Punta Cana: Quick Recap

Hello bloggy buddies!

I have been MIA for sooooooo long. And no, I am still not caught up. Not. Even. Close. Life is so chaotic right now. Yowza. I'll get it together eventually! ha (I hope.) In the meantime, while I TRY to catch up on reading all of your blogs from the past 2 weeks, here is a quick picture recap of my recent Punta Cana, Dominican Republic trip....the only things I have to say about it:

- Scentsy is an AMAZING company, they handled every little detail!
- Hard Rock Resort is huge and you definitely needed the trolley to get around after a day/night of drinking!
- The first day the SPF factor was 11, which is extreme. I did not end up getting burnt, but my heat rash is almost gone (throat/chest). It's a reaction that I seem to get whenever I am allergic to a sunscreen. GRRRR
- We sat our butts on the beach or at the pools (there were 14 to choose from) all day.
- One week was just long enough to miss everyone at home, but not long enough to completely rejuvenate myself from all the craziness of late.
- We did a zipline course which consisted of 12 ziplines...AWESOME!!! Loved every darn second and it flew by (even though it took about 2 hours).


And now for your viewing pleasure....

The beach

Our favorite pool - Bongo

View from the balcony of our room

Gorgeous palm trees swaying in the breeze

 

A view down one of the ziplines

Me getting ready to zip!

Sis & I on the beach for our White Night dinner 

Sad to be on the plane headed home :(

Favorite picture of myself from the trip - we dressed up one night for dinner and I even curled my hair! haha

5QF - 6/15

Happy to say that I stayed the same this week! No loss which is sad, but no gain which makes me happy! :p It was a super hectic week and I definitely feel like I pushed my limit on the food consumption and lack of sleep.

1. Would you grow your hair out to donate it?

I would love to, but honestly, my hair gets pretty "stringy" looking the longer it gets. I don't think I'd be able to put up with that for very long even though my hair grows fast.


2. What song makes you think of summer?

There are several songs! Anything by the Beach Boys...iconic songs of my youth. And as silly as it is, Summer Girls by LFO is one of those songs I always crank up when I hear it and sing along. You really don't hear it much anymore!




3. Are you a flip flops or sandals kind of person?

I'm a sandals girl! Don't get me wrong, I have several pairs of flip flops, but I tend to be a klutz in them. They come flying off my feet or I trip. I just feel like I can't walk that fast in them and for someone who is always going 100mph, that doesn't work well! ha


4. Favorite summer treat (i.e. ice cream, snow cones, etc.)?

Hawaiian Shave Ice. Ohhhhh my. Yum! Dangit. Now I want one! haha Strawberry and watermelon is my combo flavor.


5. Do you do something special for the father of your children on Father's Day?

No children...however, my special guy is a dad of two wonderful girls and I am helping them with some surprises for him! :) I mean, how can you not want to help them show him how wonderful he is?!

Katniss helping AxMan put a new alternator in his Explorer

A Busy Life

I know I keep saying it, but honestly I can't seem to stay ahead of the game! The days are flying by are warp speed.

It feels a bit like this...

...but I'm trying to remember this...

My days are spent huddled over my computer at work. As soon as I leave work, there seems to be an endless list of things to do. I've been busy!! I love a busy life, but it's been awhile since I've been THIS busy. ha As I approach my 30's, I'm learning that I cannot go go go like before! I am not getting as much sleep, but I hope to remedy that next week when I am here! My evenings have been spent trying to get ready for the upcoming trip, spending time with AxMan (and his girls when he has them), doing stuff around the house, and helping my Scentsy team. Craziness.

On another note, if you'd like a cute (and fun) read...I grabbed the first one for free on the Amazon Kindle Books Bestsellers list and bought the second one after reading the first.

Saturday & Sunday Recap

Hard to believe that I've had literally no time to sit and type since the weekend! My days keep flying by and I feel no closer to getting things accomplished! Oi.

This will be a shortened recap (since I'm typing this at work...bahaha), but suffice it to say that it was an awesome weekend! I truly had a great time and was sad to see my 3 days of quality time with AxMan come to an end.


