Chateau de Holtgrewe

If the Chateau de Holtgrewe were on Trip Advisor, it would definitely get high marks from me. To say Rod and Naomi are doing a fantastic job of hosting L and I is an understatement.




Day 1: I officially started my stay on Sunday evening after a quick trip home. First thing I see when I get to my room - a pic of all of us from our Cancun trip and a Hershey Kiss on my pillow. Then, they prepared an amazing Sunday Funday BBQ, and this wouldn't be complete without playing a few games and indulging in a few smores.





Day 2: What's for breakfast? Oh, just your run of the mill poached eggs and toast. (I was offered a smoothie too, but politely declined.) Then a quick trip to Target, followed by an afternoon at Raccoon River Park with a chicken salad/strawberry/potato chip picnic in tow, and a refreshing pit stop to Tropical Sno on the way home. We then kicked back and watched an episode of Glee and a few episodes of Newlyweds while eating homemade guacamole and chips...yum! I decided it was time to step in after all that and knowing L was putting in a hard day's work at the B-Bro, and make a spaghetti dinner.





Naomi and Rod - you better watch out, L and I could really get used to this. Thank you both for welcoming us into your home and for your amazing hospitality! We are so blessed to have such incredible friends like you in our lives!




The Harmangrewes

Why My Friends Rock

Two major things going on in my life in the last couple of weeks- dealing with my grandpa's passing and moving - have taken up a lot of my thoughts lately. But thanks to some amazing friends, my worries and stress have been put at ease....

1. After facing one of the toughest moments of my life thus far, I was quickly reminded of what thoughtful and supportive friends I have. L, Naomi, Rod, JW, and LW - I know I've told you all "thank you"several times, but my family and I truly appreciate your kind gesture. And I am reminded each time I walk in the door and see that beautiful bouquet of flowers of how lucky I am to have you all in my life.

2. Texts/emails/phone calls of support from both my Sarahs and others offered their condolences, thoughts, and prayers to me and my family.

3. As "2 Weeks of Mad Chaos" begins, I am comforted by the generosity of Naomi and Rod, who have graciously opened their home to L and I and are taking on the brave and difficult task of putting up with us for about 10 days. (There's no backing out now!)

4. Knowing my upper body strength is less than desirable for lifting/moving heavy items, JW, LW, and Rod have offered up their muscles to help L and I with the big/heavy stuff.

5. Although fuel efficient, sedans do not quite do the trick when it comes to moving. Mikey has not only offered "Count Truckula" but also offered me a place to stay, in case I think about setting up camp under the University bridge, in the event I get kicked out of Naomi and Rod's. :)

6. I've had a plethora of offers from a place to stay, to a place to store stuff, to help with moving from other friends, including KC, Derrick, Reenie, and Katie M.

So a shout-out to you all, dear friends, for rocking my world!

The Real Housewives of Dallas County

L and I are a little under two weeks away from joining Naomi in being Dallas County residents. (wow, Dallas County - we are pretty far out there!) Westown's not going to know what hit 'em once we 3 ladies get together - very Housewives of Orange County:




...except L and I can't really be called housewives, more like housemaidens. And there's guaranteed to be less drama, unless tacos are involved.

I can't say I'm too sad about the move out of 187. I feel like I'm finally taking a stand and getting out of the bad relationship I've been in for two years. I will not miss putting up with the following:

*Paint colors - it's cute for about 2 minutes, but grows into an obnoxious headache by minute 3.
*The carpet - it has seen better days and should be put out of its misery.
*The backyard - From stepping stones to flooding - it is one hot mess back there. I feel like a frog hopping from one lily pad to another whenever I leave the house.
*Staircase - dividing the house in half and prohibiting open communication when hosting get togethers.
*Inefficiency - Shivering through the winter and sweating in the summer - we're ready for a more energy efficient place.

