Big Brother 16 Finale…

I’m a little behind.  Behind like, I better blog three days in a row again to catch up on all the exciting things before it’s too late!  So without further ado, I will rewind to the end of September when I made my first trip back to Nebraska since July.  It was a jammed packed, much needed getaway from Greenville.   I seriously was on the go from Wednesday afternoon when I arrived until Sunday afternoon when I left. 

The main reason for the visit was the annual Big Brother finale party.  Kind of embarrassing to admit, but every year Jamie and I have a finale party complete with a pre-show jog, Valentino’s pizza and fro-yo while we rehash the season and root for our favorite to win (Derrick in this season’s case). 

It was a shootout to the end, but thankfully Victoria did not make it to the end and Derrick was named the Big Brother 16 champion.

Looking back on the season this screen shot could not have been take at a better time.  Zach lost his cool in the diary room and was a hot mess.  Big Brother…expect the unexpected.

Friday I got to eat lunch with Lainey at school.  Her birthday was coming up so I brought some Subway and we enjoyed a nice little lunch in the cafeteria.  I can’t believe she is six now and already in kindergarten!

Friday night we ate dinner on the deck. Audrey loves spending time with grandma! 

Lainey’s birthday party was on Saturday.  It was fun being back for it and getting to celebrate with her.  One of the hardest parts about being so far away is knowing that life goes on without us.  It was fun to be part of life again!

Lainey was excited to be turning six, but I think that these two were more excited about the cupcakes and frosting!

One of the best parts of the trip was getting to see this little cutie again!  She is getting so big and changing by the day.

She’s eating big girl food and has so much personality.  Her faces and expressions make me laugh out loud!  It’s hard not to continuously snap pictures of her so I can look at them again and again when I’m not around.

It was a fun trip that ended far too soon, but it was a nice refreshing getaway.  It was nice to be around people again and to get to catch up with some of my favorite peeps!  It was also nice to eat Runza, Valentino’s and gain ten or twelve pounds.  There really is no place like home!  And, with Market to Market on a few weeks away, I also knew that I would be back again soon!

{The Launes}

A Bushel and a Peck…

What!?  Three days in a row!  If this was like my Nike running app it would be congratulating me for blogging three days in a row or better yet, for blogging more times this week than last week.  Maybe that’s what I need…a little motivation from the blogging voices.

Anyway, this past Saturday was a perfect fall morning.  Cool temperatures, plenty of sunshine and a trip to the local apple orchard.  Like I mentioned in my last post, Patty, another coach’s wife is showing me some of the ins and outs of southern Illinois.  This time we headed up the highway to a little apple orchard outside of Marine.  It was the full apple picking experience!

After the orchard it was back to Greenville for a busy day.  Until I had my blonde moment, or maybe just a Megan moment.  I completely locked myself out of the house.  With Trent and our only key in Minnesota.  Trying to be extra cautious (we do live right next to a prison) I locked every single door and lock possible when I went to bed Friday night, including the one from the garage into the house.  When I left Saturday morning I went out the front door and locked it behind me planning on just using the garage code when I got back.  When I got back I was running late for Kirsten’s volleyball game, but wanted to drop my apples off and grab a quick snack.  Then it quickly dawned on me…when the door in the garage would not turn…that I had completely locked myself out of the house.  Still with Trent and our only key in Minnesota.  Panic quickly took over as I tried to remind myself that this was not the end of the world and I would in fact be okay.  Eventually I was able to get ahold of my landlord and meet up with him to get an extra key. 

A couple of things I took away from this experience…I do not know how to pick a lock.  My neighbors are the best. A spare set of keys are necessary. 

Even with Trent out of town it was a good weekend.  Sunday I used my apples to make some homemade applesauce in the crock pot and I am already planning my next apple recipe.  10 pounds of apple leaves room for a lot of opportunity!  Added bonus…Greenville won their game in Minnesota 44-9 and the defense held Minnesota Morris to negative rushing yards!  Things are looking up…

 

{The Launes}    

Up, Up and Away…

Last month while the guys were busy with fall camp, one of the other coaches’ wives and I made a trip to Centralia, Illinois for their annual balloon fest.  This was my first trip to anything like this so I was excited to check things out and see the balloon glow.

Patty knows the ins and outs of Southern Illinois because she grew up not too far from here so she has been able to show me the ropes a little. 

We set up camp right in the middle of all the action…

Up, up and away!  There were all kinds of different balloons on display…

Such a fun and colorful balloon!

Unfortunately mother nature had other plans as light rain moved into the area before the balloon glow started.  However, it was fun seeing all of the different kinds of balloons and getting to see some of them take off.  Definitely something worth checking out again!

{The Launes}

Labor Day…

Two weekends ago we had our first official visitors!  Trent’s parents were here a couple weeks ago when they moved Kirsten back to school, but this was the first official visit for us (and Kirsten too).  And let’s just say we jumped right in to entertaining.  Trent’s grandparents, parents and his sister Naomi and her three kids made the trip out because it was a long weekend, Kirsten had three volleyball games and Trent had a scrimmage.  Our humble abode has only 2 bedrooms, but with a little creativity, we were able to sleep up to seven of our guests.   

