Our last full day!!! Of course there was more pool time…
And Katie’s dive got a little better.
But maybe the best part was that I got to read a whole book in one sitting!
Category Archives: Friends & Family
Vacation house, Day 3
Random pics aplenty!
Cousin Gabby made some gorgeous flower crowns.
Kathryn and Izzy tried some lipstick!
Filipeks made an awesome taco bar for lunch and ice cream bar for dessert!!
We spent the afternoon chatting on the deck and then dinner was delicious cheesy shrimp and grits!
And then the annual pics!
Cousins!
The kids, then and now.
Aunt Marie put together an amazing escape room/box for the kids. They had a blast!
Then there was card playing and video games.
And this is why I love technology.
I am on a family vacation in Indiana and for some reason thought about a wine cooler-esque non-alcoholic beverage my cousins and I bought in the late 80s while we were camping. Imagine the exhilaration of being in middle school or early high school, being old enough to not need parental supervision, and walking around a state park campground drinking something that LOOKED adult but wasn’t. Living the dream, right? Feeling all adult and fancy. Like maybe we were getting away with something. 😂
But not one of my stepsiblings could think of what it was. We spent a half hour looking at Google’s suggestions for “1980s and 1990s beverages.” There were a hell of a lot of good memories but NOT what I was looking for.
I then texted my cousins (who I love dearly but rarely text with) and they both IMMEDIATELY got back to me with their ideas!! One who was on a road trip driving up I-75 in Michigan and the other at home elsewhere in Michigan. After a few texts and Google searches on either end, we got it!
What would we have done before the internet and instantaneous communication?! How could I have survived not knowing the answer to that most pressing of questions?! 😂
What is something from your past that you’ve needed to Google or use technology to help answer?
P.S. Bonus points if you remember Sundance or drank it. 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏼♂️
Vacation house, Day 2
We were sleeping in an awesomely dark and quiet basement room so combined with a late bedtime, we all slept in! I was up at 7:30 (technically 6:30 CST) and just waited for either kid to wake up. Owen finally got up about 8:30! I stayed in bed to enjoy the quiet and when I finally came upstairs, this is where I found Owen.
And I decided to have a fully relaxing no makeup day.
The kids spent most of their day in and out of the pool. Spending time with Uncle Jim was super fun and they even had a cannonball contest!
While the kids were (still) in the pool I got some work done. Not a bad view.
The kids were finally out of the pool and playing hide and seek while we were getting dinner ready. Uncle Marcus and Uncle Jim we trying to confuse Katie as she counted.
The birthday kids!
And tonight was a campfire and sparkler night!
And it was a momentous night—Katie actually asked to go to bed!!!
Vacation house, we are in you.
The kids really wanted to get in the pool the minute we got to the house but I was a mean mom and made them look through the house first and then actually put their suitcases in a bedroom and not just leave them splayed open in the middle of the living room.
Watching intently as I opened the pool cover.
It’s like this pool house knew I was coming.
They might already be in the pool and I might have bought them an inflatable unicorn. 🦄💦
Ahhhhh.
We had a bit of time before everyone else got here. It was quite a steep journey to the water and fire pit.
Dinner tonight was shish kebabs from the Coes. They were delicious!
SeneGence Leader’s Retreat, Day 2
So this is what I’ll look like to meet the CEO. SeneBlue shirt and Purple Reign lips. It’ll work!
Breesy and me.
Just here to meet the CEO of my company and get a personal training with 35 other amazing women. 💙 Of course we had to stop at the sign and all take pics.
We had to drive under the highway to get there!! That was weird.
I guess this is us!
It’s harder than you’d think to get a pic like this without one or more of the 35 others behind you. You can see them reflected in my glasses, though.
After we signed in we were free to roam throughout the ranch. They don’t live there all the time but they do stay there. I loved the cement floors and the fact that it was all decluttered (life goals, right?).
The master bedroom…
And everyone was giddy over the closet. Including me.
Time for training! I may have gotten stuck in the back row.
Group pic before lunch! See, I wasn’t kidding about the blue and leopard!
The whole time we were watching the training, we were watching the workers set up for lunch. Of course it wasn’t just tables…so they literally spent three hours setting up!! And it was gorgeous!
I forgot—aren’t these earrings cute? They were a gift from our CP.
The next step in our journey—headquarters! I laughed at those taking pics in front of the sign but I’m kinda sad now that I didn’t.
Beauty bar!
On the tour, look who I saw on the wall?! My friend Morgan who you’ve seen before on my blog. I texted this to her and she didn’t even know it was up there!
Second round of training!
Back at the main house relaxing poolside. I could learn to love this. And yes, there’s a margarita just out of frame.
The Crown Princess I’ve been mentioning—the lovely Jenna. She’s so cute and tiny I just want to put her in my pocket.
Then we broke out into small training groups for an hour after dinner and then it was back to our house to get in the hot tub.
