moved to Salina, Erik had to move in with "grandma and grandpa" because Erik's apartment didn't allow dogs. :-(

Please CLICK HERE to view the slideshow I made the first time I met Fred.