The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Last week was a very difficult week for my husband.

I wanted to make jokes and laugh about him selling his car at the beginning of the week... I had even written a blog post in my head about a small piece of his heart dying as he watched a stranger drive away in his baby. I mean, that car really was his baby until Reagan came along, and we had been trying to sell it since shortly after she was born. You may even remember this post from February 2007.

But something happened a couple of days after we sold the car that makes me not want to make jokes about anything right now.

The day after the car sold, Ryan phoned me from his work and told me to start looking for tickets to make a trip to North Carolina to my family's house at the waterway. He said that was what he wanted to do with the money that was left over from selling his car after we paid our outrageous property taxes. I laughed and told him that he was crazy... there was no way we could fit a trip into my busy bridal schedule, and we could use that money to convert his shed into a workshop. Sorry Momsey & Pops... it's not that I didn't want to come see you... I was just for once trying to think practically about a lifetime investment to our house instead of a week of fun with you guys!

The very next day, something horrible happened. I don't feel like my blog is the place to go into any of the details of what my husband experienced, so I will just tell you that he witnessed a hit-and-run accident that is now being investigated as a homicide. You can go to this news link if you wish. Ryan was one of the last people to see this man alive as he tried to help in saving the man's life. The man passed away in Ryan's arms.

Ryan spent that day doing numerous interviews with the police to try to provide as much information as he could to help with catching the criminal. He was mentally, physically, and emotionally drained when he finally made it home. After Reagan went to bed that night, he recounted the events as they happened to me, and I was almost sick to my stomach having to listen to what he witnessed. One of the last things that he said to me that night was that he really wished that we could make the trip to NC because he needed an escape from the images in his head.

I started re-arranging my schedule the next day.

So, hopefully the peaceful views from the waterway and some quality time spent fishing with my Dad will be therapeutic for my hubby. We leave next week for our impromptu trip to what I have always called the most relaxing spot on Earth:
On a lighter note, Reagan was beyond the moon excited when she found out that we were going on a plane ride to see Momsey & Pops!

Not Me Monday!

Don't you just love all of the changes and additions that MckMama has made to Not Me Monday!? From the new logo, to the new MckLinky system, I think she rocks!

Now, onto my confessions...

We did NOT go to the Canada Day celebrations in our hometown on Tuesday June 30, which was a day earlier than the actual holiday itself. And we most certainly did NOT let little Miss Reagan stay up a full 4 hours past her bed time just so she could watch the fireworks and ride all of the rides.And if we had done such a thing, we surely would NOT go back the very next evening to do it all over again for the official holiday celebration!
We did NOT also celebrate Independence Day on July 4th with all of our Canadian neighbors for a little back yard barbeque at our house on Saturday night. And I would NEVER forget to pull out my camera the entire night to document such an occasion!

I am NOT secretly loving the fact that Reagan has slept until 10:00 am for the past 5 days since we have totally wrecked her nighttime schedule with all of our holiday celebrations!

I did NOT tell Reagan that she could eat cupcakes and ice cream for dinner knowing that I wouldn't be home to deal with the overly hyper child since I had a wedding to go work. Sorry Ryan!

I did NOT have to go back to a wedding venue at 2:00 in the morning this past Saturday to try to help locate a missing cake knife! Oh man, the things that I do for my bride's as The Bride's Assistant... I guess that was my punishment for the cupcakes and ice cream!

I am NOT laughing at how my husband's and my vocabulary has changed since Reagan has starting listening and repeating so well. For example, it is now quite common to hear us shout out the expletives "Pickle!" "Sugar!" "Cherry Pits!" or "Fudge!" in place of some other not so child-friendly words.

And finally, I am NOT super excited about a completely unexpected trip down to Carolina in less than two weeks. Details to come...

Otter Lake

We spent the past weekend at Otter Lake just outside of Princeton, BC with Ryan's brother Kyle and his family along with their cousin Gord and his family. Reagan was beyond excited to be able to spend the entire weekend with her cousins Brady, Karis, Shaylea, and Chase. Ryan was beyond excited to spend the weekend fishing. Me? I was beyond excited to be back on the water with the sun in the sky!

