America's Favorite Past times

This weekend we took part in 3 of what I would consider America's favorite past times (at least in my neck of the woods).

1. Dining out
2. Watching baseball
3. Going to the local county fair

Friday I got my nails shellac'd with French Manicure and my toes purple!

Did some grocery shopping & couldn't resist the Coffee ice cream. It's a favorite of mine...and AxMan!

Saturday morning I prepped my Scentsy Scent of the Month Club mailing!

Dinner at our favorite Japanese Hibachi grill with the family :)

Cincinnati Reds baseball game - AxMan's 1st MLB game!

Took the girls to the county fair for some fun!

Got their faces painted...awwww ;)

And on another note...I leave EARLY Wednesday morning to head to Las Vegas for this year's Scentsy Family Convention! I cannot wait! Will be hard leaving AxMan & the girls for the rest of the week, but I'm looking forward to all the announcements being made at convention! Scentsy Family will be announcing Brand X (the 3rd brand - already have Scentsy & Velata). It is sure to be HUGE!!!

I'll have plenty of updates when I return from Vegas. Don't expect too many sightseeing pictures because I've already done "that" Vegas. haha I fly back on Saturday afternoon just in time to get ready for my birthday dinner in Indy with some family and friends! I'm turning the big 3-0 on Sunday! :)

2 Months

So this is going to be a cheesy post...you may want to look away if you are tired of my "I'm so happy" posts! ;)

Two months ago this past Sunday, I finally (like 1 or 2 days later) replied to a post on OKCupid from this guy with a blurry picture and barely any information posted on his profile. I felt I was politely saying thanks, but no thanks... He took it as a challenge to change my mind and I am sooooo glad that he did! We messaged back and forth for quite awhile on the website and then he mentioned he was using his phone to do it and it wasn't all that easy, would I mind exchanging phone numbers and texting. I figured I had nothing to lose as we'd been chatting for 1-2 hours and I hadn't stopped smiling/laughing the whole time. We then proceeded to text for another several hours. During that time, he asked me out on an official date for the upcoming Friday night. I accepted. The next 2 days, we texted all day long while at work and pretty much all evening those nights. We lived 10 minutes apart at the time...I mean, really?!? ha

On Wednesday of that week (exactly 2 months ago today), AxMan and I were texting during the work day, when out of the blue he asked me if I would like to meet up that night because he didn't think he could wait until Friday to see me. Insert your AWWWWWs here. ;) How could I say no after that?? I luckily didn't have any plans, so we agreed to meet at Dairy Queen for an ice cream treat in the neighboring town. I remember having butterflies fluttering around in my stomach on the way there (it was a 15 minute drive) AND then I got stuck behind some slow drivers, plus a tractor, and quickly texted to let him know that I was running late, but was NOT standing him up. :) He replied a thanks for letting him know. I got there, stepped out of my car, and the first thing I see is a co-worker of mine and his family sitting at a table eating ice cream...and of course, they have to stop me to chit-chat. I'm nervously glancing over my shoulder to find AxMan and see him sitting in his SUV. I make a polite getaway and walk over to his vehicle where he gets out and gives me a big hug. :) We had some idle conversation and made our way over to the ordering window. Yep, we are in small town Indiana...so it's still old-school, only open a few months each year kinda DQ. We both get our treats and he pays, then we sit...by my co-worker. AWKWARD. Luckily, they left shortly after we sat down and from there, we proceeded to have one of the best first dates ever, all alone at our table for the next few hours!

I remember standing by my car waiting to say our goodbyes and go home. He was standing super duper close to me and I kept thinking, just kiss me already! ha He finally reached out and grabbed my hand...I looked up at him and said, I know what you're thinking - just do it. So he did. He leaned in and kissed me. ;) It was a pretty great first kiss.

So here we are...2 months later...in a place I never expected to be. This amazingly good man now lives with me. I adore his girls (and he swears they love me just as much). We still learn something new about each other every day. I am learning how to feed extremely picky eaters (no really, all 3 of them are super picky...and Jenna, I know you think I'm picky, but you have NO IDEA). All in all, life is good great. We're busy and really just want a break from everything (especially the moving/unpacking), but each day keeps getting better. I love that he talks to me...about any and everything. It's good to know that they aren't any secrets or drama.

Tonight we went back to where it all began....Dairy Queen. hahaha Yep, you read that right. To commemorate our 2 months, we decided to go have another ice cream treat and relive our first date. This time we changed up our orders and it was luckily about the same temp as last time (maybe even cooler), but still fun! If I had to do it all over again, I would...in a heartbeat! :)

He made friends with a praying mantis

He snuck a picture in on me! ;)

Quick Recap

Life is still moving at a crazy fast pace! AxMan is officially moved into the house....but we have MANY boxes to sort and store. I thought it was bad enough helping last month when he moved, but it's much worse when the boxes are in YOUR space. hahaha I'm ready to have everything organized, but at the same time, we're so exhausted from all the going-going-going that I'm okay with the boxes for another few days while we get rested up. Between the girls being there this past week/weekend, me having a Scentsy sales booth at an event in the Indy area, and moving...we're just worn down. Yesterday we laid on the bed while the girls hogged the couch and watched tv...and we fell asleep. I think I slept more than he did, but I've had a slightly more hectic schedule than he has! I took about a 2 hour nap and was still ready for bed much sooner than we made it. I was hoping for an early bedtime tonight, but he has to go mow some yards he takes care of in his hometown and it will be late when he gets home...which means a late dinner and then finally getting ready for bed. *sigh*

Enjoy some pictures of the craziness!

