Old Timer's Day

Volga celebrated Old Timer's Day this past weekend. Friday was filled with rummage sales city-wide ... Dustin and I took the day off to check them out. We didn't find much and spent most of our time at my Mom's rummage sale. Friday night we went to the golf course for, as Mayor Tom calls it, Volga's best kept secret. Food and Fireworks! After a brief rain shower, during which we all crammed into the club house, we enjoyed the fireworks display. It was fantastic!!

The parade was on Saturday. Mom was in the parade (she's on the city council) and Dad drove the firetruck that they rode on. After the parade, we headed to the park for food. There were several food vendors there again and we checked out a few of the craft booths. We were also able to hear my cousin Morgan sing. She's one of nine Sioux Valley band and choir students that will be touring Europe next summer with Midwest Ambassadors of Music (the same tour that I went on in high school).

The street dance was Saturday night and I went for a couple hours before heading to Nichole's to pick up Allie so Nichole could head to the dance.

Nichole and Allie at the parade

Mom and Allie at the park

Nichole's friend Courtney and her daughter Kiera

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the incredible father's in my life ... I love you.

A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.
George Webster Douglas

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.
Proverb

Baby Beringer

Can you see the face? And the thumbs up on the left side of the pic?

Peace!

Stretch!

We went to the doctor today for another checkup and got an ultrasound too. This will most likely be the last one that I have (I had one at 9 weeks, my first appointment). We probably could have found out what we're having but we didn't. We just know that it's a baby and everything is going very well for both of us. The baby weighs 1 pound right now and I'm 21 weeks along. Craziness!

Let the Wedding Season Begin!

Dustin and me

Kyndal, me and Shel (maid of honor)

Cool cake!

Kyndal and Chad were married yesterday and I played piano for their wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and a great reception/dance. I stayed up far too late but had a wonderful time.
We have another wedding to attend in a couple weeks. This will be the first wedding that I have not played piano for or been in in a long, long time. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself!
My cousin Rachel will be getting married in August (on my sister's birthday) and then I'm playing for another wedding, also in August. I think that might be it for weddings this year. :)

The Weekend

This weekend started off great. We went over to my grandparents new house Friday night and helped them move some stuff and went back on Saturday to help move the rest. It was a great day for moving ... and I probably say this because I didn't have to do much! I unpacked some stuff and Randy came over with Allie in the afternoon so I just chased her around.

Then Saturday night I went to Sex and the City with my friend Lucy. It was amazing. I cannot wait for the movie to be available on DVD. Thanks again for going with me Lucy! And Dustin thanks you too ... Ha!!

Saturday also marked the halfway point of my pregnancy. So exciting!

Sunday was not so good. About a half hour after I woke up, I got sick. I had a brief period where I thought I was getting better and then it got bad again. The last bout of vomiting gave me a bloody nose, so we called Ask-a-Nurse. Upon her recommendation, and the recommendation of my parents and sister, we went to the emergency room. Now, normally I would have toughed it out. But when you're pregnant it's not just about you. Got to the ER and they gave me some anti-nausea medicine and an iv to get me hydrated. We hung out there for about an hour or so and then went home. I felt better than I did before we went, but I still felt like crap. On doctors orders, I'm home resting today. I feel much better though. Just tired and sore. I'm on the BRAT diet and it's going well. I'm just anxious to get back to normal.

Congratulations Wayne!

My cousin Wayne, a staff sergeant in the Air Force, was recently recognized by the Department of Defense with an amazing award. Check out the story here.

Congratulations Wayne ... your family is very proud of you!

Learning

Every once in a while I come across tutorials that help me develop my skills in the programs I use. This little ditty is one I've been working on the last couple of days. So fun!

I Heart Long Weekends

There's nothing better than a long weekend. Knowing you get that extra day makes all the difference in the world. We did nothing on Saturday. I literally mean nothing. We did manage to do the dusting and "swiffering", but other than that we didn't do much. We went out to Rolfie and Anne's (my uncle and aunt) Saturday night for some grilling. We had hoped for a bonfire, but the wind was terrible so that was a no-go. But it was still a fun night and the food was great! Thanks again Rolfie and Anne!

Sunday morning we awoke to a hail storm. That was fun. I thought a tree was going to come crashing through our roof or something. But by the time church was over it had turned into a beautiful day and shortly after lunch, we were on the lake!

