Nanny, Work and Costumes

Tomorrow is my first official day as a working mama. I somehow have to manage to be up, dressed, fed and out the door at 7:30, which seems kind of early considering we usually don't wake up until about 7 around here. I'm excited though because the 3 times I was there last week were so much fun and I love the group of kiddos I have.

I also found a great nanny for my own kids that will be coming here every afternoon until Matt gets off work. They love her and I love her so it's a total win. I think the transition will be much easier on the kids since Miss A is so sweet and fun and a lot like me as far as discipline and personality.

I don't have any pictures of the kids in costumes uploaded yet but Matt and I went with some friends to a costume party Saturday night and this is one of my costumes this year. I dressed up 3 times this year. I'm sure that's a new record for me. I love not being fat at Halloween. Fat girl costumes suck. This costume certainly did not suck.

My Newest Addition

I LOVE this tattoo! It hurt like a bitch to get done (and took almost 2 hours) and I must admit it's hard to wear pants. Especially dress pants like I had to wear today. With my other tattoo I had problems with my bra strap rubbing it but pants are a much bigger problem. I'm so in love with it though. And I'm going to have my other one colored in ASAP. We picked out colors and stuff yesterday and he offered to do it then but I was all tattooed out at that point. I just couldn't sit through another one.

I have a lot of great things to post about, including some great job news and the amazing nanny I found for the kids but I'm rushing around today trying to get things done before Monday. I'll try to post an update later today on everything.

Craziness

So apparently I'm officially crazy. I took on a job teaching pre-k Monday-Friday 7:30-5:30 and I'll have class Mon-Thurs from 5:50-10:15. Yeah. Essentially that means I'll be non-existant around here Mon-Thurs and the time I am here Fri-Sun will be spent doing homework and working on lesson plans. I'm extremely stressed out about this whole process but excited too. This week I'm running around like crazy trying to get everything ready before Monday. I have someone I'm interviewing tomorrow to watch the kids in the afternoons so Matt can work, I got my flu shot and TB test, need to get the kids in for flu shots, I need to get some new shirts to wear to work and the list goes on and on. So I'm really not dead or anything. Just up to my eyes in chaos.

Yeah...Not So Much

You know that post I did about how running makes me feel great? Screw it because I now have an injured foot and back. I can barely move and it's almost torturous to sit for any amount of time. That just seems to be how things are going these days. One step forward and two steps back.

The kids both got to go to the pumpkin patch with their schools so we have a couple more pumpkins sitting on the porch. Every morning they go running downstairs to make sure nobody stole them. Isn't that sad? Two years ago someone took their pumpkins and I don't think they'll ever get over it. As soon as the pumpkins hit the porch this year they started worrying about them being taken. It just breaks my heart that they've already had some little bit of innocence taken from them by some stupid teenage brats.

J is having some serious behavioral issues again. We're going to have to really team up on him and get him back in line. A lot of it is coming from his frustrations at school and he constantly thinks he isn't good enough. I feel bad for the little guy because I know he's just having trouble venting his frustrations.

M is doing fantastic as long as you don't count the 30 minutes in the morning where she has to decide what shoes to wear and how she wants her hair done. Other than that she's been mostly pleasant lately. I think I'll keep her after all. :)

No Clever Title, Just an Update

I always forget how good running makes me feel. This morning I helped out in M's classroom so I had a very limited amount of time to spend at the gym before I had to pick up J. I jumped on the treadmill without hesitation and started running. I don't run often anymore simply because if I run for more than a couple days in a row my foot starts hurting and I end up starting all over again with the healing process. I've tried different shoes, ankle braces, stretching and anything else the doctor recommended but in the end it still hurts so I just don't do it much. That first mile is always the hardest for me. I made it past the first mile and felt ok so I pushed on to mile 2. Somewhere between 3 and 4 my foot started hurting so I gave up. It didn't matter that I couldn't run as far as I used to. I didn't care that as far as calories burned it probably wasn't a great workout. I felt fantastic! I came home to throw lunch in the oven real fast, picked up J from school, did some grocery shopping for some new Healthy Mama's recipes, finished up the paperwork for my school stuff and then went back to the gym to finish my workout. All in all I think it was a rather successful day.