You would think I would be more sad about leaving "our first place" (aww) but I'm taking the best part of 187 with me - my best friend and our memories. We can still laugh so hard our stomachs hurt and tears are pouring down our faces. We can still banter back and forth, exchanging one sarcastic comment for another. We can still try to find the right key to sing in before performing a duet. And we can still sit at the top of the staircase for a good heart to heart chat in the late hours of the evening.

I feel like we're finally getting the breath of fresh air we've needed in our lives. It's like a new beginning. Hopefully this is just the start to bigger, brighter, and better things for us.

A Kind Word Can Go a Long Way

I am a firm believer that it's the little things in life that can mean the most. Last night, while L and I were in the car, we were having a conversation about my grandpa, who recently passed away. L said to me that she was smiling that morning because she was thinking of a story I once told her about him.

My family was at my sister's celebrating Regan's baptism and my grandpa was holding Regan. He has always loved babies and he just adored Regan. On this particular day, he looked down at her and whispered, "You're my new best friend." Cutest. Moment. Ever. It was just so sweet.

L said, "I never met him, but I just know from the stories you've told, that he was a good man." A much needed and welcomed source of comfort had suddenly engulfed my entire being upon hearing those words. So simple, yet so meaningful. And it got me thinking...You're pretty much amazing if someone you've never met before can confidently say that you were "a good man" just based on stories that have been told about you. L is right. My grandpa was a good man - generous, hard working, and most of all, family oriented. And I feel so blessed and consider it a privilege that I got to be his granddaughter.

Be Late, Procrastinate!

Why is it that when you have a million and a half things to do, you somehow manage to avoid these things at all cost with the most nonsensical acts - like stretching out on the couch, eating Hershey's Bliss chocolates, and watching a movie? Or making a new playlist on your iTunes? Or blogging?

My "To Do" list for today was the following:

*Run 8.5 miles
*Change bedding
*Flashcards
*Prepping my room for the move

I did get up and run this morning. Shoe cleaning was quickly added to the list after they were massacred by mud during our short but necessary detour. After that, things started to go downhill. I managed to eat some lunch, followed by a good 2 hours of laying around. Then I finally decided it was time to stop wasting the day away and come upstairs and change my bedding. (Yay for clean sheets!) Then, the bright shiny light of my glowing monitor distracted me so here I am sitting at my computer, checking all the non-existent emails and facebook messages/postings I have, reading up on my blogs, writing this posting, etc. And all this wouldn't be complete without making a new playlist - hey, I need something to listen to while completing my to do list!

Texts From This Morning

Sarah: "Here is something to brighten your day...i got AJ's wedding invite today...on facebook."

Me: "Ha! wait a tick - so there are no physical invitations being sent? just a fb invite?"

Sarah: "Correct...just a facebook invite...it doesn't say save the date...it says A and A's wedding...and gives all the details."

Me: "It's a scary world when you get fb invitations instead of the real deal. whatever happened to the days when fb invitations were strictly used to notify everyone of the jungle juice party and the foam party at the db's frat house?"

Aventura Mexicana

After a 5 day getaway in Cancun, I now can say:

*I've finally put my Spanish minor to good use! (Thanks Prof Cuadra and Prof Cooley!)
*Canadians aren't bad people; men sporting the banana hammock while playing volleyball, however, are
*There is such a thing as paying 20 USD for sunscreen
*There is no shame for old ladies with, ahem, large assets while on the beach - I now know "how low they can go"
*It's not Montezuma's revenge you need to worry about, just Fidencio's revenge (the bartender who made our drinks a little strong one afternoon)
*Due to my lack of sun protection on my scalp and ears, I, for the next couple of days, will be sporting the dandruff look. Thank you sun.
*Rod is pretty much amazing for putting up with us for 5 days
*I taught Cancun how to maraca snap
*Team Hot Sundae was the life of the party - breakin' out Naomi's iPod and rockin' out to L's Summer Mix Tape made for a fun afternoon. Suck it Aldo (entertainment staff member/DJ)
*I had a great vacation and can't wait for the next adventure