Lake Sinai

Lake Sinai

The fisherman (?)

Dustin fished (if you can call it that, he didn't catch anything!) and I read my book. I've never been a lake person and I'm starting to wonder if that's because we never had a boat. Now, I think I'm a lake person. It was gorgeous and so peaceful out there. I love to waterski, but that's not an option for me this summer. I don't think my doctor would approve! But if all I can do is sit out there and read, I am more than okay with that!

We saved the lawn work for this morning. I mowed the front and Dustin mowed the back. Our neighbor told us this morning that our lawn looks the best it has since they moved in about 10 years ago. Dustin is quite proud!! He always says his dad had a nice lawn and he intends to have a nice lawn as well. So thanks, Jeff!!

Tonight is grilling at Mom and Dad's, which I always look forward to. I hope everyone had a great long weekend and Happy Memorial Day!! Thank you to all those who serve and have served.

Random

Let's see ... hosted book group last Thursday and made my weird food. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't great! I don't know that I'll make it again, but at least I can say that I made some Afghanistan food to go with the book. Ha!

Did some yard work this weekend and I've decided that I need some plants or flowers or something on my patio. I have to find things that won't mind if I forget about them ... I have a tendency to kill any type of flower or plant I come in contact with. Mom, this is where you come in. We might have to hit up Medary Acres or something this next weekend.

Went out to Jessica and Josh's Saturday night for supper. It's always so nice to go out there and just hang out. We had a very informal supper (and discovered that we both like grilled cabbage) and then had a fire and listened to the coyotes. It's so peaceful out there.

Just realized today that RibFest is next weekend. I'm not quite sure how summer managed to sneak up on me, but I'm sure glad it did. Mom pointed out that it's been so chilly lately that it's hard to believe summer is on it's way. Also realized that I don't have to work a week from today. Good to know ... I probably would have went to work. ;-)

I ordered a couple new books from my book club (Doubleday) and they arrived today. Yay! Except I realized that I already own one of the books that I purchased. I must have really liked it! I know exactly how it happened. James Patterson has a new women's murder club book and I thought I ordered that one. I didn't. Oh well.

I think that's about it. Not much else is going on. I've had a couple doctor's appointments and everything is going great. We go again in June and I've been told that we'll have another ultrasound. Dustin and I purchased a new printer for our computer and it's also a copier/scanner, so I'll be able to share the ultrasound with everyone!!

Book Group Menu

I think I have a pretty good idea of what I will serve my book group Thursday night!

Noodles with Yogurt and Mint and Kofta Nakhod (meatballs with chickpeas). You can click on either dish to view the ingredients.

Hopefully I can find all the ingredients ... shouldn't be too hard. Our grocery store is pretty good about stocking ethnic items. I'll be sure to let you all know how it turns out!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers in my life!

May Book Group

So, if anyone pays attention to "What I'm Reading" you might have noticed that the picture hasn't changed in a while. This would be the time of year that my reading takes a direct hit, as I find myself with a million things to do. Needless to say, I haven't quite finished the book from last month. For the month of May, I'm supposed to be reading The Kite Runner.


Luckily I have already read this book (and I highly recommend it ... you should also read A Thousand Splendid Suns). It is my turn to host though and book group is a week from tonight. I need to figure out what I will serve. We try to have foods that relate to what we just read, so I'm looking for Afghani dishes. I'm hoping to find Naan, which is quite popular throughout the book, but I'm not really sure about anything else. If anyone has any ideas please let me know!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Dustin and my dad planted a tree for us yesterday
Dad says in about 5 years we'll have a really pretty red maple towering in our yard!

America's Pastime in America's Capital

On Sunday we went to a Washington Nationals game. While no one is a die-hard 'Nats fan, it was fun to see them take on the Cubs. And they won, which I'm told doesn't happen very often! The ballpark is brand new this year and it's probably one of the nicest ballparks I've been to. There were "Welcome Home" signs everywhere ... seems the folks of D.C. are very excited to have their team back in the city. And no, the main display you see above is not from my company. :(