A New Project

What do you do when you feel like your life is all chaos and you need to have control over something? Well, I don't know what you do, but I paint. Thank God I live like 2 minutes from Lowes because last week I up and decided I'm completely re-decorating my entire house. Yes it's a bit insane but I need a project and I need a change of scenery. Today was the dining room. The picture kind of sucks but you get the idea.

Next up is the basement bedroom. The paint is bought and I hope to have it done by the end of the week. I'm also going to re-paint our kitchen and living room myself in the coming weeks. A friend's husband is hopefully going to be helping us out and I hope by the first of the year to have the entry way, upstairs hallway, basement family room and basement bathroom completely re-done. The tile on our fireplace needs to be replaced (because it's some weird ass color that just doesn't work with anything) and I want to go through all the crap we have stored in the basement and get rid of a lot of things. I'm hoping it's therapeutic. I figure it can't hurt.

An Update and Some Good News!

Things are still kind of rough around here right now and I hesitate to do a post explaining where things are and what's going on and I'm not sure why. Everyone who is close to me knows at least part of what's happening around here so it shouldn't be a big deal to just lay it all out there, right? But it still feels just a little too close to home to put out there for everyone to read. I'll just sum it up and say Matt and I have been going through a rough time in our marriage. We've been struggling with some things and we are both at fault. We don't communicate very well with each other and it's just been hard for me to have completely changed as a person when he hasn't changed. I really like to go out and hang out with my friends to sing karaoke, have a drink or two and hit the dance floor. Matt would much rather stay home and watch a movie. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it gets to the point that we spend a lot of time apart simply because we don't have the same interests. It's really hard to put into words everything that's happening right now so I'm not even going to try. It would just end up being a long rambling post and I'm sure it wouldn't be much fun to read. I am going to counseling by myself to try to work through some of the issues I have regarding the weight loss and new interests in my life. We're going to try marriage counseling again and see where it gets us. Hopefully it goes better than last time. That lady was CRAZY! She needs to be in therapy instead of doing it for others.

But onto the good news! I went and signed up to do a medical assistant program this week! It starts at the end of November and lasts just over a year. I'm really excited about it and I look forward to something new to challenge me in my life. I need something to focus on right now and I think this is just what I need. Not to mention it means I can have a full time career soon! I applaud anyone who can be a stay-at-home parent the whole time their child is living at home. It's not for me. I love my children but it's definitely an absence makes the heart grow fonder kind of thing. We are all together way too much in this house.

There Really Are No Words

Life is complicated. In fact, sometimes life is so complicated I can't even begin to put into words how and why things are happening. Things aren't all doom and gloom around here or anything but man I'm physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted right now. Both kids are happy and healthy (well technically I think M has the stomach bug that I had yesterday only hers came with a nice high fever and chills...ugh) so I'm thankful for that. I have some amazing friends (both old and new) that have been so very supportive and understanding lately. I'm learning more and more about myself every day and I'm holding onto some hope that somewhere deep down in me I have the ability to get through this and end up on the other side in one piece. If only I knew what the other side was it would be helpful.

Isn't She Thoughtful...

Last week for show-and-tell the kids in M's class were asked to bring a picture of mom to hang up in the hallway of their school and display for everyone to see. I let M pick out her favorite picture of me and this is what she picked:

When I asked her if any of the other kids brought silly pictures of their moms she replied with, "Nope. Just you! Isn't that funny?" Yeah kid that's hilarious. Thanks a bunch.

On a side note, I got the sweetest picture with J that same day. These moments are so few and far between these days. He still melts my heart.