The best part of the weekend was our pre Labor Day picnic at the park on Sunday afternoon.  We grilled burgers, played at the playground and fished.  It was the perfect evening with the perfect company!

Landry proved that he was quite a fisherman making the top catches of the day with two fish…

And he’s a pretty cute fisherman too, if I do say so myself!

Lainey and Ellie tag teamed their fishing efforts showing a little sisterly love…

Lainey caught her own fish too and was she ever excited!

It was actually a pretty close three way tie for the cutest fisherman at Patriot Park! 

Fish number 2 for Landry…

…and of course we ended our evening with ice cream!

I was super excited for company as my days get a little long sometimes.  It was fun to have a little taste of home for a few days and to keep busy.  It was definitely quiet when everyone left Monday morning! 

So a big thank you goes out to the Laune clan for making the trek out for the weekend!

{The Launes}

#17: Take Me Out to the Ball Game…

I’m in a slump.  Like a do I really have to change out of the clothes I’ve been wearing for the past two days?  kind of slump.  On the bright side, I do still wash my face and brush my teeth twice a day and I have knocked out 5 seasons of Friends DVDs and read 7 books since I’ve been here.  I have also had one subbing job.  I know I just need to get into a routine and get over the initial fear of the unknown world of subbing, but I have found myself getting into bed each night this week and quietly praying that no one would call me to sub in the morning.  I should be embracing it all, but instead, I am giving into the fear.  The unknown.

With that being said, there is no real excuse as to why I have not wrote about number 17 on my list: go to a Cardinal baseball game.  It was a month ago!  Well, no excuse except Friends DVDs, reading and Pinterest. 

Going to a Cardinal baseball game was kind of a when in Rome moment.  The Cards are huge here.  If there is a game (which in MLB is basically every night) then people are decked out from head to toe in their Cardinal attire.  It seems like everyone loves and follows the Cards.  I wanted a little taste of what all the excitement was about.

Therefore, on a Wednesday night in early August, we loaded up and headed to St. Louis for a game verses the Red Sox. 

I may or may not have been more excited about seeing the arch from our seats than I was for the actual game.

We even got our own Cardinal shirts for the game…like I said, when  in Rome.

It was a fun game…after an hour long rain and lighting delay.   Cards lost in the 9th, but I got to check another thing off my list!

Until next time…

{The Launes}

Sweet Tea and Mulligans…

Arkansas, where the sweet tea runs freely, the crickets chirp louder and good times are had.

Last weekend Trent and I took a little trip to Arkansas to visit Will, one of his friends from Concordia, and his wife Taylor.  We have definitely spent our fair share of time in the car this summer, but we had been wanting to go down and visit them for awhile.  Therefore, on Friday afternoon we once again loaded up the car, this time bound for Cherokee Village, Arkansas.

This was my first trip to Arkansas so I was even able to check #1 off my list: Visit a new state.  This of course meant that we had to stop at the state line and take a picture in front of the Arkansas sign.

We arrived late evening so after some yummy burgers and sweet tea with a hint of mint (Will’s specialty), we spent a little time catching up.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to participate in an athletic fundraiser golf scramble for Will’s school.  Again, I was getting to check something else of my list, #30: Golf a new course.  It was meant to be.  Thank goodness it was a best ball scramble, but that really didn’t help us out too much.   We did however have lots of fun as the temperatures climbed into the 90’s.

Trent and Will reunited at last…I won’t name any names, but two out of the 4 of us stayed up until 1:30 a.m. chatting our first night there and I wasn’t one of them!

The gang after we tied for last in the golf tournament…

After a long day in the sun we headed back to their place, which just happens to be on a lake and the water felt amazing!  We floated for awhile and enjoyed the beautiful Arkansas day. 

Arkansas was a fun time.  We got to relax, hang out, have fun and laugh until my stomach muscles hurt (thanks to Will’s stellar Euchre playing skills).

July was a busy month.  We put 4,000 miles on our car with all of our travels.  Appropriately this trip would also conclude by rolling over 100,000 lifetime miles on my car just as we pulled back into Greenville.

Now, it is back to the grind (for Trent anyway).  In his book, summer is over as he officially reported back to work on Monday.  I, however, am still living the dream.  Well, as close to the dream as you can get in Greenville, Illinois…

{The Launes}

#11: Take Photos of Nature…

What better place than Colorado to take pictures of nature?  Not many words are needed to describe the pure beauty that exists in these pictures. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

My favorite picture from the whole trip.  Emerald Lake with Mount Elbert in the background.  It was so still and peaceful there.

One thing I couldn’t help but think about on this trip was how God’s beauty is so intricate and vast at the same time.  It is impossible to capture the true beauty in a photograph. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

{The Launes}