Vacation Photos

Washington Monument

Korean War Memorial

WWII Memorial

WWII Memorial

National Air and Space Museum

National Air and Space Museum

The White House

Vacation

Last Thursday, Dustin and I headed out east to visit his parents. Jeff and Cindy moved out to the D.C. area a few months ago and we had been anxiously awaiting our trip out there. After a delay in Sioux Falls (thunderstorms) and a mad dash through the Minneapolis airport (not fun), we finally made it to D.C. Jeff and Cindy treated us to some surf and turf that evening ... steaks and lobster tails, shrimp and scallops ... delicious!
The next morning we had a tour of the Capital building. Dustin's sister-in-law's cousin (got that?) is an intern with a Senator from North Dakota and she was able to give us a tour. Very cool.
After the tour, we had some lunch at Union Station and then hopped on the Metro and headed to the Mall. We walked down around the Washington Monument to the Vietnam Memorial, stopped by the Lincoln Memorial (where we got trapped in an elevator) and then stopped at the Korean Memorial. While at the Korean Memorial, the coolest thing happened. There was a lady standing next to the monument, pointing to a picture (there are pictures engraved all over the wall of the monument). Turns out, the picture she was pointing to was her! While I can't remember what she did during the war, I did manage to ask where she was from. She's living in Anchorage, Alaska!


Next we headed down the path towards the WWII Memorial. This Memorial is new since the last time I was in D.C. It was awesome. Then we headed back to the Metro and made our way to King Street, also known as Old Towne Alexandria. Jeff works on King Street and we quickly discovered that it will be a good long while before I can ever afford anything from the shops on that particular street! But it was still fun to walk down the street and look at all the shops. Jeff and Cindy then took us to one of their favorite haunts, Chadwicks. We had a couple beers (mine of the non-alcoholic variety) before heading back to the apartment, which we affectionately called the hotel! I kid you not, their complex is pretty much like a hotel. It's awesome!
On Saturday we got tickets to tour the Holocaust Museum and also went to the National Air & Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art. We quickly discovered that while we had 80 degree temperatures, SD was getting 10+ inches of snow!!
We also walked by the White House and stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial before heading down to the Marina. Jeff and Cindy took us to a fish market and then we went to Phillips, a seafood buffet. This place was huge and had the best crab legs!! We got home just in time for a cool thunderstorm and lots of rain.

Greetings from the East Coast

Dustin and I took a little vacation out to see his parents, Jeff and Cindy ... I'll be sure to post all about it when we get home (tomorrow).

Just wanted to let everyone know that Jeff and Cindy have joined the world of bloggers! I've set up a link on the side ... be sure to stop by their site!

New Computer ... New Desk

Yes, ladies and gentleman, I am finally posting from a new (and much faster) computer. Since we got the new computer I decided we needed a sleek new desk as well. So after the Hovey dinner in Watertown today we stopped at Target. We managed to pick up this desk, new throw pillows for the couch and I found a couple maternity tops on sale. I love Target.

Can you say "inheritance"?

Dad's new Harley Davidson Heritage Softail ... I cannot wait for a ride!

Mom's ring

A couple weeks ago my parents attended the CASA Fire and Ice Event. Wink's Jewelry was giving away a one-carat diamand ring ... and my mom won it!! I went with her to Wink's the following week to help her pick out a new setting for the ring. It is absolutely gorgeous! And I'm not jealous at all. :)

Most Anticipated Post Ever!

Many of you visitors to my little piece of blog real estate have already heard the good news and you have been waiting patiently for me to post. Well, here it is ...

Dustin and I are having a baby!

I'm about 13 weeks along and my due date is October 18th. So far, things have been going well. I haven't been sick, although I do battle with nausea every once in a while. I don't have it near as bad as my sister did, so I try really hard not to complain! We'll be sure to keep everyone updated as things progress!

Movie Night

Mom recently finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha (I will be reading it again soon for book group), so we decided that she had to watch the movie with me. It was also decided that we needed to have a theme night for the occasion. We made Baked Potstickers with Sweet Asian Dipping Sauce and Thai Chicken-Veggie Pizza (I know that neither are Japanese dishes, but close enough ... and we did have some sushi). Both were quite delicious!



After dinner, Dad and Dustin sat out on the patio and enjoyed a fire while Mom and I watched the movie. If you haven't read the book or taken in the movie, I highly suggest both. Of course, read the book first!

More Improvements

It seems my husband is quite the electrician now! We made a trip to Lowe's today and picked out some new fixtures. After Dustin and my dad installed the new fan/fixture, I realized just how ugly some of our other fixtures were. Once the real electrician comes over to get the lighting installed in the back bedrooms, we should be done. Or not ... Dustin and I have decided we don't care for the lighting above the stairs and may replace that as well. We shall see!