Playing on the laptop while waiting for my car to be done with the regular maintenance at the dealership

Toby wanted to snuggle after having some baby teeth surgically removed

My Scentsy booth at Bastille Day

My Life [in Pictures & Song]

If you follow along on Twitter & Instagram (@emenchho1), then you probably know that lately...my life...well, it's been hectic. There's so much to tell you, but I'm a little overwhelmed with where to start. So, I'll give a brief update (as brief as I can be...ya'll know I'm long winded!) and then throw some pictures and a song at ya! Deal? Okay, good.

For starters, AxMan and I are great. Beyond great. This weekend is the 2 month mark...and while this next statement is gonna blow some people's minds (like those who have known me a long time and know how slow & cautious I tend to be), I don't really care because sometimes you JUST KNOW. Ya know? haha Anyway....AxMan is moving in. Yep, you read that right. On Sunday, he will officially be a resident of my home. Er, mom's home...but whatever. Financially and emotionally, it is a good move for both of us. Not really going to explain anything else about that, but suffice it to say that we're excited and if I had to guess, I think even mom is kinda looking forward to it. She's been helping me make space for the boy and his girls (who we'll have 1 more full week this summer and then every other weekend). We have a "guest bedroom" upstairs that was really being used for storage and now it is the home of Katniss & Lorraine. They checked it out last night and were pretty excited about it. It's going to be a huge adjustment for me as I've never lived with a man (I've had male roomies, but no one that I was in a relationship with) and it's not truly our own private space, but we'll make it work.

So the moral of the story is that the rest of my time has been spent helping AxMan pack up the apartment (that he just moved into last month), while at the same time cleaning out our house to make room for his stuff. I'm E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D. Seriously. Monday my knee hurt so bad, I'm surprised it wasn't bruised or swollen. I could barely walk. Monday night I took it easier than the previous few days, but Tuesday it felt tons better. Today I only notice a small twinge in my hip (for overcompensating on the knee for 2-3 days). All year mom has had it on her To Do list to clean the storage (aka think attic) room upstairs and get rid of a bunch of old stuff and reorganize. Did we do that? Nope. Instead, with the clock ticking...we did it all...in ONE day. Craziness. I don't have any clue how many trips up and down the stairs I made, how many times I climbed up in the back of the truck, how many times I handled each bag or item as I lugged it down said stairs, packed it on the truck or threw it in the dumpster. Oh and not just 1 dumpster. We filled 3 dumpsters (of varying sizes, but still).

I just want a break. From everything. ha It seems my own To Do list is a mile long (and growing daily), plus assisting with everyone else's stuff. I can't wait until everything is settled and we can just sit on the couch, watch a movie with the girls, and relax. :) I know that time is coming, but it seems kinda far away. haha Maybe I'll get some rest when I go to Vegas in 2 weeks...or NOT. :p

storage room BEFORE (good thing you can't see everything to the left of the door!)

storage room AFTER (although now has more piled up due to the boy's stuff)

we wore Toby out from cleaning and moving! haha

piles are everywhere at the apartment

AxMan made me dinner one night & we watched a movie (the last night we had any of the furniture in this pic...he sold everything the next day!)

and when you're left with no real furniture, you eat off your kids' princess table, while sitting on the floor #truestory

We were driving home last night & the boy randomly asks if I want to listen to a song that always makes him think of me...so of course, I want to. This is the song - Nothing Like This by Rascal Flatts ;)

Confession

I have a confession to make....I am not very exciting. Like, barely at all.

Everyone is posting all these fun 4th of July posts and I have nothing to share. Nada. Wanna know why? Well, let me tell you.

I had to work. Yep, you read that right. We were originally scheduled to work 4 - 10 hour days (M, Tu, Th, F). On Tuesday, a few pains in my side at work decided to complain about a day off in the middle of the week. Yeah, no shit Dick Tracy. Just about every local place did the same schedule. Brilliant time to change your minds that you don't like it. They convinced the boss man to change the schedule (I was the only person opposed to it...not really, it's just that they harped on the 1 other person until he relented). So instead of enjoying a day at home relaxing with my mom and boyfriend, I had to sit at work...bored to tears. I actually almost fell asleep at my desk in the afternoon. I wish I were kidding, but falling forward towards my desk woke me up. *shaking my head* I was not exactly the nicest person yesterday. Can you blame me?? So now I have Friday off, but guess what...my loved ones will be at work! What a bunch of crapola. And yes, I did tell off the 2 people who started the griping and got the boss to change the schedule. It did make me feel slightly better. ha

Last night I left job #1 and stopped to pick up AxMan at his place. He went with me so I could do payroll at job #2. (I had a dentist appointment Monday night when I would have normally done it and Tuesday we had other plans as well...oh and I kinda forgot! ha) After finishing up there, I rode with him to go collect money from a side job he'd done. He loves landscaping and he trimmed hedges for a lady who always has him do it every year. On the way back home, he decided that he didn't feel like eating in, so he took me out to dinner. And yes, sadly that is only like our 3rd official date out somewhere. haha I introduced him to a local restaurant that my family loves (some family friends own it), Crossroads, and he liked it as well! Not many places left in the world where you can go eat big, hearty, homemade meals for $17 for 2 people.