The State Fair

Now I would LOVE to write some magnificent post about how wonderful our fair experience was this year complete with happy children, not-so-hot weather and a funnel cake, but this is not that post. We had been at soccer games and a football game all day Saturday so Matt and I were both fairly sunburned. I personally LOVE summer and I can deal with a lot of sun and heat so I didn't mind too much that it was 100 degrees and I was walking around already red from the previous day. I did put on sunscreen but the heat of the sun wore Matt down fairly quickly. We met up with some friends and got to see the monkey show and my friend Teresa is a saint for holding J the whole time so he could see. I just can't do it anymore. I got to stand in the back and adore the baby (who by the way is the sweetest and most enjoyable child ever...I've only seen her cry once and she was hungry). We said our goodbyes so they could get home and we headed on our way. We were walking down the midway and J threw up (of course he did...) so he went with grandma to find a shady bench to sit down and Matt followed soon after. M and I were left with tickets for riding all the rides, but it really wasn't terrible. I don't mind riding rides as long as they aren't roller-coasters or anything that goes upside down. Then I want to throw up. But anyways, we had a great time and I swore I was going to throw up after we got off the Tilt-a-Whirl so I'd count that as a raging success as far as rides are concerned. She better plan on growing though because next year I have a list of rides I want to take on now that I'm not fat and want to try my hand at them again. When we went back to collect everyone else, Matt was beyond done and J was nearing his breaking point. They had stayed the night with grandma and he got up super early that day. Great timing, right? It's really the only day we had the opportunity to go I swear. I much prefer our leisurely trips to the fair we've done in the past but we made do with what time we had. Where was I...Oh yeah, then we went out to dinner where my kids thought I was mean because I ordered them grilled chicken and steamed vegetables and J fell asleep with his head in my lap and I had to carry all of his 48 lbs to the car. He weighs more than a third of what I do now so it's quite a challenge to carry him anywhere let alone when he's passed out and dead weight. Both kids slept the whole way home and went straight to bed as soon as we walked in the door, thank God! So there you have it. I'm sure Matt has pictures somewhere but he's drowning in work so I can't really bug him about it. They'll make their way here eventually I'm sure.

Soccer and Cheer Pictures

Doesn't she look sweet and happy for it being so early on a Saturday? She played really well again this week and I'm so proud of her! She was lucky because she had the early game before it got hot. Isn't it the end of September? I'm kind of ready for sweatshirts and jeans instead of sunburns!

J and his friend had been out playing in the heat for a good 3 hours before the game even started so the poor boys were sweating and miserable, but they were tough and made it through! They did great!

Here are the cheer pictures. I was not a cheerleader and never really thought I'd get one of those blonde hair, blue eyed cheerleaders. Look at her though! She is GOOD! I think we've found what she loves to do and will put in the time and effort to practice at home. We've been working on jumps, cheers and cartwheels every day without a single complaint.
The 2 little girls on the team trying their own stunt.

Aren't they just so adorable? They have the best time together!

Soccer and Cheer Update

My kids LOVE soccer! Who knew? I've been very pleasantly surprised that M has really taken an interest in it and is very much enjoying herself. She's not a kid that likes to run and in general she tends to complain that things hurt when she runs around a lot. If you've ever seen "UP" she's like when the kid is walking through the forest saying his knee hurts, his elbow hurts and then he has to go to the bathroom. And she does it in that same whiney voice that he does too. Her favorite complaint is that her hip hurts. She's freaking 5 years old. Nothing on her should hurt! But she didn't complain once about practicing soccer or playing during the game! She loved it and had a great time! This weekend she has an early game (and pictures) and then she's going home with a friend while we watch J play. She's so excited! This friend is doing cheer with her and they get along so well. As an added bonus, she has a brother that's J's age and they are on the same soccer team and get along great too!