SeneGence Leaders Retreat, Day 1
So about six months ago I was pulled into a Facebook messenger leaders group with a bunch of other women that are all part of a certain leader’s downline. I was curious about how I was included because I am technically not part of her OFFICIAL downline (so she can’t see any of my statistics) but I was too excited to ask too many questions. We are basically a sounding board for each other and we have the ears of an amazing crown princess (CP) leader. In order to stay in the group (get special trainings, stay in the chat group) we have to keep up our own leadership qualities and our sales. It’s been amazing.
Then we were offered the opportunity to travel to Oklahoma for a personal training by the CEO of our company at her ranch. I debated for a bit (since it was right around the time of my anniversary and that’s always when I have my deep thoughts about what I’m doing going forward)…but I signed up. So here we are. 😀
I’m getting ready to head out in my SeneBlue outfit and leopard bag (the unofficial company print). I can’t believe I have everything I need in this tiny bag—but I refuse to pay to check a damn bag!
This is the look of someone who popped a Xanax this morning because my travel anxiety was out of control. I could feel my heart beating faster and it felt like my insides were rising up into my chest. (Much like I feel when we drive into Chicago.) Not debilitating by any stretch, but not fun. So I decided to be an adult and try and fix it. I hope the pills are still good—they’re from 2014 (2015?) when Tom last deployed. And I’m not sure I even took one back then, so instead of being older and wiser, apparently my thing is older and more anxious.
A sushi lunch at O’Hare because you’re two hours early for your flight.
Feeling somewhat relaxed on the plane.
❌ Con? I forgot my big ass phone charger at my seat and I realized it within five minutes of getting off the plane and they went and checked and it’s gone so someone is now the proud owner of a stolen $50 phone charger. 😡
✅ Pro? My friend was close enough to the airport to stop and get me so I didn’t have to get an Uber.
A few quick pics of the awesome house half of us stayed at.
Stopping to get party supplies!
The last pic of my night. Because me. 😄 (Margarita sidenote: they weren’t the best but it was still a margarita.)
I will say it was a little overwhelming meeting 35 women throughout the night (contrary to what most people think, I am an introvert), but it was an amazing feeling knowing I was hand-picked to be in the Leader’s group and then kept up my sales in order to qualify for this trip! (I also did ask and found out that the Crown Princess asked about me and got my info and personally hand-picked me!!)
Tomorrow, though, is the big day when we have a personal training session with our CEO at her ranch!!! I can’t wait!
The best kind of friends?
The ones where you are texting about nothing important at 4:30 on a Sunday and you think it’s such a nice day it would be great to have dinner outside and have a fire and why not invite your friends? And they say great, we’ll bring ribs, corn, and hot dogs—and I say perfect, we have beans and alcohol, see you at 6:30! We did a quick 20-minute pick up so they could get in the house, threw another rack of ribs in the sous vide to heat up, and that was it!
All the kids were super excited and we barely saw them all night! We had fun around the fire, ending the night with a few fireworks and s’mores.
Peeps by the fire!
Doug was in town from North Dakota and Scott lives just down the road, so… BBQ and alcohol by the fire!!
My first corporate training!
My friend Morgan was/is the Minnesota state leader so once she moved here she jumped right in with the Illinois state leaders and scheduled a state training. Since it was pretty much right in my backyard, there was no reason not to go.
Friday night was a meet and greet with the two ladies from corporate who would be doing the training, plus I got to meet the other state leaders (they were staying with Morgan).
I really spent some extra time on my makeup since I’d be with a whole room is SeneGence ladies… And I must say I looked pretty damn good. The best thing is that it really still only took like 15 minutes!! When I first started, the same face took me 30!
And in some amazing natural light at Morgan’s house!
And of course wearing my stripes!
With Pam (Midwest Regional Sales Manager) and Adrienne (the Vice President of Global Sales).
Trying on a Crown Princess crown… I won’t get one of my own until I amass a HUGE million dollar team (which honestly means it’s not going to happen). But it looks good, right?
The training was great (yet also completely overwhelming) and I was very glad to get home…and relax. 😀 And then prep for friends coming over for dinner!!
Katie met Mudge!
Or at least a lookalike dog. 🙂
Friends were dogsitting and as soon as Katie saw him she thought of Mudge. 🙂
Sous vide lobster prep!
We were trying two different types of lobster in the sous vide—fresh and fresh frozen. You had to parboil them all first so you could get the meat out of the shells.
It was a lot of work but I think it was better to have it done ahead of time instead of at the table.
It was unanimous that the fresh lobster was better, though we ate every last piece of both…plus the steak and green beans.
Which, speaking of the green beans, we had a helper:
Puzzle time!
Mom and I decided to do a puzzle! We both like doing them but never have the time (she does Pysanky in her free time and I have kids!)…so we started one today!
Four hours in… with quite a bit of help from Katie, actually.
We got quite a bit more done by bedtime but saved all the plain white pieces for daylight.
My mom’s here so that means one thing.
Lobster for dinner… I mean what better way to celebrate Mother’s Day?
I think these helped her read to gramma.
Dinner prep for six? Easy peasy.
A Cowboy Ribeye as big as your head vacuum sealed and seasoned with fresh rosemary, onion, and spices going into a 132° sous vide water bath for a few hours and then it will be quickly seared on a 600° grill. I am already drooling just thinking about the melt-in-your-mouth smoky meat that you can cut with a fork.🍴🤤 Do you sous vide? (If not, you totally should!)
