Defying Gravity…

This was a good weekend.  We hung out with friends, Trent had his last football game of the season, we watched some Husker football and celebrated two birthdays.

First off Friday, we stopped in at my Grandma’s surprise birthday party.  She turns 90 tomorrow.  Pretty unbelievable considering she still plays golf several times a week and has hardly any gray hair.  I would be okay with those genes :)

Then we headed to our friends Tony and Jess’ house for dinner before heading into Omaha for some fun. 

Last week Trent and I were driving through Omaha when we went by a place called Defy Gravity.  It is an indoor trampoline complex and I knew immediately that I needed to go there.  We had a trampoline growing up and some days I spent every waking moment jumping my little heart out. 

I was also reminded of an episode of The King of Queens when Doug was going to the trampoline instead of physical therapy like he told Carrie.  See below…Trent would so do this!

And so we went.  We jumped, flipped and dunked.  Sweated, laughed and laughed some more.  We were definitely the oldest “kids” there, but it was well worth it.  I felt alive and as if I was Gabby Douglas training for 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. 

Trent was a blast to watch.  He once again was just like a big kid having the time of his life.  I wish I had a video of him.

I’m thankful for friends that are kids at heart, just like Trent and I.  I’m thankful that I can still flip and arial like I did when I was a kid and only hurt a little the next day.  I am also thankful for Sunday afternoon naps.  Even if it means I did nothing for school this weekend. 

I am anxiously counting down the days until Thanksgiving.  It will be a busy week and a half at school with a baby shower, grandparents’ day and Thanksgiving festivities, but I love it all!

{The Launes}

Baby Bumps…

I love my friends.  Truth be told…I do not see them often enough.  But last weekend we got together for Amy’s baby shower.  She is due the end of January, but with winter and the holidays fast approaching, this seemed like the perfect time! 

Amy was as cute as ever with her little baby bump…

Amanda and I painted pumpkins for the shower…

The Ashland girls…

Aside from baby showers, this week was incredibly busy and exhausting.  Kirsten had her final volleyball game of the season.  Not quite the result we had hoped for, but Kirsten is a great volleyball player and we have had a blast watching her play high school volleyball.  I am crossing my fingers that she decides to play in college. 

#25…my favorite setter…

And finally…nothing says crazy like Halloween on a Wednesday.  We partied, paraded and partied some more in room 111.  The kids loved it and their teacher was exhausted by the end of the day.

I anxiously rushed home after school to await my trick or treaters.  I had a record breaking year with 25 trick or treaters.  Made. My. Day.

And oh yeah.  I dressed up as Charlie Brown.  1st grade went with the theme of It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.  Classic.

Now I am discovering that Thanksgiving break is only 2 and 1/2 weeks away.  There is so much to do in the meantime, but I am oh so excited and thankful!

{The Launes}

My Life in Pictures…

My life in pictures.  Because quite frankly, I haven’t been able to find time to actually write about what is going on.  I think about it.  A lot.  And then I get busy with the next thing.  As some might say, I’m a day late and a dollar short.  So I decided to post some pictures of the last month and let the pictures do most of the talking.

Nebraska verses Wisconsin. Tailgating. Comeback of the year.

Monica and Tyler’s Wedding…

Market to Market Relay…

The view on my final run…

The Common Tread –

11 Hours 32 Minutes 13 Seconds.

And Finally…Date Night

On a rare Friday night off, we went out for dinner at Old Chicago and then to see the movie Trouble With the Curve.  Good times.

Now, I have survived most of October.  Wedding, Market to Market and Parent Teacher Conferences can all be checked off my list of things to do.  I can attempt to catch up on laundry and cleaning and enjoy the beautiful fall weather that Bill Randby is promising this next week.  Today, I’m off to cheer on Trent and the Concordia Bulldogs as they go for their 5th straight win.

{The Launes}

National Coffee Day…

Happy National Coffee Day! 