J has been very...interesting during soccer. It's better than t-ball. He doesn't pick the grass or kick the dirt at least. He does however think it's all kinds of fun to run into the net. At one point he picked a dandelion to give to his coach during the middle of the game. Fortunately, J isn't the only boy on the team who has a short attention span and gets easily distracted. Out of the 4 boys there on Saturday only 1 had any clue what he was supposed to be doing. He loves it though and one of his best buddies is on the team so it's all good. I'm glad he's having a good time and learning skills that will help him in the future. That's really what it's all about.

I'll have to try to get some pics this weekend and upload them. Especially of the cheerleading because it's way too cute! M and C are the littlest girls on the squad so they get to do all the fun stunts. We were practicing some tonight and she still gets a bit freaked out being up so high. We're working on it though. At 26 years old I'm learning how to do cheerleading. It's very weird. The things we do for our kids...

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! I love birthdays, and this year is no exception, but I'm kind of sad to see my 25th year coming to an end. It's been a very good year. It's had ups and downs just like any other but the good has by far outweighed the bad this year. I've met a lot of goals, learned some things about myself, taken on some challenges, made some amazing friends, reconnected with some old friends and most of all I became happy with who I am. I never realized I was unhappy before I lost the weight. If someone had asked me if I felt unhappy I would have answered "no" without hesitation because I didn't feel unhappy. Now I know what I was missing. I know how it feels to put on size 6 jeans instead of size 22 and walk out the door feeling confident instead of content. Three years ago I would put on a nice outfit and feel 'ok' walking out the door. Now I put on a short dress or nice pair of jeans and have the confidence to know I look good in it! Am I perfect? Absolutely not!! Am I happy with where I am in life? Yes! I can only hope 26 is as good to me as 25 has been.

Kids, School and Chaos!

My goal in having the Healthy Mama's site is partly so that I can use this blog as a place to talk about my children and family more and my fitness goals a little less. So what have the kiddos been up to lately? Well, mostly they go to school. Every morning we frantically scramble to get M up, dressed, fed and on the bus without a major meltdown. At least once a morning something goes wrong in her world. She never has any clothes to wear or shoes that she likes. Ever. We pick out her clothes the night before and discuss shoe choices but, like her mama, she tends to change her mind about what she wants to wear or which shoes look best. We bought her an alarm clock so she can get herself up in the morning, chill for a little bit, get dressed, let me fix her hair and then join us for breakfast. It's going....ok. We're working on it. Maybe by the time she's a senior in high school we'll have it figured out.

J came home from school the first week saying he hated school and didn't want to go back. He's had the same teacher (at a different school than where he's currently at) and he's had it pretty easy. The new school is much more structured (which is good for him) and he's had a harder time adjusting than I thought he would. After about a week he was saying it was "ok" and now occasionally I get "fun" as an answer. I know it's good for him and his teachers love him and are doing what's best for him so I'm not worried. I was just surprised that my social butterfly had trouble adjusting to something new. It's very unlike him. I think he's ok now though so it's all good.

Tonight we are attempting the drive-in theater. The weather is gorgeous and we'll pack up snacks and bug spray. Wish us luck!

Check me out!

The new site is up and running. Tell all your friends and let me know what you think!

www.healthymamas.net

Kenny Chesney Invitation Only

Finally!! My Kenny trip post! It seems like forever since this trip happened!

When I got email that I had been accepted as someone to come to the Invitation Only show I was shocked, and flattered, but mostly shocked. It seemed like one of those things where you send in your information knowing there's no way in hell you're actually going to get picked. Except I got picked! And was crazy enough to rearrange my life for a week in order to attend! There were some rules and a dress code that I had to get a new dress to abide by, but I didn't care. I was seeing Kenny again!

So I got the email on Thursday that I was accepted and then had to frantically search for a dress, rent a car, pack for all of us to go to Hutchinson for Matt's high school reunion and pack for myself to leave from there to drive to Nashville on Sunday.

I picked up my mom (who knows this is insane and is going along anyways...) and we headed east. We got to Marion, IL on Sunday night then drove to Franklin, TN on Monday morning. We got there in just enough time to eat lunch, check out the place I was heading to that night and buy new shoes. Perfect.

