The big day.

Help: Since I have been blogging on my new mac, I cannot figure out why the pictures won't get bigger when you click on them. Any suggestions?

In my mind I had thought of this day often. I had it planned in my head as a simple day spent with those who had been close to us throughout the past four years. As I thought about it, I always shook my head, laughing because it was so far away and I had plenty of time to plan.

As May 8th, 2009 drew closer, time was flying by. As much as I wanted the minutes to slow down, it was here before I knew it. 

I thought about doing a play-by-play of the day, BORING. So, instead, you are getting pictures from the day.

Hubs had a lot of awards read after his name. He worked very hard for this day, and he made it to the end!

Hubs and I shared very few moments that day. This was one of them.

Hubs and his parents after the ceremony.

After the ceremony, we had a wonderful time with family and friends. So many people came out to congratulate us and, some to say good-bye.

Me, with my mom and dad. I was exhausted by 7:30am, so by the time this picture was taken at 3:30pm, I was struggling. No worries, Dad got coffee pumping through my veins 30 minutes later. We had a party to host!

We had issues finding a cake. This one came all the way from Kansas City and it was yummy! 

I bought this toothbrush for Hubs 2 years ago and he didn't see it until that day. Now it is in his office at work, just in case little kids misbehave.

Remember these? Each chocolate sucker had our new address attached. Each person got to take one home with them.

These little creations were my favorite part of the day. They are white chocolate mint dentures!

It was a great day to have fun and celebrate with family and friends. 

Riddle...

What's almost 5 feet, is NOT for actual use, and is red all over?

Hubs, no looking!

A giant toothbrush!

Chocolatiers

This weekend, we used 5lbs of this:

and this:

Then we did this:

so we could put it into these:

and make these:

Then, we packaged them like this:

And that's not even the cutest part!

Preparations

For the last 3 years I have been thinking about and planning Hubs's graduation party. Now that it is less than 3 months away, I have started making more preparations for the exciting day.

We had already decided that we want something small and intimate, but that doesn't mean that I won't go all out on making it fun and memorable. So, it worked perfectly for Mom to break her elbow off because I needed to purchase some supplies in Kansas City. There was one item that wasn't available at the store, so I ordered it online and, much to my excitement, came in the mail today!



Can you tell what it is? I have 2 different kinds at home, too. My closet is filled with supplies...the only bad thing about this project is that I have to wait until APRIL to make them.

I don't like keeping secrets from Hubs, so he knows all about his party. He prefers it that way, too. I still have a lot of fun ideas to put together before the big day. The countdown is on!

Travel destination

As you can tell from my poll, we are thinking about taking a trip to celebrate Hubs's graduation from dental school. It would be in mid-May. It wouldn't be anything huge. It would be relaxing and fun.

We've been thinking of all sorts of things. From Carmel, CA to the smoky mountains; from our honeymoon spot in Cancun, to a camping trip. This isn't the time to take a vacation of a lifetime (that was Hawai'i last year), but a time to just get away and have a nice break.

So, I would like to hear about your favorite vacation spot, or a place you thin we should visit. Can't wait to hear your ideas!

It is time.

The decision was really made in October. I wanted to wait until 2009 to tell - when if would feel more real. 2009 came. It felt more real, but still not enough. I wanted to wait until after the visit. The visit is over, and I am completely ready to tell you our news.



Moving is not a new thing to me. I've lived in 6 states and moved many times. It is exciting - an adventure. And this time, it will be Hubs and me together, starting a new chapter in our life and I couldn't be more excited and ready than I am now.

I knew I would be ready for the move at some point, but it took me a while to get here. I told myself I would never ever move back to Kansas. I wanted to move East - to the big trees, lakes, and hills. It is completely God who has changed my heart and mind. Never, ever did I think I would be excited to move to the middle of Kansas - wimpy trees, a few lakes, absolutely no hills, and a landscape that is more yellow than green.

But, I am completely at peace with this move and I am very ready to do this. As we drove back to Nebraska, we saw the most gorgeous sunset on the horizon due to the flat, tree-less prairie.

Hubs has the best opportunity to work for a God-fearing dentist and with a great team. I know he is going to love it and makes my heart happy to see him so excited. He will learn a ton about dentistry, running a dental practice, all while glorifying God with his profession. We know that God has led us to this place - no doubts.

There are times it seems a little scary; and at times there is too much to think about. There are times that I will be sad to go; times that I will be strong for Hubs and times he will be strong for his Feath.

And, I will get to pursue one of my dreams of finishing my degree. I am looking forward to seeing what else God will do in my life when we get there.

Graduation

Jake graduated from Shawnee Mission South High School on May 20, 2008 (I graduated on May 20, 2002). The graduation ceremony was long - it was a huge class, but the entire trip was great. It was mostly a time to see family and just hang out. A narrative would be pretty boring, so here are some pictures with some of the highlights from my trip.

At Jake's graduation party, I hung out with my cousins. Most of my cousins are at least 12 years younger than me, so it was a lot of fun. Claire (3 or 4) made my day when she said, "I really like your husband, Richard," and he wasn't even with me, so she remembered him from Christmas. Pictured is my youngest cousin, Madison (24 years younger). I stole her for most of the party because this was only the 2nd time I had seen her. I think she is absolutely adorable in that giant bow!

Of course, one of the highlights was playing with Holly. My dad has trained her really well so we went for a run together, took her to get a haircut, and played with her ball. I was impressed with how well she behaved until the last night. My dad went to pick up Jake from his project graduation party and Holly barked for 10 minutes straight! Let's just say I wasn't quite as friendly with her at 12:30 in the morning!

Mom set up a "shrine" to Jake for all to see at the party. I am not sure if you can see how many medals are on that bulletin board, but there were a lot. They are all from track and cross-country. By the way, he is competing at the State Track Meet this Friday and Saturday in the 2-mile, 1-mile, and 4 x 800. GO JAKE!

Pop-pop and Gram (Taylor Grandparents) came from Texas and our Great Aunt Sarah and Uncle Wick came from West Virginia. We spent some time out at the campground and I even had my first taste of fried SPAM (verdict - not bad at all). I hadn't seen them since my wedding (2 years ago), so it was one of the highlights from my trip. We used to live so close to them in New York, so I miss seeing them now that we live so far away. Pop-pop can fix anything and he is going to help dad add on to the deck. At the graduation, it was a little breezy. I snapped a picture of Pop-pop that is awesome.

And what would a graduation be without a family picture beside a tree? Seems to be a tradition in our family. We are all leaning in this picture and we must be on a hill because mom is not that short. Oh well, it's the Taylor family.

All in all, it was a great trip filled with laughter and fun. Speaking of laughter, I have to show what my Gram bought for my dad. Below is a moose key-chain. Looks pretty unsuspecting, huh?

But, here is what happens when you squeeze his sides...

Haha. It still makes me laugh.