Handstands

I've been hearing about a Jack Russell at the Iowa State Fair that can do a handstand. What??? I am feeling a lot of pressure to teach my Jack Russell to do such a fascinating trick. I mean, Darrell is one awesome dog, but I never dreamed of him doing a handstand. I came home from work determined to see if I could teach him to stand on his front paws. But... I didn't want to upset him. I didn't want him to feel frustrated and scared as I hung him upside down from his hind legs. So maybe I won't have the most talented dog in the world. Maybe he will never win a gold medal in the doggie olympics. Who cares? I can't do a flippin' handstand so why should I expect my dog to? I guess I'll have to settle for a dog that plays blackjack:

365 days of married bliss

Today marks the one year anniversary of our wedding. This year went by fast! I've heard that the first and seventh years of marriage are the hardest - I hope so, because this year wasn't bad! I want to give ya'll a glimpse into our past (in case you don't already know)...

February 2002 (Iowa City) - A mutual friend introduces Mike and I to each other. I remember thinking - this guy is so hot! I was so impressed with him because he was a junior (I was a lowly freshman) and he had his own car (I didn't) and he lived in a house (I lived in Quad dorm). Mike was so shy and I couldn't tell right away if he was interested in me. I had a boyfriend at the time - but that wasn't stopping me from getting a chance with Mike! Mike called me a couple weeks later and I swear I saved the message on my answering machine for months. It said, "Hey Becka, this is Mike. I was just calling to see what you were up to night. Talk to you later. Bye." Doesn't sound too important, right? But to me it said, "I love you. I want to date you, marry you, you're all I think about. Bye."

March 2002 - Our first date! Mike took me to the Brown Bottle in Iowa City. Afterwards I met a few of his friends - who scared me to death! They were so drunk and wild. Five guys, one house, one keg-a-rator, three couches on the porch. I laugh now because these guys are some of our best friends - and I love them because they're so wild!

Dating continues.....

Summer of 2004 - Mike moved to Ankeny to start working for an insurance company in Des Moines. And so starts the long-distance dating... I was bummed about it but it gave me time to focus on nursing school.

Dating continues.....

April 1, 2006 - Engaged! The story of how Mike proposed is another blog in itself. Ask me to tell you the story if you haven't already heard it.

May 2006 - I graduated from nursing school and moved into an apartment with Mike in Johnston. Living in sin... I know, I know. But living apart is too expensive.

2006 to 2007 - Wedding planning

August 4, 2007 - Our wedding day. It was perfect!

I am so lucky to be married to Mike. He is such a fantastic husband. He's just a lucky to be married to me. I'm pretty flippin' awesome.

Then:


Now:

Tax-free Weekend

We went to Tanger Outlets in Williamsburg today... not realizing it was "tax-free weekend" until it was too late. The place was packed. I mean loaded with people. Ugh. We had Darrell with us so I sat outside with him while Mike shopped 'til he dropped. I had to cut him off after 30 minutes in the Nike store. Anyway, my point to this blog is - What's the big deal about "tax-free weekend?" So you're telling me I can save a whopping 7 cents for every dollar I spend? Even if you spend a lot of money... say $500... your savings would be $35. Big whoop. If you can afford to spend $500 dollars on back-to-school clothes then I doubt you need to worry about an extra $35 savings. It's a huge scam to get people to shop.

Tent

At the end of August is the "First Annual Welch siblings and Their Better-Halves Camping Trip." I've only been camping once (with Mike a few years ago) and I swore I'd never go again. Well, I guess I'll give it another try. Mike is an eagle scout and Nate (Brooke's boyfriend) has a lot of nature knowledge. Billy, Brooke, Leah and myself are more of the "indoors-type." I think it should be fun though. Thankfully, the dogs get to come with!

This is a picture of the tent we bought today. Mike kept saying, "Do we need one this big?" I said - YES! The bigger the better. Heck, I don't have to put it up so why do I care how big it is? :) I'll let you know how the trip goes at the end of August. If I come back alive!

Mike's home!

Mike is finally home from RAGBRAI! I picked him up in North Liberty on Thursday. He said he had a great time. This is his third year biking across Iowa. I don't think I'll ever join him on the trip. I'm not much for the outdoors, camping, sweating etc.

Last night was date night. I surprised Mike by taking him to the Olive Garden for supper and then to the new Batman movie. He was happy about the movie because I'm more of a movie renter... and he like to go to the theater.

I finally got around to ordering large prints of our wedding pictures. I know, I know. It's been a year. Better late than never! I bought a beautiful 11x14 frame for this one picture. To make a long story short - Darrell jumped on it and shattered the glass. I was able to use the frame anyway, it just doesn't have any glass left. Oh Darrell. I think he wanted to sabotage the picture because he wasn't in it. I wanted Darrell to be the ring bearer in our wedding but my Mom put the kabosh to that idea.

This morning we cleaned the house. Mike's mowing right now. I'm sitting on the couch watching tv and drinking Diet Pepsi. We're going to our friend's son's birthday party this afternoon. His name is Cael and he's turning 1. He is so adorable. I'm starting to get baby fever. Mike's had the fever for a year now... but he is so too busy for a baby right now. For now, I'm content with my six year old baby:

How bout a round of applause

My brother got married this weekend! It was a great time. The colors were black and fuchsia. The wedding was beautiful. Leah was a gorgeous bride! (Pictures will be posted later... Can you believe I forgot my camera?) The reception was so elegant. We drank and danced the night away. Darrell had a fun time playing with his cousin Ellie. The newlyweds are going to San Diego this week for their honeymoon. I'm jealous! I came back to Des Moines last night. Today I wasted the day away by sleeping, reading and eating junk food. For lunch I had circus peanuts and chocolate. For supper I had Sponge Bob Mac & Cheese. I'm a true kid when it comes to food.

Midnight Madness

This is the third year in a row that Mike and I have participated in the event "Midnight Madness." It's a 5 or 10 k race in Ames, Iowa. The runs usually start around 8pm and afterwards there is a pasta dinner, beer and music! It's always a fun time. Darrell walks with me and Mike runs. Mike did awesome as usual. Me - I walked the whole thing. I walked by two firemen who were dressed in full gear (helmets, hoses, oxygen tanks, and carrying an American flag)! I pretended like the crowd was cheering for me instead of the firemen. The weather this year was fantastic! The only downside to the festivities is that it takes places in Ames... home of the Cyclones - boo! Here is a picture of us after the race:

Yes, my husband is wearing flag shorts. He loves to embarass me.