Bethany VISITS

My friend Bethany Rempfer, whom I went to college with, came through town today on her way back home (to Brighton, CO) from her hometown (In IA). I put together an impromptu BBQ with some other Concordia alum friends and we had a good ol' time.

It was good to see her as it's been quite awhile since she's been through NE or since I've been to CO to see her (I was about 5 weeks prego.) She's just one of those friends who, even if you haven't talked to or seen for awhile, it's easy to catch up with.

pictured: Reef, Breanna, Bethany, ME, Jody & baby Kate

Leininger Family Reunion

We had the annual Leininger family reunion at my great aunt/uncle's cabin on Johnson Lake, near Lexington, NE. This has been an annual tradition since July of '82...when I was but a wee child of 6 months! It's always fun to swim, boat, eat, and catch up with some distant relatives.

This was the first year that Reef got to go since last year we went to a friends wedding and he was only about 6 weeks old. This was also the first year that mom and dad also had their own cabin to hang out at! Boy was that nice.

Reef enjoyed playing in the yard in the baby pool, swimming in the lake and even riding on the 3 person tube with mom and I! I must say dad was a little nervous to have us take him out, but it was pretty smooth sailing. I think it will be MUCH more fun next year!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture of my wet footprint next to Reef's. It's amazing how similar, yet different, they are.

Jared and I had a good time riding the tube pulled by my dad and Stacey and I rode as well when my brother, Jarod, drove the boat.

Someday we hope to have a get together with friends out at the cabin so many of you can enjoy it, too!

I'm Baaaaackkkkkk...

Well, for those of you that thought I fell off the face of the Earth, you were wrong...our computer just caught a nasty virus and Jared fixed it and then we were on vacation for a week.

So, I have a lot of catching up to do....hopefully I can remember what happened in the last month and a half for you. I think it will be easier if I go backwards with my events, so if you are an avid follower, check back in June and there should be some new posts soon!

Beach photo op

We borrowed Bill's orange chair for some photos on the beach. Reef was having a tough time just sitting pretty in the chair for me so we had to bribe him with goldfish crackers! I did manage to capture some good ones!

I know what you are thinking...the chair is going to tip over with the next wave...and it DID....Reef wasn't too thrilled, but we managed to get a few more "wet faced" photos after the fall! He was fine with the exception of water in the face!

The Beach

Reef had a great time playing in the sand and water at the beach. I think mommy was just worried about the "dirtiness" of all that sand! He did manage to eat some sand and get in in his eyes. Also, he got rolled a couple times when a sneaky wave knocked him right off is feet! Luckily, it didn't scare him away and he had a blast.

Jared had a good time body surfing and the waves were pretty good most days. Rick was a little apprehensive about catching the waves, but he still caught quite a few! I don't blame him after 2 knee replacements!

Reef, Cyndi and I mostly just hung out at the pool and enjoyed the sun and water, with a little time spent at the beach.

The LAUNCH!

The shuttle FINALLY launched tonight at 6:03pm. We had a great view of the blast from the 6th floor observation deck at our condo. Reef had a good time running around and seeing the sights as well.

More Daytona!

HAPPY 4 years to US! Today marks Jared's & my 4th wedding anniversary. We had a relaxing day at the pool and beach and then we got ready for our date. We had a romantic evening at.....Bubba Gumps! hehehe. It was great food and we didn't have to wait very long either. We strolled around the shops and then headed home. We even beat the others home!
Jared made Reef look like a nerdy old man by pulling his shorts WAY up!

The shuttle was supposed to launch again today (it hasn't gone off the past 3 days because of weather.) so it will try again on Wednesday. Hopefully it will be OK weather.

We saw a funny sight on the way home from dinner last night... A dog in a basket on the back of a motorcycle! It looked as if this was their nightly ride!
Tuesday's dinner at Down the Hatch has beautiful scenery and is right by the waterway. Unfortunately the mosquitos and no-see-ums were eating us alive, thus making us move to 2 places outside before finally getting sat inside. I'm sure this story will be talked about for a LONG time! :) At least the waiter humored us and was in good spirits!

Grampy and Reef enjoying some pre dinner snacks together!

Daytona Beach!

We are in BEAUTIFUL sunny Florida for a glorious week!

We flew in from Kansas City to Orlando and the flight couldn't have gone better. Reef nursed himself to sleep and then enjoyed an hour nap on my lap. The rest of the flight he had plenty of room to play because Rick, Cyndi, Jared and I had 6 seats between us and Ken and Di also had an extra seat by them as well! There were 13 extra seats on our flight and we had 3 of them!

While Rick, Cyndi, Di and Ken went grocery shopping, Jared, Reef and I went swimming and exploring. We had a great day and then we headed to Hooters for some wings! We bought Reef a bib there (since Jared and I met at the Lincoln Hooters!) and Jared got a coozy. We thought it would be funny to put the bib on Rick, and sure enough, it looks hilarious!

Day 1 complete!

Omaha Zoo

Jenn Timperley and I managed to get to the zoo with the 3 boys and had a good time! We packed a lunch and then hit up Zesto's for an afternoon treat after the zoo. The boys were all well behaved (except when they were getting hungry!) and we had a good time with the beautiful weather.

Of course I had to get a picture with Reef by the "Living Reef!" We took a similar one last year when he was only a teeny tot...check back in Aug or Sept of '08 for the pic.

My favorite land animal...the Giraffe!

And I also love watching the Jellyfish!