When I got to The Factory (where this was being held) there were only about 15 people there. And I was running a few minutes late! Turns out there were less than 100 people attending! I got checked in and got my stamp to be admitted. (Like a groupie stamp instead of a tramp stamp.) You were seated based on looks and what you were wearing basically. They moved everyone around a few times but I scored a spot about 8 feet from Kenny so I was VERY happy.

It took a good hour of set-up before he even came out. It was a good way to get people to interact though because none of us knew anybody there. Kenny came out and sang a few songs with just a back-up guitar (Clayton) and the keyboard (Wyatt). It was a mostly acoustic show and it was amazing to see him so relaxed and happy. We got through all the "set" songs and questions and then repeated a few that he didn't like or the production company didn't like. In the meantime, he told lots of good stories and we all got a chance to chat with him and tell him about ourselves and where we came from. We talked about our favorite concerts, the ones we all remember, our favorite songs, his favorite songs, weird things that we've all seen over the years and just random stuff. Clayton and Wyatt joked around with everyone while Kenny was getting make-up redone and it was just like a bunch of friends sitting down to hang out. They ended up kicking us all out because they had to re-set the stage for the next night. We might have all stayed all night if they'd let us.

It was a once in a lifetime chance that I'm so thankful I was able to have. I've been very fortunate to have seen Kenny 3 times this year during his 'time off' and I know most of his fans weren't that fortunate. I know most people don't get it, but his music and concerts are a big part of my life. Being able to tell him how much I love 'I Go Back' simply because of that Dallas concert where we all stood in the pouring rain with him is something most fans don't get the opportunity to do. We were all able to share our stories of how he has affected our lives and he seemed genuinely touched that he means so much to us. I have a lot of respect for him and what he does and I'll keep going back and doing these crazy things just to be able to experience it all with him and the other fans year after year. Every song I have heard off the new album is fantastic and I think it could possibly be his best yet! I can't wait to be back out there next summer touring the country with Kenny!

First Day of Pre-K!

J was not nearly as cooperative as his sister when it came to taking first day of school pictures. He looks so grown-up and handsome though!

This one just melts my heart. He's such a goof. I love it!

This was actually the least blurry picture I got of him at school. All the other parents were walking in with their kids so I asked if he wanted me to come in with him. The response? "Well not really but I guess you should..." Thanks kid. I appreciate you humoring me on this one.

Now both kids are back to school Monday through Friday! This morning I decided to go run on the trail that's right by J's school and I can't tell you how relaxing it was knowing that our lives are back to normal now. There's just something about the school year and getting up and out the door at the same time every day that makes things run more smoothly in this household. Love it!

Kindergarten!

Today was M's first day of kindergarten! We've been working on choosing an outfit for almost a week now and the only meltdown we had this morning was about shoes. And that's totally normal so I would say getting out the door for our first day of big kid school was a raging success!

My pretty girl...

My pretty girl and her super cool brother...
And partner in crime...
Maybe she's considering if she's going to actually go to school or just run back in the house screaming...
Walking to the bus stop...
Getting on the big bus...
Getting off the bus at school...
Walking down the hall to her classroom...
And we made it!
I'm so proud of her for handling the first day of school so well. I know she was really nervous and overwhelmed and I was worried the transition might not go so smoothly. Luckily, her friend T is there with her to ride the bus, hold her hand and sit by her at school. It really helps to have a buddy there on the first day.

Our only issue might be with snacks. She told me she wouldn't eat her snack today because it was gross but when I asked her later she said it was chocolate and she didn't know if it was ok. I'm glad she is overly cautious about such things but I may have to start sending a snack with her if she's going to worry about it all the time. I'm going to wait it out for a week or so and if it's still an issue I can discuss it with her teacher.

One kid off to school and the big first day of school for J on Wednesday! And I get my normal routine back for at least a little while. Yay!