Saturday

Saturday morning we both had things to do, so we did our own thing. I exercised and cleaned and did laundry. He mowed some yards that he does on a weekly basis and had lunch with his grandma. After he was back to where he's staying, I drove up and picked him up. We went grocery shopping together (had to get my weekly supplies). After that, we dropped the groceries off at my house and then went to his sister's house to do his laundry. She has a high efficiency washer and it seriously held all 2 weeks of his and the girls' clothes in 1 load. Crazy. We still have the "old school" style washer and dryer. haha I got to meet his sister's boyfriend (he calls him his brother-in-law) and 3 of the kids. His sister has 2 boys, who I adore! haha They are farm boys through and through. Had me cracking up almost the whole time we were there...and then asked why I laugh and smile so much!? :p I also met her boyfriend's son (he also has 2 girls). The boys were wound for sound that afternoon...so while the laundry was doing it's thing, we made a great escape! ha I drove him around and showed him some of the places I had lived growing up and where my closest family members live. He had previously done this with me (sorry for not blogging about it. ha) We returned to town and waited on his laundry and finally got to visit with his sis (she works weekends) when she got home. Although they invited us to dinner, we couldn't take the noise and chaos anymore, so we had dinner at a local restaurant. Yum! We spent the rest of the evening hanging out at my house. We walked out to the pond (he wants to catch frogs sometime soon) and watched tv and talked. It was a really nice evening just relaxing.


Sunday

Sunday morning we were both feeling pretty lazy. We had breakfast together...coffee and chocolate chip muffins. mmmmm...good! We procrastinated a bit and finished getting ready for the day before heading to a small town about 40 minutes away to see one of his co-workers, Hillbilly. I'll call his friend/co-worker, Hillbilly, because...he is one! haha He knows it, we all know it. Hillbilly is a good guy though and I'm glad AxMan has someone on the job that he can commiserate with (their job sucks - actually it's the company/mgmt). Anyway, Hillbilly invited us out to his camping spot for dinner. I was told over and over how awesome this meal would be because Hillbilly can really grill....and boy, was AxMan right! We had ribeye steaks, potato wedges, and salad. It was all delicious. The steak was so juicy and the marinade (his secret recipe) was off the charts amazing! The potato wedges were delicious...and yes, we may have all been dipping them in ranch dressing as well. haha ;) It was luckily not too hot out in the woods where we were. We made the trip back to AxMan's place and he decided he was hungry again. I kid you not, the man has a hollow leg. I'm sure of it. Of course, he burns some serious calories at work, so I can imagine you would need to keep your energy up! Since he was hungry and we'd really only had a muffin and the steak all day long...we decided to go grab a pizza at Little C's. We brought it back and watched The Princess Bride while we ate. Funny enough, this was his movie choice. I had never seen it before and since one of his life missions is to expand my movie list, we watched it. I can't believe how ridiculous, but cute, the movie was. Definitely a Robin Hood in Tights kind of movie. I made it home before it got too late and sadly...realized my weekend was over.


Hope all of you had wonderful weekends as well! This time next week...I'll be on the beach in Punta Cana! WOOHOO!!! :)

**Missy - sorry no picture. I'm at work and don't have access! ha

A Rather Perfect Friday

Friday was a pretty great day. Really can't complain about a single second! :)

My day started out at 4:45 am (okay, so maybe that part wasn't so great..ha..but I am used to it) with an early morning workout. I then got myself ready for work and enjoyed a short work day from 7-9am. After work, I had a few errands to run in town. Had to cash my one paycheck & drop off a graduation gift to my cousin since we aren't attending her grad party Sunday. I then made my way to Greensburg to pick up AxMan so he could accompany me on my day in Indy!

We got to Indy and I went to my doc's office for a blood draw. Don't fret - just potassium testing for the testosterone blocker I take. Then I proceeded to drag him from store to store...haha...and I must say he handled it like a champ! I have NEVER taken a guy along on an errand day. I didn't want to bore him, but at the same time, I just feel so comfortable with him that I really didn't care - I just wanted to spend time with him doing my mundane routine. Bought my first pair of Sperry's at DSW, bought a new silver hard-side piece of luggage (that I've been wanting forever!) on The Container Store's travel sale, and made my customary stop at Ulta to stock up on things I'll be out of before too long. We also made a stop at a Sprint store so he could pay his cell phone bill.

By then, it was time for my third and final Lasik check-up. I cannot believe it's been 3 months already! They tested my eyes and then the regular doctor on staff took a look. She had a student/intern doc there as well, so when she was done checking my eyes, she told the intern to look at my eyes because I was an example of a perfect healer! :) Woohoo! That's awesome news! My eyes still tested at 20/20. Amazing since I was legally blind before that! My left eye is still weaker than my right but she said it's still very slight. So now, I just have to do yearly routine eye exams with my normal doctor. I'm loving it!

After the eye appointment, I had to introduce AxMan to 2 of my favorite Indy eateries. ;) And....it was love at first bite! He said he had a "tongue-gasm." hahahahaha We had lunch at Scotty's Brewhouse and then grabbed dessert at BRICS. Yes, he loves the blackberry ice cream as much as I do! He's a keeper!