I got a huge surprise today!
For the last 18 years we haven’t lived near family since we’re military—so when your mom calls you one morning and says they’ll be there for dinner…
WAIT, WHAT? 😳
This isn’t a 20-minute drive, y’all—my mom lives 400 miles away!
It’s doubly exciting because it’s Mother’s Day weekend and I haven’t seen her since December!
Fast forward to her arriving tonight…
Twist my arm.
When a friend stops by for one thing and ends up staying for a margarita and some training.
The Buddy Project
Works by young artists and even younger artists were on display during the Buddy Project portion of the Live Arts event held Friday at Warren Township High School’s Almond Campus. Woodland Elementary East had 72 students participate in the event where they drew somebody or something helping someone. Selected drawings were given to high school art students to recreate using drawing, painting, digital image or sculpture. Not only were the works side-by-side but the artists were able to meet one another for the first time and high school artists give their art work to their younger counterparts.
Katie’s superhero drawing was selected so we all went to see the display!
Katie got a ROAR Kid Award!
ROAR stands for:
- Be Respectful
- Take Ownership
- Be Accepting
- Be Ready
Her roar:
She was going to get to walk in to the Friday assembly with all the ROAR winners…so we all went to see her! Tom surprised her as he had told her he couldn’t make it.
The picture in the front vestibule of the school:
This was the best pic I got as she walked in.
Pics with Wiley after!
Next up, drinks and Cards Against Humanity!
After dinner we went back to their house for some more fun…
Two personalized drinks from our lovely bartender.
One of my best wins of the night. 😂
When your non-techy friend teaches you something!
I didn’t know I could use my Apple watch as a remote to take a photo with my iPhone. What?! So this was our test shot while we were talking shop.
Just not duplicatable.
When you try to duplicate a friend’s signature selfie smirk and you fail miserably but it’s still kinda cute. 😂
FAIL:
FAIL:
She shows you how it’s done!
We know a 2020 presidential candidate!
Tom texted me this morning to tell me that an old Marine buddy of his—Seth Moulton—is running for president! You might remember we ran into him a few years ago at a birthday ball… Just…wow!
Meat, meat, and more meat!
We may have had just a bit of smoked pork butt and chicken last night. I think we could have fed the neighborhood instead of just eight of us. 😂
And we let Maggie lick the platter at the end of the night and she REALLY got into it.
Sleepover photos
When you’re cleaning and find a pile of Polaroids the girls took during their last sleepover. Missing are the 25 pics they took of the TV show Nailed It that didn’t turn out at all.
Friday night in Chicago
You’d never guess how anxious I was two hours before this happy family photo.
You see I hate traffic, I hate congestion, I hate hoardes of people, and I don’t do well with the unknown…yet we were on our way to downtown Chicago with the kids to meet an out-of-town friend for dinner. I wasn’t even driving, but just simply being a passenger is enough to raise my anxiety levels (I can literally feel the anxiety rising up in my chest). Now, it’s not debilitating by any means and I can always power through, but it’s why I tend to be a homebody. The good part is that Tom’s presence makes me feel better and the kids get to see me handle something not fun…and everything usually ends up just fine.
We had delicious 🍕 pizza at Genos East Pizza, delicious 🍨dessert at Shake Shack, we drooled over everything at Dylan’s Candy Bar, and then went a little 🛁 bath bomb crazy at Lush Cosmetics (I’m not sure if I should thank or curse my friend Sara who introduced me to them). And I survived to tell the tale. 🥰
The kids loved it and we had a good time so I guess my anxiety was worth it…but I was glad to get back to our little burg.
Our family selfie!
And since we did have someone to take our photo…
I love me a rainbow…
I am so glad I remembered that Lush was on Michigan Avenue, and as luck would have it it was directly on our way back to the car!!
Cleaning out Owen’s baseball bag…
So today we were cleaning out Owen’s baseball bag which hasn’t been touched since we moved. Lots of great memories… /sniff/ Here’s hoping a new city and new team ends up just as awesome as our last…
A first and last time for the video game place.
We came home from a play date with friends and the kids wanted to go across the street and play with the three neighbor boys. They went over and the kids weren’t home but the dad offered to take Katie and Owen to them—they were at a local gaming place. They were both willing to spend their own money to do it so I then offered to pay for them, thinking that they would be able to play a multiplayer game with the other boys instead of being limited to two people per game like they generally are at home on the Xbox.
Fast forward to receiving this picture from the dad and this is what was going on: everybody was on a different computer doing something different. In other words, paying for exactly what they could be doing at home for free. so we had a conversation about that when they got home. Katie spent two hours on YouTube and Owen played by himself for two hours which is just an insane waste of money.
Kids.
I’ll pass on intestines in the future.
I went to visit a neighbor’s new baby and ended up being fed fresh homemade Cambodian spring rolls. I also tried a steamed bun, sticky rice with jackfruit, and intestine. I’ll take a pass on the intestine in the future but I did try it. 🤣