Whew!

Right now things are chaotic. We have been going to bed early and waking up
early in preparation for school starting Monday. We had meet the teacher night last night and M wanted nothing to do with it. She's in serious denial
and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. There were so many people there last night and all she wanted to do is get out of there and go have dinner. I really do feel kind of bad for her because Monday is coming up
fast and it might be a hard adjustment for her. She does know 4 other kids in her class so I'm hoping that helps. Of course J is clueless about going back
to school. When I mention it he kind of just shrugs and says he's ready. He's so laid back. He'll be just fine in a new school this year.

In other news, our new project is going well so far. It should be up
and running soon! Thanks to those who filled out surveys for me! We got a great response and I'm looking forward to sharing this new site with you!

Oh and one of our fish died last night. Of course it was 8pm and I was nauseous from some new hormones I'm taking and getting things ready for a job interview I had this morning. Because of course the fish couldn't die on a night where we aren't busy. Things just don't work that way. M took it amazingly well though and I think we will
go get a new one today sometime. I'm
Having them clean the toy room first so they have some incentive to do so.

Lurkers!

Ok guys I know there are a ton of people who read this blog and don't comment but I'm working on starting a new venture and I'd really like some input from those of you who read this blog and are interested in fitness and nutrition. Shoot me an email, leave a comment or something to let me know who you are if you'd like to help me out by filling out a survey and having the chance to win something! I need your email address if you'd like to participate in the survey. There will be some chances for free healthy food and cocktails as well for those who live close enough!

Email me at healthymamas [at] infofission [dot] com!

Birthdays Galore!

We had lots of birthday celebrations around here this weekend. Here are the pics!

Routine

School just cannot start soon enough around here. I so badly need to get back into a routine! I'm dragging myself to the gym but I'm not putting a whole hearted effort into it at all. Today I did some serious weight lifting for the first time in weeks and I'm feeling it now. I've still been doing Turbokick and tried the new Zumba class this week so I am certainly getting there and getting my workouts done, but I know I could be doing better. I haven't been running partly because my foot started bothering me, and partly because I just don't have any desire to run 5 miles a day right now. When I do run, I feel great. I totally 'get' the runner's high that people talk about. Once I make it past 2 miles I can pretty much run until I get bored. That has usually happened between 5 and 7 miles for me. But right now the thought of getting on a treadmill and running for miles and miles just doesn't appeal to me at all. I've been doing more classes just simply because it requires that I show up and not quit early. I had gotten to a point where I was really enjoying my workouts and I think I'll get there again once school starts and we aren't being so lazy. There are also other things in my life that have just taken priority over going to the gym quite as often.

This is what I worked so hard for. I like that I can have a couple of 'off' weeks and not worry that the scale isn't moving anywhere. I can occasionally have a bad eating day (I accidentally went 3 days of only eating 600-700 calories because I wasn't counting and I just don't eat much these days) and the scale doesn't move. At all. I may gain a pound or 2 but then it's off again before I have a chance to worry about it. Even after being on the road for 2 weeks the scale is right back where it was before I left. And it's certainly not because I've worked hard for it.

Next week is our last week of summer around here so I'll probably not work too terribly hard to get back into a routine until the kiddos are back in school. Then, even if I'm working, life will be easier simply because we do much better on a routine. I'm looking forward to seeing what this school year brings!

Guess What I'm Doing Today

I'm filling out resumes and job applications! I suppose it's back to work I go. As much as I've loved staying at home with my kids for the past 6 years, I'm kind of over it. I know there are things I'll miss. I know it's going to make my life nearly impossible sometimes. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who is at home all the time and I think this could work out ok. We shall see I suppose. Wish me luck!

Pure Awesomeness

I'm pretty sure that's not actually a word but I'm kind of hyped up right now so I'm using it anyways. First of all, I can't post about my fabulous trip until August 29th. Let me just say it was fabulous. Worth every second of the drive here and back. I would do it again in a heartbeat and wouldn't think twice about it. I'm going to write up my blog post and save it for later because I don't want to forget a single detail of tonight.