I can't help but laugh whenever Denise, Kyle's wife, calls this weekend our annual camping trip. She and I have a completely different view of camping... mine involves tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, and a Coleman hot plate stove. Her idea of camping is what we did this weekend. This is a shot of our cabin (complete with Denise standing on the deck) and the view of our dock on the lake from our deck. I'm beginning to think I might like her idea of camping a little better than mine...
Reagan couldn't decide which activity she wanted to do first. Ultimately, she did them all over and over and over again. Her favorites... FISHING and PADDLE BOATING!She made her Daddy quite proud with her immediate fishing abilities. Even though she never actually caught a fish, she could tell you a story to make you think that she caught a whopper. Isn't that one of the biggest traits of a true fisherman anyway?!?!We were a little nervous at first when Reagan insisted on going on the paddle boat with Shaylea all by herself like a big girl. After only just a few minutes, our fears were put to rest when we realized that they were just fine all on their own. Let me tell you, Reagan Marie Knopp thought that she was hot stuff out there on that paddle boat with her older cousin. She was loving her new independence!

And what camping experience would be complete without a campfire and marshmallows? Now, I'm not going to mention any names, but a woman with extremely blonde hair managed to eat over half a bag of marshmallows that the children roasted for her. Thankfully, the blonde woman was the one with the camera, so no one else was able to document the event! Just trust me when I tell you that they were yummy! Oh... I guess that kind-of gives it away that I was the marshmallow monster, huh? Oh well, they were worth it!

The kids weren't the only ones to have a good time over the weekend. I promised everyone that I wouldn't post any incriminating pictures on the web, so I'll just leave you with this one. Sorry boys, I had to do it! It's a little bit blurry, but that could be because by the point in the evening when it was taken, I don't think that I could see straight myself. It probably looked crystal clear to me when I took it!
It was a fabulous family weekend, and I'm already looking forward to the third annual camping trip next year!

Gymnastics Graduation

Reagan has been going to The Little Gym since she was 14 months old. Since that time, she has advanced though their programs from a Bird, to a Beast, to a Super Beast, to a Funny Bug, and now she has graduated as a Giggle Worm! Her final class of the semester was last Friday, and she was so proud to show off all of her skills to both her Daddy and her Mommy!
Reagan is the youngest child to have graduated in her class, as most of the other children are already four or five years old. She is such a little dare-devil, so her age and small size didn't stop her from being able to keep up with the older kids one little bit!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

As you can see from the video above, she has quite the balance on the beam. And, from the video below, you can see that she has no fear when it comes to the high bar!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

I must admit that it was a little bittersweet to watch her receive her certificate and her ribbon. I personally feel that she has outgrown The Little Gym, so she will more than likely be starting lessons at one of the local gymnastics training centers in the Fall. The gym that I am considering for Reagan has already produced two Canadian Olympic Team gymnasts in the last few years, so I know that they are built on a solid reputation! We'll see how Reagan likes it, and just go from there...

I'll leave you with the brief video clip of Reagan accepting her award from Coach Jenn. Her certificate was inscribed with the following:

"This certificate is awarded to Reagan Knopp in recognition of completing the semester in Giggle Worms! Reagan has done an amazing job at keeping up with the older kids in the class. She has such power in her donkey kicks, and it is great to see her practicing landing on her two feet. Her energetic personality is a great addition to the class, and she's always there to help us tell a story! Keep up the great work, Reagan!"

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

SIX New Awards! HOLY MOLY!

My goodness, you all sure now how to make a girl feel loved! And spoiled! And famous! And....

Well, you get the idea. I now have a slightly swollen head thanks to the SIX new blog awards that I have received. I'm still fighting with my internet connection while I wait for my super duper new modem to arrive, so I will have to make this a slightly less detailed post that what I would have rather done. You will have to clink on the link for each person that I am passing these awards along to so can find out for yourself just awesome they all are. SERIOUSLY! Start clicking!

Kimber from A Day in the Life of a Girl Named Kimber has recently given me THREE awards! First, I'm passing the One Lovely Blog Award along to:

My Three Bubs

Miller Racing Family
Lady Mama
Our Wonderful, Crazy, Beautiful Life
The Vitt Family
Diary of A Southern Drama Queen

I'm passing the Kreativ Blogger award along to:

Boogers, Screams, Headaches, and Dreams

Confessions of a Semi-Slacker Mom
Five Moms and a Blog
Lou Lou's Views
Lexi Loo & Dylan Too
A Wrinkle In Time

And, I'm passing the Honest Scrap award along to:

Mommy Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time
If You Think Round Is Funny
The World According To Me
Short and Sweet
Scary Mommy

Sherri at Boogers, Screams, Headaches, and Dreams gave me the You're A Superstar Blogger award. Thank you Sherri! I'm passing this award along to the following superstars...