Since we still had time, he asked if I'd like to meet his mom and dad. *melted* His girls were there for a few hours while their mom ran errands and he said we could surprise them. I let him drive my car back from Indy (a - the girls pointed out he was seen driving a car with Purdue plates! and b - he's only the 3rd person to ever drive my car) since he knew where we were going and I obviously didn't. We got to his parent's home and the girls ran out to see us. I adore them to pieces! We then made our way in the house and spent about 30-45 minutes with his mom and dad. They were really sweet and the conversation was very easy and relaxed. We left so they could eat dinner (and before his ex picked up the girls) and drove a few blocks away so I could meet his grandma. She is such a sweet lady! She reminds me a lot of how my maternal grandma was when she was living. haha...she even knew what shellac was and commented on my nails! ;) We spent about 20 minutes sitting out on the deck at her house just chatting. Both mom and grandma hugged me...he said that was a VERY good sign and that he could tell they liked me. I hope so! I liked them!

We made our way back to the place he's staying (he got word yesterday that he got the apartment he was wanting in Osgood) and chatted with the Greer's for awhile. They are like his second family because it's his best friend's family (they've been best friends since they were 8 - so almost 30 years!). We had every intention of watching a movie, but both of us fell asleep. Whoops! haha I guess we were both tired. :p I made it home pretty late, but it was so worth it. It was a perfect day. I don't know how many times he thanked me for asking him to spend the day with me, but it was pretty cute that he enjoyed it as much as I did!

5QF - 6/8

Friday again...where oh where has the time gone? If you've been reading my blog, you know that last weekend was quite busy and amazingly good! This week I have spent every evening except for last night with AxMan. Quality time is so important to me...and we've been fortunate to have lots of it this week. We've settled in on the couch, watched tv, talked about anything and everything, had dinner together, and just enjoyed our time together. We have plans to spend pretty much the entire weekend together and both of us are pretty darn excited about that! ha I'm sure I'll have some updates after the weekend. :)

I'm excited to say that I've lost another 1.2 pounds! Loving this healthy lifestyle. So excited to continue shedding the pounds. I was looking through some old pictures with AxMan this week and he was amazed at how much I've lost. He's lost quite a bit over the past 5 months as well. He doesn't have to workout though, he burns a ton of calories on the job everyday! ha

Last week I was too busy to play along with 5QF even though one of the questions was mine! Bummer. :( This week, one of the questions is again mine...hope you'll link up!




- - -

1. Did you do anything special for your kids on the last day of school? Or did your parents do anything special for you?

No kids and don't remember my parents/grandparents doing anything special for us as kids. I think we did the typical "last day of xx grade" pictures. haha We were always too excited about summer to be concerned with anything extra just because of school ending.


2. What's your favorite summer tradition with your kids?

Again, no kids of mine...however, this summer I can see myself making a tradition of park days with AxMan and his girls. I have also done special "dates" with my cousin, Ethan, to play golf and eat ice cream. We always have fun together. This summer I plan to make some baseball games to see my good friend O's kiddos play! Love them to pieces and it will be fun to spend time with them.


3. What was your favorite thing to do during the summer as a kid?

This is so silly, but there were 2 things that I always really enjoyed as a kid. The first was the week spent at the county fair each summer (usually the week of my birthday). We were super 4-H'ers and took tons of projects and my parents were very involved as leaders. I still make it to the fair several nights! The other thing that I remember the most about summers was swimming. Swimming at my grandma's house...she had the most awesome in-ground pool that was also like a greenhouse/atrium glass enclosed. Swimming at our friend DeeDee's house (still do that! ha). And of course, hanging the swings really high on the swingset and jumping into the kiddie pool we set up at my other grandparent's house. Yep, we surely were the kids who gave their parents and grandparents heart attacks on a daily basis! ;)


4. How old were you when you married? Were you a Bridezilla?

Not married, but guessing if it ever happens...I'll be in my 30's as I'm about to hit that milestone next month! ha I would love to say I wouldn't be a bridezilla, but anyone who REALLY knows me and my obsessive need to plan events would tend to believe that I will most likely be a crazy bride. I must say though that as I get older, I'm more determined to have a smaller wedding somewhere (like a beach) and then have a big reception upon our return. I think that would be less stressful! ha (And yes Jen, I'll probably still be a bridezilla. So sue me! ha)


5. What is your favorite girl name?

I normally wouldn't share this, but seeing as how I have a previous friend who "stole" this name (I've loved this name since junior high), I wouldn't ever use it for my own child. Kylee. I knew a girl growing up that spelled her name - Kylie. And I pretty much idolized her and thought she was THE coolest. haha Why the double E? Well, I knew a girl - Ashlee - and I always liked the unique spelling that wasn't too crazy, but just different enough. Ya know?!? Oh well. ha

A Day at the Park

So where do I begin with yesterday's festivities? hmmmm...I have a lot to tell! (And if you didn't read the blog over the weekend, you need to scroll down and read your way back up because I posted on Saturday AND Sunday.)