In other awesome news, I think I've picked a plastic surgeon! It's a bit more costly but he thinks I really need to be in a hospital for my surgery. He also had a very good idea of what he wants my body to look like and seems to have a good vision of what he's doing. I trust him with a knife in his hand and my body on the table so I think he's the winner. When I get home and things settle down I'm going to put down my deposit and set a date.

We also had Matt's 10 year high school reunion this past weekend and I'll spare you all the details but there was plenty of fun had by everyone. The more appropriate pictures are on Facebook on Matt's page and the others will never be shared. Like the video of me singing karaoke. Twice. Because the first time wasn't embarrassing enough obviously. I'm blaming it on the rum and free beer.

Tomorrow my mom and I are touring some random things around Nashville. No matter how many times we come here I still always love it. Hopefully I can haul my ass out of bed before 9 AM tomorrow. These late nights are killing me! Having lots of fun though!!

So Excited!!

"Congratulations - you are attending the CMT Invitation Only Kenny Chesney"

OH MY GOD!!! This is like my dream come true right here! When I opened my email and got this message I'm surprised I managed to not fall over! So here I go on another crazy ass road trip. This time Matt is staying home with the kiddos and I think my mom is going to venture half way across the country with me. I'm still so excited I can hardly stand it. You know those times when everything in your life is just aligning perfectly and you almost can't believe it? That's what I have going right now. I keep waiting for something bad to happen because I'm pretty sure I've never been this happy in my life. It's kind of scary!

Hullabalou!

Now I have to admit I could and should have taken millions of pictures at Hullabalou but it just didn't happen. It was really hot for one thing! We were pretty much drenched in sweat the entire weekend even when we were out of the sun and doing nothing. Friday we saw Train, Dierks Bentley and Bon Jovi. We missed Colbie Caillat and Green River Ordinance but it was just too hot to walk around all the different stages much. Matt managed to get his couple of pictures taken on Friday for the project he worked on and then we just went to the main stage and watched.

Saturday we decided to hang out with No Shoes Radio for the afternoon before heading in the doors. It was a lot of fun and Tambo impersonating Michael McDonald was probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life. We had a good time and got a few freebie things so it was all good. Other than the heat. Because did I mention the heat. It was so freaking hot!!
There was a line waiting to get in since it was Kenny night so we spent a few minutes (unlike the times we've spent 8+ hours waiting in line, this was nothing) waiting in line before the gates opened. We didn't make it to any of the other stages because I was not losing my spot to see Kenny! We ended up hanging out with some really fun people and the cops were only called up a few times so I would say it was a total success! I was kind of bummed we missed Ben Folds but we couldn't be 2 places at once and Kenny takes top priority.

Sunday we decided we'd had enough heat and misery so we decided to head back toward home since it's such a long drive. We ended up doing a night in St. Louis and then Matt worked from the hotel on Monday (while I shopped) and we headed home when he finished up. The drive wasn't bad at all and I'd totally do it all again. We had an amazing time and met some great people. Sunday night we missed seeing Steve Miller and Dave Matthews but it all worked out and I'm glad we went ahead and headed home instead.

If you want to see the official pictures (We are in one of the Day 2 Photos) you can check them out at hullabaloufest.com. This was their first year and I think we'd be crazy enough to go back if the line-up was equally good next year.

And because of this craziness, we have now officially not missed a summer of Kenny other than when I had a baby. And even then we considered it but my doctor wasn't crazy about me going to a concert at 9 months pregnant. In just a couple years we'll celebrate our 10 years with Kenny anniversary! ;)

Next up, my appointment with another doctor on Friday! This one was recommended to me by a friend and I'm really excited to see what he has to say! Then Matt has his HS reunion this weekend so it may be Monday before I get around to posting about it. Hope everyone else had as good a weekend as I did!