Day in the Life of a Girl Named Kimber
The Loves of Jenn
Four and Now More
I'm a REAL LIFE Mom
Martin Manor Happenings
...Pooba...

And finally, Brandi from My Three Bubs AND Jenn from The Loves of Jenn BOTH awarded me with the Friends award. AWWWWWWW... thank you girls! I have to tell you, I love all of the friends that I have made from this blog. I'm passing this award along to my new BFF's!

Scottsville
Dinkypops No More
Domestically Challenged
Still Seeking Sanity
Let Go, Laughing
Forever Folding Laundry

So there you have it. Go check out all of these amazing ladies to see just how truly deserving they are of these awards. And thank you again to Kimber, Sherri, Brandi, and Jenn!

What Will I Do?

My worst fear has come to life... I AM WITHOUT INTERNET! I have suspected that this day was coming as I have been losing my connection dozens of times daily for the last couple of weeks. The Telus tech just confirmed that, yes, my modem has kicked the bucket. AND IT WILL TAKE 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS FOR THEM TO SEND ME A NEW ONE!

What will I do?

Bootleg off the neighbors of course... that's what I'm doing right now! But in all honesty, I'm not very comfortable doing it. Who knows what kind of virus I might pick up or if someone will now be able to hack into my computer from afar. So I may not be around much for the next week or so. I'll try to check in when I can, but if you don't hear from me... you'll know why!

Now, let's just hope that I don't go completely crazy while I'm waiting for the new modem to get here...

Miss Manners

We had tacos for dinner the other night, so I had grated a plate of cheese for us to use as a topping. I turned my head for a only a moment, and little lady Reagan dove in. The kid loves cheese!And yes, I let her continue to eat is this way long enough to go grab my camera and take a picture! Then I proceeded to tell her that I think it is time we schedule an appointment with Miss Manners... do you remember this pic from a few weeks ago of her eating pancake batter?Oh yes, it's time for a lesson in etiquette!

Tinkerbell

Reagan was invited to a birthday party this weekend for our neighbor across the street named Piper who just turned one! We knew ahead of time that it was to be a Tinkerbell themed party, so Reagan wore her Tinkerbell dress. Little did we know that Tink herself was going to be in attendance as well...Reagan was speechless... she was simply in awe. She would not leave Tink's side throughout the party, and thankfully Tinkerbell was a really good sport in that she even got Reagan to eat ALL of her lunch before she could have any birthday cake. Seriously, I think that if Tink had told Reagan to jump that we would have heard Reagan ask her, "How high?" Later that night, Tinkerbell phoned our house to tell Reagan good night and to congratulate her on eating all of her dinner like a big girl. Reagan now thinks that she is the coolest kid in the world because Tinkerbell has her phone number... AND USED IT! (Tink is really the sister of the mother of the little girl who turned one!)
Something tells me that we will be seeing Tinkerbell again at Reagan's birthday party next year. She's already agreed to make a guest appearance if we want her to!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

"I'm going to marry Mr. Muscles!"

That was the caption of my picture.

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I drew a picture of a man, complete with super huge arm muscles. Once I was finished with my masterpiece, I hung it on our front door. I couldn't have been but six or seven years old, yet I was ready to marry the man of my dreams. Much to my dismay, he was already taken.

By my mother!

My Daddy has always been my super hero. He is THE jack of all trades. He can fix anything that you put in front of him. Seriously! ANYTHING. Absolutely ANYTHING!

His is a teacher. He is a coach. He is handyman. He is a fisherman. He is a plumber. He is a electrician. He is a mechanic. He is gifted. He is amazing!

Those last three words were provided by my husband.

Anyone who has ever met my Daddy would agree: he is a SUPER man. He is MY super man, although I share him with my sister. My husband is correct... he is simply amazing!

I am one of those special girls who knows more about football (and most other sports for that matter) than most of the guys out there. My Daddy taught me to be a sports freak!

My Daddy taught me how to change a tire, how to change the oil, how to clean a fish, how to install a ceiling fan, how to run a sprint, how to throw a football, how to cook the perfect steak, and so much more. He taught me how to be strong. He taught me how to be independent. He taught me how to be ME.

I am a woman that is convinced that there is NOTHING that I can not do. My Daddy taught me to think that way. My Daddy taught me to BE that way.

There are many quotes that I have carried with me through my life that my Daddy instilled into my brain. A few of my favorites are...

"Winners never quit, and quitters never win."

"No pain, no gain."

