The Great Pumpkin...

...Charlie Brown!


Actually, it's the Great Pumpkin - Purdue style! haha I saw a link to the Purdue "Block P" pumpkin template on the Purdue Alumni Twitter page and I just couldn't pass it up! I haven't carved a pumpkin since I was in junior high probably. It didn't take very long. We think it looks pretty good! :)

Mom now thinks we need a Colts' "Horseshoe" pumpkin. So I'll keep you posted....

National Blue & Corn Gold

As the National FFA Convention gets underway this week in Indy, I'm reminded of my own days of sporting the blue & gold. :) Some days it doesn't seem like it was that long ago....and others, it feels like it was a different lifetime. I was fortunate enough to attend National Convention in Kansas City, MO the last year it was held there. Then I attended a few conventions in Louisville, KY...and have lived in Indy when the madness that is convention descends on the Circle City! haha There's nothing quite like the proud feeling you have when you see all the corduroy jackets and you are the one who knows what it feels like to take in all the excitement that makes up convention (especially now that we're the "has beens").

All I know is that I'm lucky to have served my state for a year as an officer, and even more blessed to have some amazing friends and FFA "family." Good luck to all the Indiana FFA'ers as they compete in leadership events and here's hoping they are more dedicated and passionate about the FFA when they return home!

IN Delegates @ 2000 National Convention in Louisville, KY

00-01 IN State Officers with the 01-02 National Officers

my FFA family :)

Aunties are the Best!!

As the title states...aunts are pretty great, but there's one in particular that absolutely everyone in our family would do anything for...my great-aunt Vi. :) She is just one of those special people. Everyone in our family has fond memories of Auntie Vi, but the common one is the fact that she always sent us a $2 bill on our birthdays with a card that would be full of well wishes and a letter scrawled out in her nearly imperceptible handwriting! For the entirety of my life, Aunt Vi has lived in California, in a suburb of Sacramento. I remember being in the 3rd or 4th grade and she came home to visit (as she does every year for at least a month), and she pointed out the part of the state she had lived in to me...in EVERY state. Yes, you read that right...Auntie has lived in every state. She is truly a fan of warmer climates though...haha...which we are trying to convince her to leave! The entire family has ganged up on her and by the comments she was making last night, I do believe come spring/summer she will move home to Indiana for good....and we would all be thrilled! ;)

Okay, so this post does have a purpose...haha...Thursday night we had a surprise 89th birthday party for Auntie. And amazingly, we did surprise her!! ha Only for Aunt Vi would 60 family members travel to the little town of Oldenburg for a family-style chicken dinner at the Brau Haus. That's more people than attended the family reunion this year! :p It was really nice to see some of the family that I haven't seen in YEARS. Jenna even made it down from Indy. We had family from Indy, Cincy, and of course everyone else was local to Osgood/Versailles/Batesville area. In lieu of gifts that Auntie wouldn't be able to transport back to Cali in her trademark old white suitcase, we all gave gifts that she could use when she moves back to Indiana. haha (see, I told ya we are doing our best!?!) So, one of the cousins will store the "Auntie's IN Store" for her return. It was great seeing Auntie (I'm hoping to go visit her in Cali before she moves back here) and spending time with our extended family.

Enjoy the pictures! :)

Auntie (seated to the right, side view)


The Menchhofer's



me & my buddy, Ethan

Movie & Weather Review

Last night mom and I decided to go watch Couples Retreat at the theater. It was a good decision!! Such a fun movie. Men and women were laughing...even the 2 little old ladies behind us were laughing! It's a pretty clean movie, only mildly suggestive during the yoga instructor scenes...and if you've seen a preview, you know what I'm talking about. haha It was the perfect movie for a cool, rainy night. It is definitely a "buy when it comes out on dvd" kind of movie...one I'll watch many times! :)

Also this weather still stinks! ha No more rain this morning (FINALLY), but it has cooled off. I guess it's time to prepare ourselves for coats. ugh. I hate wearing coats/jackets. I was feeling much better and then last night with the cool rain and being trapped in mom's truck with a defrost that will melt you on the lowest setting (gotta love Indiana weather), I am feeling a bit stuffy this morning. :( I cannot and will not get sick!! I am leaving for Australia in less than 40 days and my colds always drag on forever. So, more meds to try to prevent this crap from settling in. haha

Well, my vehicle should have warmed up enough now (and windows defrosted) so I can see to drive to town. Gotta get my vitamin D this morning! haha (aka...I'm going to go tan) Then I'll be headed to work later this afternoon although I highly doubt we have many golfers today. :( The sunny side to all this is that tonight mom and I are having Stone's chicken for dinner!!!! I haven't had that in well over a year...possibly longer than that, so that will be a nice treat. (anyone who grew up around here knows all about Stone's)

Have a good weekend! :)

Rain, Rain, Rain

Oh it seems like it's been raining for weeks now....I know it's only been a few days, but when I don't work 3 days in a row and it looks like tomorrow will be the 4th...it's a little depressing! My bank account certainly doesn't like it! ha

I'm spending this rainy day snuggled on the couch with my lil mister, Toby, sleeping on me. (that's the norm for him...ha)

On a positive note, Australia is only about 40 days away...woohoo!!!!!!! Sunshine here I come! :)

1st Birthday Fun

Sunday afternoon, my cousin Sara (and her husband, Andy), held a birthday party for their little girl Callie's 1st Birthday! It was a rather fun day...lots of family, friends, kids, food, and of course...FUN!!

Here's a few pictures of the fun...if you want to see more, you'll have to log on to Facebook! Even then, I only posted 167 of the 221 pictures I took. (I was playing with my camera so I could get better before Australia! haha)

the kids LOVED the bounce castle!

the birthday girl! she ate her cake so properly...ha

opening her gift from us :)

the pinata was a major source of entertainment!

my childhood friend Bridget and her adorable little girl Sara

YAY! finally the candy!! (it only took about 20 ppl hitting it, the men included!)

**As I started posting this, I decided that I would start uploading my pictures to Flickr, but it doesn't give me enough space to upload all my pics and I don't really want to purchase space...so I'm going to keep searching for a better way to store everything. I'll keep you updated! :p