Sunday morning after AxMan woke up, I asked him if they would like to do something together for the day. So we decided on an afternoon at the park (at this point it was 10:30am and the girls were still asleep). I set about getting myself ready after exercising, had a quick bite to eat, and gathered some park supplies. Quilts to lay out in the grass, scratch sets (you know the velcro catch game), a frisbee, my old cheerleading pom-poms (cause the girls asked to see them the night before but I had to dig them out of a box), and a cooler with our favorite drinks. I met them at the park around 1:30pm and the fun began!

The girls played...and played...and played some more. We really had a great time! I also had packed my iPod and speakers, so we listened to music while laying on the quilts. AxMan ran to grab a pizza since him and the girls hadn't eaten. The girls and I talked about all sorts of things...I just let them lead the conversation. I'm glad they feel comfortable enough with me to confide in me. (It surprised their daddy later when I told him too.) The girls made themselves dizzy on the merry-go-round, climbed on the geo-dome, went down the slides, and I joined them on the swings. Lorraine even found time to bury herself in the sandbox. Oi. The girl had sand EVERYWHERE. haha It was really the perfect day weather-wise! I would plan a day like that again in a heartbeat!

DORK! He didn't think I snapped this fast enough...bahaha

Around and around they go!

Sand, anyone?

Kiddie swing

After about 2.5 hours the girls were starting to get restless. You know how it is...sooooo BORING. hahaha We packed everything back in my car and then went over to the place AxMan is staying right now because I hadn't been there and the girls wanted me to see it. We all piled onto the bed and watched a movie...but mostly chatted. All too soon it seemed like our day was coming to a close. At 7pm, I rode along for the "drop off" of the kiddos to their mom. I did see her, but we did not meet. Can anyone say awkward?!?

After dropping the girls off, we went back to the park and sat on the big bench swing under a shade tree. It was nice just being able to sit there and enjoy some quiet time with AxMan. After some talking there, we went back to where he's staying. He really wanted to watch the movie (cause it was already a day late), but of course, we missed most of it again due to a conversation that got started between us. He is VERY adamant about open communication...and I love that, but at the same time, it's almost to the point it makes me uncomfortable. Why? Well....he's been there done that and I haven't. It's really as simple as that. I would be lying if I didn't say the situation can intimidate me at times, but I'm working really hard not to let it. Sometimes that feeling comes across as me rejecting him. I hate that he feels that way, but it's because of his history. We were kind of giving each other some thinking space when my dear, sweet, wonderful friend O texted. The girl has some crazy connection to me! She always seems to hit the right day and the right moment when I need a true friend's advice. She was texting about reading my latest blog post....and of course she has lots of backstory via text because she's a) local and b) one of my best friends since HS. It was the reminder I needed to put myself out there...so I asked him to read the text. That was all it took to open the lines of communication. There was some pretty serious conversation...and at times I felt like he could reach out and crush my heart at any moment...but in the end, we're okay. We both have lots of baggage/fears we bring into the relationship, but we both want to make it work. He really pushes me to lay those fears to rest. I know I'm pushing him as well. It will no doubt continue to be a struggle. I just know I'm willing to keep "laying it on the line" as long as he does.

Yesterday I had planned to ask him how he felt about us being "Facebook official." hahaha Stupid, I know. Forgive me. On the way home, I texted him to ask. He was all for it. So when I got home and got some stuff done, I finally had a moment to sit down and change my status on FB. His computer screen is shattered and good ol' FB won't let the world change their relationship on the mobile app (I mean...really? How dumb is that logic??), so he is hoping to get to a computer tonight or tomorrow to "approve" our pending relationship. He does however still get all the notifications from every time someone has liked my changed status. hahaha ;) I really never knew so many cared about my status until last night when 14 people Liked my relationship status change within 10 minutes of posting it...at midnight!! Good grief. It does make me laugh though. And I do like being his. And him being mine. :)

OH...he also now knows about the blog, but hasn't seen it. I told him about his moniker and let's just say...I think he would've done the "me Tarzan" beating on his chest thing had I been standing with him when we talked about it later on the phone (after I got home). His biggest question was why I felt the need to hide his name and call him something else. I explained to him that the moniker started before we'd started officially dating and it was to protect his privacy. So...AxMan is actually a wonderful man named Eric. If you're FB friends with me...you probably figured that out by his comment on my status change and the fact that he also Liked it. hahaha Eventually it'll say that he's the one I'm in a relationship with, but ya know that whole approval thing via an actual computer! :p I will most likely continue to call him AxMan, but don't be surprised if I slip up from time to time and you see Eric. I almost typed it earlier in a paragraph and went back to change it!