Sweet Victory

I did it! Last night I won the championship for my Fantasy Football League (see "Are You Ready for Some Footbaaaaall"). I was the #1 seed going into playoffs, but I faced a tough opponent in the championship who completely murdered me when we played each other in the regular season. But thanks to a poor showing by the Eagles last night, I easily clinched a win!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my dear husband for his words of wisdom throughout the season, while allowing me to make my own decisions with my team. I'd like to thank my mom and dad for their encouragement and genuine interest in the game. Thank you to my 13 coworkers opponents for drinking so much beer during our live draft that they made foolish mistakes when picking their players. And, last but not least, thank you to Drew Brees, Dwayne Bowe, Hakeem Nicks, Arian Foster, Reggie Wayne, and the San Diego defense for making this possible. You'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Now let's celebrate!!

Oh Come All Ye Parkers

David and I had another great Kentucky Christmas! We arrived just in time, right before a snow storm iced the roads and made for bad wintry conditions on Christmas Eve. So, what did we do while the weather was bad? Drank beer and played cards, of course!

The Kings came over on Christmas. We had a yummy lunch and watched the kids open presents. Now, I don't know what's gotten into Chase, but he's become quite the little helper. He was very insistent on helping everyone open their presents.

First, he helped Dad (aka Grandaddy). He's learned that it goes faster if he uses his teeth.

Then he helped Mom (aka Nonna). She was nice and opened hers on the floor so he could really tear into things.

Then he became obsessed with Mom's new Snowbaby.

But the fun really started when the boys opened their presents! Of course, they attack their gifts with ferocious excitement, so it was over before Chase could make all the rounds and sniff out all the gifts.

After lunch, Mom and I played Jackson's new Trouble game with Jackson and Cooper. Cooper beat us all!

I came in dead last, so I consoled myself with Jennifer's cupcake. :)

We had a great time, but it went by way too fast! Wish we could've spent a few more days there, but we enjoyed every minute of family time. Here are some family pictures from our visit. Happy holidays!

Grandma Got Run Over by a Golf Cart

David and I just returned from a great four days in Florida with the Stelsels! This was our third year to have the Stelsel family Christmas at Gigi and Boppa’s place in Florida, and we really couldn’t ask for anything better. Not only am I a big fan of the sun and warmer temperatures, but it’s always nice not to have any distractions from hanging with the family.

We took several golf cart rides to one of the town squares for shopping, walking, and, of course, drinking! David went on somewhat of a shopping spree, buying several pairs of shoes, pants and shirts. Oh, and books -- imagine that! [Side note: I don’t know why we can’t enter a bookstore without taking out our wallets. It has become something of a physical reflex to automatically spend money once we pass through the store’s front entrance. We David could be the new Pavlov’s dog.]

Florida vacations aren't meant to be hurried, so we spent time with leisurely activities, such as driving golf carts...

and drinking...

and reading...

and drinking...

and napping...

 and drinking.

On one of our passes through the town square, I spotted this, which means if my parents ever move to The Villages in Florida, there's a golf cart waiting for me and my Dad to tool around in. :)

Connie spent a lot of time feeding our bellies, which is a great (and much appreciated) talent of hers.

Dave did some work around the house (painting doors, etc.) when he wasn’t getting his butt kicked in cards. Laura, in particular, gave us all a pretty good beating one night in our favorite game, “Oh Shit” (otherwise known as “Oh Manure” among the Stelsels). We also celebrated my birthday (because who wouldn’t want to celebrate the day of my birth? yes, I’m that special).

Blowing out the candles on my.....hey, wait a minute! Where are the candles on my cake?! Oh well, these will do. Ignore the crazy person to the left.

Birthday kisses (wasn't what I wished for, but I'll take 'em!) :)

Mmmm.... cake.

And Gigi and Boppa received lots of good presents, including a few bottles of Scotch (is it any wonder I love being a part of this family?).

