Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Even Though I'm Technically Not One...

Even though I'm technically not one, I did get an extra special Mother's Day treat from my adorable nephew! :)  Technically, I'm just a "momma" to my sweet pup, Vander, and my oddball cat, Riley... But, my nephew (and sister) decided to honor me on Mother's Day anyways with an extra special gift...  



How adorable is that?!  I'm definitely one very lucky aunt!! :)  Thank you so much Kaden!!  I love you bunches!!  (And, also a big thank you to Stacy as well! :))

Monday, May 14, 2012

St. Patrick's Day + Chicago = Lots o' Fun! :)

Wow!!  Two months since my last post... It's been a while! :)  Needless to say, things have been quite hectic around here.  Let's see, the last time I posted, I was getting ready to head to Chicago for St. Patrick's Day...  So, we celebrated in Chicago, then we were in Germany for two weeks where we ran around like crazy people but had a fabulous time, came back and finished up my Master's thesis, started another class for my Master's program, celebrated Easter with the family, sold our Jeep and bought a new Raptor, worked on some home improvement projects, visited with friends and family, spent alot of time hanging out with the pup, revamped my resume and started the job application process (AGAIN!), and what else... Oh, yea, and work also factored into that as well! :)  So, suffice it to say, between everything going on, this poor blog got slightly neglected...  :( But, I do hope to get it back up to date soon... You'll just have to bear with me. :)

So, let's backtrack...  We'll start off with some St. Patrick's Day shenanigans.  As usual, we had a blast celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Chicago!!  Even though it was held at a new place this year (which turned out to be much better than the previous place, or at least in my opinion! :)), the same fabulous group of people was there!!  And to top it off, the weather was fantastic!  (80 degrees and sunny... In Chicago in March!!  Crazy!!)  We had such a fun time!!  It felt so good to be back after not participating for the past three years! :)

So, without further ad... Here's a little peak into our St. Patrick's Day celebration... Enjoy!  (And Slainte! :))

The gang's all here! :)

Stacy and Randy getting ready for a fun-filled day of celebrating!

Little Dave, Big Dave, Katie, and Rick...
The St. Pat's regulars. :)



Me and Big Dave...
We've officially determined that we've now known each other longer than we've not known each other!!
How crazy is that?! :)

Our "Lucky Charm" drink glasses provided by Melissa...
Aren't they cute? :)

Dave and Tomac looking quite intellectual with their green mustaches!
These two crack me up! :)

Melissa was ready to get the party started! :)

The Moore clan...
Doing what we seem to do best! :)

The party sponsors got to kick things off with a little karaoke...
Can you see me trying to hide in the corner? :)







In character as "Rick's Michigan Angels"! :)

Me and my girl, Kory! :)
Love this girl!!

Showing some sisterly love! :)

A little karaoke anyone?? :)
Singing our usual.... "Girls Just Want to Have Fun!" :)

Kory found a palm tree outside of the bar! :)









Later in the evening, I was determined that this was going to be my new Facebook profile pic! :)
Needless to say, it didn't make the cut! :)

The bar where the party was held was very nice!!
My favorite part about it was this back wall!
And, to top it off, the owners asked us if we'd be willing to host the party there again next year... Sweet! :)

Dave, Rick, Chevy, and Mona taking advantage of the gorgeous weather!! :)

Tomac and I having fun with the mustaches. :)

Clearly, Kory and Rachel were having fun. :)

Just a preview of Kory's mini-photo shoot we decided to have that evening. :)

Me and my lil' bro! :)

After a fun-filled day of celebrating St. Pat's, we managed to pile ourselves into a cab for quite an interesting ride home! :)

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!!

Today is a day to celebrate mom's... And, I'm quite grateful to be blessed with one of the best! :)  My mom is one of the most loyal, selfless, hard-working, thoughtful, caring, generous people I have ever had the opportunity to know.  She loves unconditionally and always manages to make you feel like you're the most special person in the world.  She's the person I go to for advice, as she always knows exactly what to say or do to make you feel better.  She continually strives to make everyone around her happy, even though it sometimes means that she does without.   She provides unconditional love to all of us, and she never asks for anything in return.  I am forever grateful to have been raised by such an amazing woman.  She is truly an inspiration... A woman whom I look up to and will always admire.

Thank you so much for all you do for us, Mom!!  I love you bunches!! :)  




Also, I'd like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to my lil sister!!  Hope your day is truly fabulous! :)  Kaden is one very lucky little boy to have you! :)  Love you lots!
Don't you just love our self-portrait attempt from the other night?? Ha, ha! :)
Couldn't resist!! :)