Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Awkward:
- spraying your hair with dry shampoo... or so you think. The horrible realization that, OH NO, you've just used the spray tan with the unfortunately similar-colored lid. Side note: spray-on tanner works surprisingly well on scalps.
(This special awkward moment brought to you by Jana, who was gracious enough to let me share it even after I laughed at her for a full minute.)

- also, spraying your legs down with bug spray at an outdoor summer party and then realizing you've just coated yourself in fly spray. Which explains the white sticky film.
(This awkward moment from my past brought back up by Jana after I laughed at her for a full minute. So now we're even.)

- when the FedEx truck arrives and you have no time to throw on a bra so you just hope your hoodie has things covered and wish for the best as you open the door and take your package as fast as humanly possible.

Awesome:
- the number of ladies we fit into my sister-in-law's living room Tuesday night for a Christmas party/scarf exchange (51!)

- finding out during the party game that night (everyone had to write a fact about themselves on a piece of paper and it got read out for everyone else to guess who it was) that one of our friends there is pregnant! What a fun way to announce the news!

- Realizing that Christmas is only three weeks away (favorite holiday alert!) and patting yourself on the back for being 3/4 of the way done with your gift buying. Three cheers for shopping mostly online this year! (In a sweatshirt with no bra. HA.)


p.s. my apologies to my Grandma in New Zealand for all the bra talk. ;)

Giving Thanks {x3}

We had ourselves a weekend full of get-togethers with family and friends and I'm still in a little bit of a food coma. 

Thanksgiving #1 was with Russ's family, with a few extras added in for good measure. 

After eating, we (the fun ones ;) played Nerts for a good two hours straight. 

Obviously I was too busy trying to win to take pictures. So that's it for Thanksgiving #1! It was a good one!

Thanksgiving #2 was with my Wilson side, hosted at my cousin Stephanie's house. 

I went from taking two pictures at our first thanksgiving to zero at this one. Thankfully God created a little thing called dropbox and Kelly sent me all of her shots. Thanks, Sis. 

With my Aunt Kathy, one of my biggest life-supporters and always fun to be around. 

And of course Nanna and Papa Duke, the epicenter of all our family gatherings.

Kendall looking especially thirteen. 

Thanksgiving #3 was with our adopted family members, the Coxes, celebrating Diana being in town from Vegas with her boyfriend, John. Diana cooked for everyone and it's safe to say she'll know how to feed her family well if she ever has ten children. 

Diana and John with my nephew, Lincoln.

Tracy, Danielle and Scott

We played Apples to Apples after eating and were all beaten to flinders by Cooper. TWICE. 

This year I am especially thankful for my family, and for friends who are like family. 

(And for sons who break all the rules when cutting into the Thanksgiving leftovers...) 

Niiice.

"Cooper!"

Date Night & Game Day

Hello world. Let's all give a collective hallelujah that Thanksgiving is only two days away, and bring on the food and family and shopping and noooo school! 

I'M READY.

So you may have noticed that I've been a bit anti-blogging lately, and I apologize to those two of you that this makes sad. It's just been getting a wee bit "chore-like", and I don't want to burn out because I really DO love blogging, so I've been taking it easy and not making myself do it when I don't feel like it.

(This, by the way, is the opposite of how to have a successful blog, so don't be like me if you are after... well, success. I'm just here for recreational purposes :)

ANYWHICHWAY...

We had a date-y weekend!

As a thank you for some emergency water repair work that Russ did for my Nanna and Duke, they blessed us with movie tickets and money for dinner out, offering to watch our kids as well, so off we went to Mockingjay Part 1 Friday night. I loved it, even though the book was my least favorite of the series, so I have high hopes that Part 2 will be just as good.

We were also recently blessed with a pair of free tickets to an Oregon Ducks football game, so on Saturday, for the 2nd time in our lives, we got to attend a college game, and for the first time, watch the Ducks play Colorado at Autzen Stadium!

AWESOME describes it pretty accurately.

Our first college game experience was four years ago at OSU, and while we suffered pretty much the exact same weather, fortunately our day started off MUCH better than that day.

Meaning Russ drove and listened to sports radio, while I enjoyed a white mocha and then laid my chair all the way back and napped.

(If future day dates include a morning nap I am IN!)

Russ is a HUGE Oregon fan so it's a given that he had a blast, but I had a ton of fun too. I enjoyed the game, the people watching, snuggling under our wool blankets, the marching band intro and halftime show, and the amazing atmosphere of team spirit and camaraderie in the stadium. I can't wait to go again!

A couple things I came away with from the weekend:
1. you haven't really seen a true die-hard college football fan until you are surrounded by them at a live event. HOLY COW.
2. Red Robin is always the way to go for an after-game dinner. All that cheering and wet-weather huddling deserves bottomless steak fries!
3. I have no fear of Russ and I not knowing what to do with each other once our children have grown and left home. We are a well-matched team and sure enjoy being together, and this weekend was a great reminder of that.  

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Awkward:
- the percentage of days I've worn my new hoodie from Costco since buying it 3 weeks ago: approximately 65%. What I'm saying is slightly more than every other day. I think I need more than one hoodie in my life. 
- driving your husband's car to work and forgetting your office key which is on the other car keychain FOR THE FOURTH TIME. Being so embarrassed that you don't call the owner who works around the corner but instead drive all the way back home.
- my children's affinity for losing their toothbrushes. Happens on a monthly basis. Don't ask me how. I just buy them in bulk at Costco now, and good golly if we're not already halfway through the 12-pack I bought two months ago.

Awesome:
- the elk tenderloin I roasted for dinner last night. I even liked it! And Russ... well he basically worshipped at my feet ;)
- free tickets to the Ducks football game this weekend! Date day, baby!
- ANDDD... a date night the evening before to see Mockingjay Part 1, also with free movie tickets. What?! How did our weekend get so awesome?
- when your children start to write all by themselves and can't spell worth a darn. It's the best!

(I like to go to the pumpkin patch! I like to carve a pumpkin. 

I love to watch the leaves turn different colors. ADORABLE!)

Happy Thursday, folks!

A Concert Date With My Girl

Last night I took Kendall to her first music concert, Portland's Winter Jam at the Moda Center.

Headlined by Hillsong United, Winter Jam also featured Francesca Battistelli, Newsong, Jeremy Camp, Trip Lee, Colton Dixon, Disciple, and more.

It's safe to say it was a PACKED HOUSE. I think over 18,000, all worshipping Jesus with reckless abandon. 

I can't even describe how amazing the atmosphere was. AMAZING.

Kendall was most excited to see Francesca Batistelli, and I was most excited to see Colton Dixon (loved him on American Idol!) but my far and away favorite ended up being Hillsong United. I lost my voice singing my guts out to Oceans, along with every other single person in the arena!

{Colton Dixon}

{We sat with our friends the Gilmers and the Kendalls. Thanks for the awesome seats, Cristy! And thanks for letting us pack into your van to get there, Larry & Danielle!}

{Newsong}

{Amazing artist Jared Emerson painted this with his fingers while Newsong sang How Great Thou Art}

(So sad my phone died before I could take pictures of the rest of the performers.)

I've said before that I'm not really a concert goer. I much prefer plays or musicals. But I'll make an exception for Winter Jam... Kendall and I can't wait to go again next year!