Josh Steps UP to the Challenge and College Fun All Over Again!

Josh has accepted my offer! Last Wednesday we went to Wal-Mart and when we were checking out I watched Josh grab two packs of gum and a pack of mints. He looked over at me and smiled. At first I was wondering what the heck he was doing, but then I put two and two together and realized what he was doing. Instead of quiting cold turkey, he decided it would be best to wean himself off of it. He has cut back drastically and he is very proud of himself. Since starting his mission there have been two occasions when he has taken his can out and showed me the contents followed by "See look how little is gone. This is the can I opened two days ago!" He is like a little kid and you can tell he is excited and proud. As his wife and best friend, I couldn't be more impressed or prouder! So everyone keep Josh in your thoughts and prayers that he can keep the good work up! Oh, and those of you who are wondering- he hasn't really been cranky.

For those of you that have not heard Josh and I are approved for a Rural Loan. This is exciting news for several reasons 1) this loan is a 100% financing which means we do not have to put any money down 2) there is no PMI and 3) we can begin looking at houses! When we first started the pre-approval process and looked into this loan option we made too much money and did not qualify, but as of this past Friday the board changed the requirements and we now barely qualify, but I will take it! Needless to say is was a great Monday!


This past weekend I headed to Hays, Kansas with one of my bestest (yes bestest) friends, Lexie. Some of you may remember her from my wedding. We have been friends since college and lived together in our sorority house. The reasoning behind this road trip to Hays was to attend the Delta Zeta Formal. The chapter advisor was resigning and they were honoring her with a special award so several of us decide to attend. Now this was a girls weekend. We left Saturday morning and came back Sunday afternoon. I must say it was an absolute blast seeing everyone and acting like we were in college all over again. Our evening began at Judges Bar and Grill. Where we had a Judgement Shot and Drink. (Side note: In college every Tuesday Lexie and I would go to Judges and have drinks and blow off some DZ steam. These outings became Judgement Tuesdays. ) After reminiscing we headed to Formal where we meet up with the rest of the gals. After Formal and some pictures (see picture below), we all decided to change and meet up at NeighBARS.



NeighBARS was a no-go! A $5 cover charge for a band I didn't even know. No thanks! So we went to Chucks (right below NeighBARS) and had a drink there. There we realized the UFC fights were on and they were blaring the TVs. So after one drink we jetted to the Q. The Q ROCKED! The special that night was $2.50 doubles, yes $2.50! That is super cheap. So needless to say we, as in Lexie and I, proceed to consume our share of $2.50 doubles! Now the Q is a bar and grill. It has a ton of pool tables and makes me think of Sidepockets, but better and the food is cheaper. Now after several doubles, we all were ready to hit another bar with some music. Just like old times we ditched the car (we are strong believers of not drinking and driving) and trucked across the railroad tracks to the Sip N' Spin. Famous for its dance cage (yes we have all been in it) and the big yellow bus the DJ sits in, the Sip brings back some great memories and was a favorite.


(Note the big yellow bus in the background)

From the Sip we trucked 3 blocks to the Rose, well it seemed like 3 blocks. This was one of Josh and my favorite bars to go to. Since then it has really changed, but you still see cowboy hats among the crowd. Now, our car is at the Q and we are at the Rose and it is time to go back to the Nasty Ramada Inn (formerly the Holiday Inn). So we called the Safe Ride Bus! Let me tell you that the Safe Ride Bus scared US, well at least me. This guy drove like a bat out of hell! I am surprised we didn't puke! Now this bus apparently isn't just for college students, because we picked these two 40 year old chics up from the Sip. The 20 minute ride across town to our hotel sure was full of drunken chatter with total strangers! Below is a picture of all the gals that came back for Vicki's resignation. We all had a blast!