 

A great time was had by all. I even think this was the best Stelsel family Christmas yet! And, no, grandma did not get run over by a golf cart (to my knowledge). But I bet it got you to read this post! :)

Merry Christmas to you and your families!

It's My Party and I'll Do What I Want To

**VIDEO**

Another year older but none the wiser. That's how I feel this year as I turn....eek...29! Chase, on the other hand, is still a developing young pup dog and is showing great promise as the smartest dog ever. :)  He turned 4 on Sunday, so we celebrated with a gift opening and lots of play time. Thank you for all the birthday wishes for the both of us! :)

Another present! Yay!

It's a duck!

First, we sniff out the new creature.

Next, we kill it.

And finally, we chew on it.



And now, in honor of Chase's birthday, he wants to show off all the tricks he's learned in his 4 short years of puppyhood. We start with his newest trick, Beg, followed by a well maneuvered Roll Over, the ever-popular Dead Dog, a crowd-pleasing Shake, and concluding with High Five. Enjoy! :)

Puppy, It's Cold Outside!

December is my favorite month of the year! I get to celebrate my birthday, I get to see all my grandparents around the holidays, I get lots of presents, and I get to play in the snow! I just love it all!

Santa must know this about me because, this year, the snow and the presents came earlier than usual. We've already had several inches of snow since last week. It's too cold to stay out in it for long periods of time (I'm talkin' single digits here, folks), but I like to romp around in it and rub my snout in it, then come in for a quick warm-up, then back out again! Drives my mom nuts, but she puts up with it cuz she loves me.....and cuz I'm so darn cute. :)

I must have been a really good boy this year because I also started to get presents! Yesterday, this package came for me from Grandma Connie and Grandpa Dave. Thanks grandma and grandpa -- I love it!

What's this?

*gasp* It's for me!

Open it, open it!

Almost got it....

Can I eat it? No? Hmmm....

Oh, it's a Christmas scarf! Ooo, ahhh...

Handsome as always and ready to spread some Christmas cheer!

Giving Thanks

It's been six days since Thanksgiving, and I think I've finally recovered. :)  Our 2nd annual Thanksgiving with the Stelsels, Parkers, and Kassenbrocks was a huge success! We had such a good time visiting together and feasting. I'm so glad we were able to bring all three families together again. And I'm thankful that we all get along so well as if we were one big family! :)

Things I've been especially thankful for this year:

• My amazing family. My parents who raised me right and taught me how to love. My husband who loves me for me (faults and all). My awesome friends who stand by me. My dog who makes me smile every day. My in-laws who are my second home. My sisters who gave me three beautiful nephews.
• My job. Petty, I know. But I'm thankful that I get paid to do something I love.
• Little blessings. If there's one thing I've learned this year it's to cherish all the happy moments in life, big and small. Too often I've been known to dwell on the not-so-happy moments, even the minor daily upsets. This year I've learned to take every day in stride and enjoy all the good things.

Time for family pictures! The Kassenbrocks.

The Stelsels.

The Parkers.

And here we are: one big, happy family! :)

What a feast! And this isn't even all of it!

Poor Chase waits patiently under the table while we eat. I did catch him trying to sniff out some crumbs in Kirk's lap. :)

This is what happens when you sit at the end of the table.

Ahhhh.... that's better!

And this is what happens when the beer starts flowing at noon.

Looks like David enjoyed his turkey leg.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Kirk and Laura's again this year. Then on Friday we had a fish fry at our house. You heard right. It was 30 degrees outside, but we had a good 'ol Parker style fish fry. Dad cooked up some of his fish he caught this year, Mom and I made hushpuppies, and we chowed down on the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Lindsay, Russell, and Corwin joined us for the fish fry, too, so we had quite a house full!

We all had a great time all weekend, but no one more than Chase. Chase couldn't get enough of all the attention. I think he had snuggle time with just about everyone.

Hope your Thanksgivings were just as great! Happy holidays!