We went back to his apartment and he decided to put away a few more boxes of stuff that he had started on earlier in the day while I was at work. I promptly fell asleep on the loveseat. For 2 hours. hahahaha Seriously. I'm a terrible date. He took me out to dinner and to thank him, I fell asleep on his couch while he cleaned. Ummmm...jeez. We won't be winning any awards for most exciting couple anytime soon! ;)

So although my holiday didn't start out too great (getting up at 4:30am to be at work by 6 is less than thrilling and obviously quite exhausting), it ended pretty great...including a late night bowl of ice cream. :p

And now I'm enjoying another lovely and boring day at work. Thankfully it's the last one of the week! 5.5 hours left to go...... #countdown

A Scorching Weekend

Whew! Is anyone else HOT? I don't just mean hot...I mean, it's burning like the fires of hell outside. Seriously. 100+ degree days are not much fun. I am a high 60's/low 70's kind of girl, so anything 90's and 100's isn't much going to make me happy. haha

Despite the wicked weather, I had a fabulous weekend! On Friday afternoon, I judged a local county fair Queen Pageant with one of my best friends, Olesha. It was her first time and my millionth. ha We had a great afternoon interviewing the girls, enjoying dinner out on the committee (despite the electricity going out due to the storms), and got to watch a very deserving young lady get crowned!

me dressed up to judge the pageant

After the pageant, I changed my clothes and met up with AxMan and the girls. We drove to my work's parking lot to meet up with a bunch of my family and friends to watch the town's fireworks. And no, I didn't even think to take a picture of the fireworks. Um....DUH! The girls had fun playing with my cousin, Ethan, while I introduced AxMan to some of the crew and watched the pretty fireworks. (The girls know Ethan because my cousin Monica is going to watch them a few times this summer so AxMan can have them during his weeks. I'm glad they all get along so well!)

Saturday morning was thankfully a lazy day. I did some laundry and made a trip to the grocery store for mom. Then I hung out at the apartment with AxMan and the girls. He was unfortunately not feeling well most of the week. We've come to believe it was probably the one-week "flu" bug that seemed to be going around our hometown. Thankfully yesterday he started feeling much better, and although he works out in this horrible heat, hopefully he won't be feeling lousy again tonight. I took the girls with me to spend time with my family. Everyone was hanging out at my cousin Sara's house and having a pitch-in dinner. The girls played with Ethan, Callie, and Henry...then Zach & mom took me, Katniss, and Lorraine for a ranger ride. They had so much fun riding in the creek! I "forced" them to go home much sooner than they would have liked, but I hated to have their dad at home alone not feeling well. We still ended up being gone for about 4 hours. That night, Lorraine helped me bake individual chocolate cakes with the Redi Set Express. It was just a regular cake mix poured into the wells and baked for 7 minutes, then cooled and iced with chocolate icing. Both girls thought that was the most amazing thing ever and they were cracking me up! They called them Erin's Famous Chocolate Tacos and Erin's Famous Chocolate Clouds. hahaha Goobers! ;)

 Callie, Katniss, & Lorraine

Ethan & Henry wrestling

beautiful girls!

ranger ride in the creek

me & Lorraine

chocolate cake

Katniss's fave color = orange & so is my sis's fave color...she asked me to take a pic to send to Jen to show her! ha

Sunday morning we all surprisingly woke up fairly early and since the girls had requested my Famous Fluffy Waffles (they swear every meal I make is fluffy goodness - I have also made them bubble up pizza, a recipe from pinterest), I made everyone waffles. Yum! We watched a movie while AxMan did laundry. The girls really needed to go through their dressers and a large garbage bag full of clothes to decide what they could/couldn't wear anymore. They weren't too thrilled by that, but I got them convinced it would help dad tremendously and so we sorted everything out! We ended up with 2 bags of clothes for Goodwill, 2 still overly stuffed dressers, and 1 bag of trash. I have a feeling some things in the dressers still need to go, but it's a start. :p

Day 2 ranger ride in the creek with AxMan in the very back of the pic!

Henry just minutes before falling in the water (as he always does)

playing in the water :)

me & Katniss

we sure do love the water!

Last night we took the girls home (since their mom's car was "overheating"). They both hugged me goodbye. It warms my heart that they WANT to hug me! And even more so that they did it in front of their mom's house....without coercion!

It was late by the time we got back home, so we made a frozen pizza for dinner. I know, I know...we are the epitome of excitement. ;)