Down and Out

My laptop died a violent, viral death. I am bereft at my (hopefully temporary) loss. If I don't post for a while-- I am working in earnest to fix good old laptop-py.

Wish me luck.

Three Years Later...

My amazing parents served as Mission President (and wife) of the Prague LDS mission from July 1, 2007 until July 1, 2010. I have no doubt that they were absolutely awesome in their calling.

We have loved the pictures and funny trinkets and chocolate that they have sent to us from Europe. We have also loved the example they set for us and the kids of selfless service for the Church. As promised by President Uchtdorf when they were set apart, we have seen tremendous blessings in our lives while they were gone.
They are flying back to Tampa tomorrow. The past few weeks have been a flurry of activity trying to get their house ready for their return. We are SO excited to have the Slovaceks back!

Three years ago, our family looked like this:Chase was non-existent, Tobin was a cranky two month- old, Zoie was an adorable two year-old, I was forty pounds heavier, and Lance--- well, Lance has always been handsome (and has always looked ten years younger than he is).

My parents are returning home to find that this cute little family has morphed into a loud, sometimes obnoxious, fairly large family. Hope they're ready-- cause we can't wait!It is sad that this is the "best" family picture I could find. Lance isn't in it, the kids aren't looking at the camera, and I'm pretty sure I'm falling over mid-picture.

Miracle

I do not like to clean. I am a natural slob. Growing up, I never minded being surrounded by messes. I just didn't notice them.

That changed when I married Lance-- a natural born neat-freak. Now I have trouble relaxing until I am in a clean (well-- at least "straightened") environment. I am a pro at straightening my house. I do it all day long. But actual cleaning? Blech...

Then today, I purchased this:I love Windex. I do everything with Windex. My Mom and I are like the family on My Big Fat Greek Wedding-- Windex is the solution to any problem. Now that they make a "Multi- Surface" Windex I don't have to feel embarrassed about my gratuitous use of the cleaning solution.

So I came home from the store and cleaned my kitchen with it. I was so impressed that I proceeded to clean all of my appliances and then my bathrooms... and then the laundry room, even the ceramic tile throughout my house has been doused in the stuff. I actually found myself saying out loud, "What else can I clean?"

I am fairly certain that with that statement Hell froze over and pigs began to fly.

SC Johnson: My husband thanks you.

Now I am off to soak all my laundry in Windex and then maybe a Windex facial...

Birthday

"Solitude is painful when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature. "
Albert Einstein

I must be very mature, then. For my birthday, a friend took the kids for the whole day and I got to run errands by myself! It was amazing. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures to document the fun of my day. I was going to post them all... but its just a bunch of pictures of me. And let's face it-- no one wants to see that.

But there was a lot of this
And this

And a huge grin on my face in every picture

Lance took me out for some shoe shopping and dinner that eveningThe kids came home and we celebrated with cupcakes
It may not look like much-- but it was absolutely perfect to me!

The next day, Heidi and Jen surprised me with a dessert/Eclipse night with some friends. After consuming cheesecake, we went to see the midnight showing of Eclipse at a theater that a friend had rented out for the occasion. It was awesome to walk by all the long lines and slip into the theater just as the movie began. Such a fun night. Thanks again, guys.

When I Was Young...

Before I turned 30, I never

1. Used products whose labels contained words like "regenerate" or "rejuvenize"
2. Worried if I could still pull off pigtail braids
3. Dyed my hair just so I could cover grays
4. Felt self-conscious in my beloved graphic tees
5. Felt old while attending the premier of this movie:

Now I'm 31 and its all downhill from here....

Goodbye Old NavyHello Ann Taylor and Chico's.

Scuba

On Saturday Lance and I completed our PADI scuba certification with a couple of open water dives in the Gulf of Mexico.It was AMAZING! We set off from the coast and went about 20 miles out. On just the boat ride out there we saw dolphins, a sea turtle, and a manta ray. I am just so grateful that our little section of the Gulf is, thus far, untouched by any oil.We went about 50 feet underwater by a natural reef. We saw hundreds of fish, coral, sea spiders, huge crabs, an eel, and a giant loggerhead sea turtle swam right by us-- so close I could have wrapped my arms around its huge, graceful body (but I refrained).All underwater photos are stock-- courtesy of Google Images.

Now that we are certified, we are already planning future local dives. So get certified-- here is a picture of our brilliant (and patient) scuba instructor. Thanks Rob!

Heidi and Harry

We have been playing host to Heidi and her dog Harry this week. They are moving back from Prague and their home won't be ready until this weekend.

Lance and I picked Harry up from the Orlando Airport a few weeks ago. We were happy to do it-- until it became clear that poor little Harry had developed an upset stomach somewhere between Frankfurt, Germany and Orlando, Florida. Without too much detail-- the fluffy white dog came to us in the form of a wet, brown dog. It was a very long ride home. Harry endured several bathing sessions (notice Lance wearing a mask and gloves for the initial bath)-- but Harry quickly regained his happy disposition (and pleasant smell).Picking Heidi up from the airport was an easier experience-- even if it was at 1:30 am. Heidi is bunking with the kids (literally-- she is on the bottom bunk). They love it. They are convinced that she is one of them. They don't understand why she gets to stay up later than them and why she doesn't have to take a nap each day. She has been a great source of entertainment for them (and a great help for me)-- at the beach, at church, in the car, etc.She will probably be very relieved to move out later this week. Here's a picture of a little get together we had to welcome Heidi back to the good ol' U.S. of A.