"If you lay with dogs, you will catch fleas."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I take no greater joy than to hear from friends and family that my husband is just like my Daddy. I can remember a rare snow storm several years ago in my hometown when my husband (but not my husband at the time) was visiting. We were walking down the snow filled streets together, and passer-by's would call out "Hey Coach Myers!" to my to-be husband. I consider that to be the ultimate compliment to my husband... after all, I have always said that I was going to marry my Daddy!

I love you, Daddy!

And now, my heart just melts every time that I hear Reagan say that she is going to marry HER Daddy! Like mother, like daughter... we know how to pick the best men!

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy, to my husband, and to all the other Father's out there!

600th Post! THE RECIPE

Well folks, this is my 600th post to this blog! I never thought in a million years that when I first started this blog when Reagan was born that it would ever evolve to be what it is today.

In honor of this momentous occasion, I am doing something that I have never done on here before... I am posting a recipe! THE RECIPE for the shrimp boil that I made for my mother-in-law's 60th birthday bash to be exact! And this recipe is complete with pictures...

First, you will need to have a very large pot, basket, and burner. I use the same pot that I use when I deep fry turkeys...Fill the pot about 2/3 full with water, and then add a can of beer to the water along with one bag of Zatarain's Shrimp & Crab boil in a bag AND one and a half bottles of Zatarain's liquid Shrimp & Crab Boil. Allow the water to come to a rolling boil for a full 15 minutes, and then add the RED POTATOES. The smaller the potato the better, or you can cut the potatoes to be about the size of a golf ball. You will need approximately 10 potatoes per person! I usually then add an extra 10 potatoes just to be safe!Allow the potatoes to cook for 10 minutes, and then add the CORN. You will need one and a half ears of fresh corn per person, and you will want to cut the corn to be about 3 to 4 inches in length. The corn will cook for 5 minutes, and then you will need to add the KIELBASA SAUSAGE. I allow about 3/4 of a link of sausage per person. The trick for the sausage is to be sure to cut it on an angle into pieces that are about a 1/4 of an inch thick. The sausage will cook for 6 minutes. After the sausage has cooked for 6 minutes, squeeze in the juice from three lemons that have been halved, and then drop the lemons into the mixture as well.You will then immediately add the final ingredient... THE SHRIMP! I use 1/2 pound of fresh shrimp per person, and I then add an additional extra pound. Once the shrimp is in the water, turn off the heat to the pot. The shrimp will be fully cooked in 2 minutes.Remove the basket of goodies from the pot and allow the water to drain. Warning... your arms may get sore here because the pot has become heavy! Once the water has drained from the basket, dump the entire pot of yummy goodness onto a table that has been covered in layers of newspapers. You'll need some cocktail sauce for the shrimp, and some butter for the corn and potatoes. And you'll need to bring your appetites because this is a super fun and super delicious meal that you just can't get enough of! I hope you enjoy...

Work It Out Wednesday

Sherri over at Boogers, Screams, Headaches, and Dreams has started a weekly workout activity for all of us bloggers to take advantage of and to share in our workout and weight loss progress. I think it is a FABULOUS idea Sherri, so am I gladly playing along this week.

Many of you know that I have been working out like crazy trying to lose weight. If you are new to my blog, you may not be aware of the aggravating plateau that I hit about a month ago despite the fact that I was eating less and working out more than ever before. I made this post desperately asking for advice, and the advice came pouring in! If you haven't read that post before, and you are struggling with weight loss yourself, then you really should read the comments that were left. You can also see the two posts that Makeover Momma dedicated to my fitness and my nutrition! Trust me when I tell you that I have taken much of all that advice and put it to practice... AND IT IS WORKING!

I'm still running, but no where near as much as I was doing before. I've now changed my workouts to a variety of different things to keep my body in a state of constant surprise and shock. My favorites...

Chalean Johnson's Turbo Jam has to be one of the MOST FUN workouts that I have ever done. Seriously! I was laughing while I was sweating to death as I told my husband that I felt more like I was breaking it down at "da club" instead of doing an aerobic workout. It was like a dance party in my living room! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I had so much fun the first time that I did it that I didn't even realize the workout had totally kicked my butt until I was finished and realized that I was drenched in sweat and exhausted!

Yes, I have jumped on the Jillian Michaels bandwagon, and I am doing the 30 Day Shred. I love the workout because I can instantly feel the burn! Her combinations of cardio and strength with upper and lower body workouts at the same time have really kicked my metabolism into high gear. And while I love the fact that the ENTIRE workout is only 20 minutes long, there are some days that I feel like it is not enough for me.