Goofy Girl

Just a couple pics of Allie being goofy. Mom or Dad told me where they got the goggles, but I don't remember. They're Allie's glasses now and she just loves to put them on and run around the house. She's just so darn funny!

Allie's Easter Egg Hunt

Mom set up an Easter egg hunt for Allie and she was SO excited! It was funny watching her discover all the eggs that were "hidden" around the house. Mom even "hid" a couple eggs for me and Nichole. The eggs had a lottery scratch ticket in them. I was really hoping to hit the jackpot, but alas ... no such luck.

Easter Eggs

Here's our Easter eggs ... The trick we learned in Real Simple was to wrap rubber bands around the eggs before you colored them to get those neat stripes. The crayon doesn't seem to work very well, but I think our eggs turned out great. And they're were quite delicious!

Hippity Hoppity

We spent this morning coloring eggs and making sugar cookies. My camera battery was dead, so I didn't get a picture of the eggs. I'll try to get one tomorrow before we eat them because they turned out really cool! Mom and I discovered a rubber band trick in Real Simple and it was awesome! I did manage to snap this picture of the cookies when I got home and charged the battery (I'm still kind of shocked that Dustin hadn't eaten them all within 5 minutes of me getting home!).

Yummy!

Home Improvements

Part of an on-going lighting project, Dustin and my dad installed a new fan/fixture for us in the kitchen. I love it! Now we just need Dustin's electrician friend to come over and install the lighting in two of our bedrooms.

Good Times

This weekend was pretty uneventful. Dustin and I went out for supper at Cubby's Friday night where we ran into my parents and a bunch of people my mom works with. We went to Sioux Falls Saturday afternoon and wandered around the mall for a couple hours. Pretty pointless ... I was looking for something specific, but I can never find what I'm looking for. I need to just go sometime with nothing in mind. After the mall, Dustin wanted to go to the Last Stop CD Shop. And we found Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt!!

When Dustin's parents moved, we did the cleaning out of Dustin's things and brought home his Nintendo and Super Nintendo. We don't have many games for either, but we do have Mario World and Mario Kart for Super Nintendo. Anyway, my sister was equally stoked about our find, so I went over to her house last night and we played Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 all night! It was awesome!

Don't worry, we both realize that we're kind of lame. But I know you are all jealous, you can admit it.

Bathroom Art

As promised, my mom found something for me to hang in the bathroom. I love it!! With the exception of the doors on the vanity (that stupid wallpaper stuff just doesn't want to come off and the doors need a fresh coat of paint), this room is complete!

We have the next room to be updated figured out ... I'll let you know what we're planning soon!

My Mantra

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."
~Maya Angelou~

I shouldn't say that this is my mantra. This WILL be my mantra. Things haven't been real great at work lately. It's been very busy and, at times, very frustrating. It doesn't look like things will change anytime soon and I've noticed that I've been complaining a lot lately. I don't like it. There is nothing that I can do that will change the way things have been going, but I can control how I react to it.

What's Up?

I haven't really posted much lately, other than pictures of my beautiful niece (who can blame me?). So, I figured I would post a little update on what Dustin and I have been up to lately. And the report is, not much. We finally booked our flights for a trip out to D.C. to see Dustin's parents, Jeff and Cindy. We are stoked for this trip!! We are going to head out the end of April. It's just a quick weekend trip (Thursday - Monday) but we can't wait to get out there and see them. They have been very busy finding fun places to take us to ... I'm so excited, you have no idea!

We are hosting a Super Bowl party on Sunday too. We enjoy entertaining and it makes it even better that Jeff and Cindy have let us borrow their bar while they are living it up in the big city! Thanks again!! Here's the menu for the party ...

Chislic (of the deer variety)
Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
Southwest dip
Fruit salsa with cinnamon chips

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?! We're really looking forward to it. Football is kind of a big deal in our house, so this is another Christmas for us ... or something like that!

I'm traveling for work in February (mostly meetings, but I do get to catch a couple basketball games). I'm heading to Oklahoma the 18-20th and then Minneapolis the 21-22nd. We're going to the OU/Baylor game on the 19th ... which reminds me that I need to get in touch with Dustin's uncle to see if he'll be at that game ... and the U of M/Michigan game on the 21st. It should be fun.

And I think that about covers it!