I celebrated with Caribou coffee this morning.  Perfect after a morning run!

Now I’m headed to Lincoln for a little pre-game tailgate that Brian is putting on.  I have a new Husker shirt for the Big 10 opener and I am super excited to enjoy this beautiful weather and cheer on the Huskers.  Go Big Red!

{The Launes}

Big Brother…

Labor Day is often considered to be the unofficial end of summer.  However, in my books, the Big Brother finale marks the end of summer for me.  In fact, it is one of the highlights of my summer.  With fall just days away, Jamie and I celebrated the Big Brother finale in fashion last Wednesday.  Running, Valentino’s pizza, YoYo Berri frozen yogurt and Julie Chen.

It was a perfect night for indulging.  I jumped on the Ian bandwagon in recent weeks and was rooting him on to win the $500,000.  Life couldn’t get any better.  :)

In the end, Ian won in a landslide.  Whuuut?  Whuuut?  Very deserving, in my opinion.

YoYo Berri…Yum!

Thursday morning, I woke up feeling empty inside.  Summer had come to an end.  My Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday night T.V. schedule was suddenly very open and I now have to wait nearly a year for the next batch of Big Brother houseguests to capture my heart.  On the bright side, it’s something worth waiting for.

Now, tonight is a rare Friday night with nothing going on.  Trent is out of town for football and I spent the night at home catching up on a little laundry, putting out a few fall decorations and surfing Pinterest.  Is it weird that it is not even 9:30 and I am ready to head to bed?  I guess I just need to get rested up for a busy weekend!

  {The Launes}

Guess Who’s Back…

Where has time gone?  Yes, I am still alive and well.  No, I have not blogged in over a month.  I started school and have been running non stop pretty much since the beginning of August. 

Transitions are always a little hard for me.  I love my job, but have a terrible time going back to school.  The thought of starting fresh with a brand new set of first graders scares the heck out of me!  But, just like every other year, once we get into routine, all is well again.  Today, I was walking downstairs after taking my kids to music and I breathed a sigh of relief.  I finally feel like, after 29 days of school, that we are in the routine.  Now the magic happens in the remaining 146 days of school.

Outside of school, football is in full swing for Trent, Market to Market is less than two weeks away and Trent’s sister is getting married next Saturday.  Busy.  Busy.  Busy.  I literally have something on my calendar every night this week.

While things are busy, I did find time tonight to get a run in after FCA.  I decided to go out to the track and do some speed work and am so thankful that I did.  The weather was amazing and the sunset was even better.  I accidentally brought my camera with me (I had it at FCA) but appreciated the opportunity to snap a couple of quick pictures of the sun setting.

 

On that note, I need to stop writing and get some things done for school tomorrow.  It is school picture day and my usual pony tail hairstyle just won’t cut it.  I will be back sooner than later this time!

{The Launes}

Summer Nights…

My summer is winding down faster than I can fit everything in.  After today, there are only 3 more days of summer vacation before I head back to work.  There is some major pool time in my near future.

But last night was what summer is all about.  Outdoor concert at Stir Cove, beautiful weather, great music and good company.

Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw were playing in concert and with the exception of a rather interesting crowd at times, it was amazing! 

While only throwing a few elbows, we were able to get up pretty close...

The entire time Gavin DeGraw was singing I felt like I was on the series finale of One Tree Hill. 

This video depicts the scene from One Tree Hill that I was picturing in my head...and yes, we sang, danced and threw our arms up in the air too. :)  There’s something about being at a concert, standing up close and suddenly having no inhibitions.  I guess life’s too short to not let loose every once in awhile.

After the concert, Gavin came back out to sign some autographs.  While waiting, I suggested we come up with something clever to say if he came our way.  Jamie was bold and reached out to shake his hand and fed him my line about feeling like we were on the One Tree Hill finale.  He laughed.  Boom.

All in all, it was a great night!

{The Launes}