On those days, I also do Debbie Siebers' Slim in 6 program. It is very similar to the 30 Day Shred, however it is a bit easier! I'm currently doing level 2 (of three) on both programs. I would recommend Slim in 6 to someone like Leslie Ruth who finds the 30 Day Shred to be just a little too intense. The Slim in 6 workouts are longer (level 2 is 45 mintues, level 3 is almost an hour) but the workouts again cover both cardio and strength while working the upper and lower body.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what I am working up to! Chalean Johnson's ChaLean Extreme. This is supposed to the hardest, so I haven't started it yet! My plan is to finish the 30 Day Shred in combination with Slim in 6, and then I will start ChaLean Extreme. It's supposed to be killer, but it's supposed to be amazing as well! I promise to let you know how I do once I get started on it next month.

I have quit paying so much attention to the number of Weight Watchers points that I eat a day, and I am focusing more on eating healthy stuff all the time and more often throughout the day. In all honesty, my diet really hasn't changed all that much... I just quit counting! But with the new workouts, I have lost an additional 2.5 pounds in the last week. That puts me at a total loss of 20 pounds, with just 5-10 more pounds to go!

So, head on over to Sherri's blog to read her Work It Out Wednesday post and then join us in this adventure!

Grandma's 60th Birthday

Today is Ryan's mother's 60th birthday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA! His parents were in town visiting from Vernon this weekend, so we had a birthday bash in our backyard to celebrate. We turned it into a luau themed party, and the birthday girl and Grandpa were given the appropriate attire to fit right in! Baby Karis didn't need a special outfit... she is perfect just the way she is!Before the party got into full swing, and before I got busy cooking dinner, I served as the family photographer for the event. I got tons of pictures of everyone, including a lovely family shot of Ryan's brother Kyle and his wife Denise and their two kids Brady and Karis. You have heard many stories about this family on my blog, so now you have faces to put with the names!I also took a very special picture of the birthday girl and her three sons that were in attendance. Her oldest son couldn't make it, but pictured below are (from left to right) Kyle, Ryan, Edie, and Craig.While dinner was cooking (which I will have to devote an entire post to later on this week!) we told Grandma to open her birthday presents. I shouldn't have expected any less from her, but just check out the facial expressions in all of the pictures that follow. And let me make sure that you know that the first picture you will see is of her opening her gift from Reagan... a drawing that had been wadded up into a ball and then wrapped in almost an entire roll of wrapping paper. And yes, that is Christmas wrapping paper. It's all I had! Only an amazing Grandma can get so excited over a gift like that! Her big gift from all of the families was a large frame with pictures that I had taken of all of her grandchildren in matching outfits. Needless to say, she loved it!After all of that fun, we had all worked up an appetite. Grandma had requested that I make my "Shrimp Boil" so that is what she got! The kids were all so shocked and excited when I literally just dumped the entire pot of yummy goodness into the middle of the table and told everyone to dig in! Trust me when I tell you that it was DELICIOUS! I'll have to post the recipe on here when I get the chance, because it is amazing and so much fun!We ended the evening by singing Happy Birthday to Grandma... and Brady had the first bite of cake!Happy Birthday Grandma!

NOTE: The face of grandchild Kaleigh has been blurred out at the request of her mother.

Not Me Monday!

It's that time again! Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama, and if you don't know how to play along, you really should head on over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week.

Me? I have NOT once again changed my hair. This does NOT make the third change in less than 6 weeks! No, my husband is NOT copping a feel in the above picture while he makes a wicked little sneer. And if he did do that, I most certainly did NOT enjoy it! (I think he likes the sexy new do!)

Am I NOT currently feeling like an 80 year old woman because I lost my mind and decided to show off in my back yard for my niece. I am NOT at all impressed and proud of myself for proving that I've still got a gymnastics skill or two up my sleeve as the 6 second video will show you below...

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

I do NOT feel like a bit of a photo master for capturing my Reagan mid-flight as she was jumping around trying to imitate Mommy!
And no, my daughter is NOT like me at all and she most certainly is NOT a little daredevil as well!

And finally, my nephew Brady does NOT think that I am the coolest auntie in the whole wide world because I told him to just take a bite out of Grandma's birthday cake just so I could get the cute picture. Oh yeah, I am a rock star in that boy's eyes!
That's it for me! What have you NOT been up to?