More vacation...fun!

So back to vacation. This one will be really picture heavy, as I attempt to finish what we really did when we went on Vacation to St. Louis.

The first night we were there, we watched the Cardinals (on TV, it was All Star week), and ate IMO's pizza.  (Apparently it is advertised a LOT on Cardinals networks)  It was delicious.

Why  yes, those are half slices of BACON on the Pizza

The next day, we hit up the St. Louis Zoo...

Vacation part two

So. We are in our road trip. We decide to stop at Pancake City in kirksville, Missouri. Supposedly it was famous, but we failed to see the luster.

The adventure was after we ate. When we got back into the car, I noticed I missed a call in my phone?

So, recognizing that this was a Pella number, I decided to call it back. So I did, and this was the conversation:


Me: hello this is Erica Groen and you called me?

Lady: Oh, just one moment (transfer ensues).

Man answers: hello, this is detective xxxxxx (cannot remember his name)

{mental thought here: OH CRAP!}

Detective: did you happen to pay for your gas this morning?

Me: I think so?

So, detective xxxx proceeds to explain that when we got gas that morning, we drove off without paying. They got our license plate from a camera, from some amazing detective work, found my mother, which is how they got my cell phone number.

So we look at the receipt, and sure enough we had paid for breakfast, but not for the gas. Keep in mind that we were the ONLY car getting gas at he time. So Mike assumed that that he had also paid for that.

So after hearing our story the detective asked if my mom could go pay so that they could close the file. So now I had to call my mom:

Me: Mama! I am a fugitive of he law!

Mom: I know! Thy have an APB on you! Laughing ensues.


But she agrees to pay my bill.

Close calls on the Groen family

Vacation- part one

Here enters a few posts where I try to outline the experience that we are calling out family vacations.

Now growing up, my parents took my sister and myself all over the Midwest for family vacations. And we had a great time. At least from what I remember we did. Now having taken my own children on some trips, I would love to hear my parents recollection of these events.

But this summer, we decided to venture to St. Louis. The best part is my parents are about halfway so e had a place to stop for a night or two each way an give the kids a break. (I will let you decide which "kids" needed the break!

But before we even got on "vacation" mode. We seemed doomed from the start. Let me tell you why.....

The night before we left Pella, Mike hurt his back. I cannot tell you how what when where why, but suffice it to say, he could not move. He is laying on our bed crying out in pain. I had no idea what to do.

Finally, mama Erica took over. I told Mike that we were going to the emergency room. So off to the Pella ER we went. After a check out and some medicine, we were back at my parents, not having any idea what Monday would hold, or even if we would be leaving for St. Louis.

Holding my breath on Monday, Mike woke up feeling significantly better. So we decided to go for it. We packed up the car, got some gas, and out of town we went.

Wait for the next post for more....

I moustache....

So, I have developed a recent love of the moustache.

Not to the point that I think the men in my life should grown them....
(pause)

Okay, back from laughing my hiney off. Mike knows how I feel about facial hair, so there will be no Moustache Mikey...

Anyway, i do like fake ones... once especially used for pictures. Which is how I spent the hours waiting for Jodi's wedding to start...

The kiddos got the first take. They  had no choice.

I made Mindy join the fun

The groom participated

I made Mike help

The bride - hoped she shaved later

And Eli couldn't be left out

And with that...

I moustache outta here...

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Burbach

At the end of June, we got to give our Aunt Jodi away, and marry her off to a Rhinestone Cowboy....

Okay - so I didn't actually give her away, it was her parents.

And her fiance, now husband, doesn't wear rhinestones. Ever. Period.

But, we did get to go to her wedding, and it was FANTASTIC.

We were all involved. Jaina was the flower girl, Jackson was a bell ringer, Mike was a groomsman, and I was a bridesmaid. 

But, this post is useless without pictures....

The girls in white....

The best smile I could get out of him all day.

He LOVE his Aunt Jodi

She looks like such a princess

And the only picture I could get of them together ALL DAY

He is innocent, I swear

Me and the Baby Girl

Our litte family (after the ceremony)

The three bridesmaids

Daddy and his princess (he was WAY over his picture quota for the day)

Mindy at the end of the night..

Jaina and Trenton.

She was SO excited that she finally could call him Uncle Trenton

Even to the point that she didn't mind if he and Jodi kissed.

She mouthed the vows with them

She may actually be married too. I am not sure how that works

The Bride and Groom

Congratulations  Jodi & Trenton!

Jackson's Birthday

I know this happened before my last post, but I think it is worth mentioning.

I have another two year old. Another, as in, repeating the past, but this time with a boy... Not as though I have multiple two year olds floating around my house, because I would be most certifiably insane if I did.

But March was unseasonably warm. (Which, if we would have thought about it, may have been a predictor for this summer.....)

But it was SUCH a nice night. We ate supper at Pizza Ranch, because let's face it, I have a small house.

Afterwards, we went home, and opened gifts outside, in March. In Northwest Iowa.  Yes, it was crazy.

We went with a John Deere tractor theme. 

Then we finished the night with sparklers in the backyard.  Did I mention that we were outside?  In March?  In Northwest Iowa?

Amazing

It is Good...No?

So, gourmet cupcakes really get my ire up......

Over the past few years, gourmet cupcakes have flooded the marketplace, with all sorts of exciting and fun flavors. Entire stores in Sioux Falls have been created solely to creating and selling cupcakes.

Good Grief.... it is a cupcake.

But.... they are delightful.  Which really stinks. Because as irritating as it is to spend an exorbitant amount of money on a cupcake, it is even worse to have them be one of the highlights of your day.

About a month ago, I was working, on a Saturday. (For those of you who don't know, this is unusual for me, and as a completely selfish note, I did work the entire five days before that as well, so it wasn't like a half day or anything :))

And one of our Senior Vice Presidents brought in a whole bunch of cupcakes for those of us working. Below is an example of these cupcakes....

So this week, another co worker brought in another delightful sample of these cupcakes.  This week, I got to have a Razz my Berries, courtesy of Oh My Cupcakes.  And it was also delightful. A perfect combination of vanilla almond cake with raspberry butter cream.

But that was it. My ire was up. I can do this, I thought. I can make gourmet cupcakes.  These gourmet cupcake stores have nothing on me.

Turns out, I was wrong.  They do have something on me. Like the right ingredients. Which I didn't exactly have. Like buttermilk. 

But some handy dandy church cookbooks later, I figured out  solution to that problem as well, and.. voila.... my Vanilla almond cupcakes with Raspberry Butter cream were complete.





And, if I do say so myself, there were pretty delightful.

I have no words of wisdom here, but, whether you think you can or cannot do something, you are probably right.