Boat with Dad & Kristin

Ricky was itching to get out on the boat so we called up Dad and Kristin and asked them what they had planned for the day. After Eric's soccer game the four of us went out on Lake Mendota in Madison. It was a super hot day - so perfect to be out on the lake. Dad and Kristin brought snacks/drinks and the company was great. We stopped to eat dinner at the Edgewater. It was cool b/c you could just pull up on your boat, tie it up and eat right out on the deck. Yeah, if only it was that easy! Wowza! It out of nowhere became a really windy afternoon on the lake and the boat was crashing into the dock. Ricky was not loving this so him and Dad hung on the boat out on the lake while Kristin and I waited for our food. To-go containers were a hit and we ate on the lake. The night was complete when we stopped at Kristin's friend Stephanie's parents house on the lake. We chatted it up there and then headed home b/c it was dark. Definite highlight was Krisin using the little on board bathroom. I still think your bag is floating out there Kristin - haha!!! Good times with Dad and Kristin!

Flowers & Cucumbers???

Today I went to the Farmers Market, like I do every Wednesday. Of course, my little Hmong family was happy to see me, as I was to see them. Today however they gave me a little something extra. As I was paying for my flowers the Dad whispered something to the daughter and she started packing a bag of like 6 cucumbers. She handed the flowers and veggies to me and said, "here....for you." Honestly? Can this family be any cuter??? I just cannot believe how friendly some people are. It truly made my day.

Luxury Valet Boat Outing

Ricky and I are very grateful for our solid team of valets. Some of them have been with us for 3+ years. We feel that it is important that they know how much we appreciate them and think it's necessary to have fun with them once in a while. We put together our 1st Annual Luxury Valet Boat Outing on Okauchee Lake. I made a whole bunch of food, the weather was awesome, and we had tons of fun. There was lots of crashing and lots of laughing. Such a success!

Fathers Day weekend at the Wiebe Cabin

This past weekend Sarah and Ryan, my Dad and Kristin, Eric, Ricky and myself headed to Kristin's families cabin in Minocqua. Fun times had by all! The boys were up early almost every day bound and determined to catch fish, we were out on the boat relaxing, did some fireworks, rode the tandom bike (loved), went for walks, had some fires with good talks and just genuinely enjoyed eachothers company. I am sooo glad that we had this weekend away with my family. Times like those, I will cherish forever. I am really looking forward to our new tradition. Thanks Kristin for inviting us and Happy Fathers Day again to my Dad - love you!
Some of my favorite moments of the weekend:
Laughing, lots of laughing
Ricky messing w/ Dad when he went to bed and seeing Sarah laugh super hard
Ricky almost inhaling the cubed cheese and then spitting them out quickly
Seeing the guys happy after they had a morning of succesful fishing
Watching Eric become excited to gut fish
Riding the tandom bike - that thing was the best!
Seeing Dad and Kristin walk in front of us with their arms around eachother
Joking around on the ride home from the Plantation Restaurant - we left our moth balls there.....haha!
Ricky and I winning the Baggo tournament
Watching Eric be perfectly content with a giant net trying to catch fish off the pier, all by himself.
Dad and Ricky's underware/swimsuit extravaganza!! OMG....sooooo funny!!!!!
Relaxation, no schedules to stick to, and no phone reception
Being surrounded by people I really love alot.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day!!
This weekend we are headed up north to celebrate Dads Day with my Dad. I'm excited! Sarah and I are all grown up and we are having a family vaca. The boys have their fishing gear ready, groceries are bought, we are packed and ready to hit the road. I am hoping that the weather is hot and sunny so I can get a tan. I don't believe that's exactly what the weather channel says, but oh well, tan or no tan we will have fun, guaranteed.
I really like days like Mothers Day and Fathers Day b/c you get to celebrate the most influential people in your life. It always seems like you never tell them enough how much they mean to you, how thankful you are, and genuinely how much you love them. So Dad, I love you to pieces :: Thank you for everything :: And you mean ALOT to me::
Memories I hold dear to my heart of my Dad -
* My Dad doing(untangling) my hair while watching Cubs games. I didn't even know there was a Brewers until I was an adult. WGN was on at all times.
* Going to watch him play softball/coach baseball/Ref basketball - I really loved doing that. I was little and it was awesome. I felt important, special and proud. Whether I was sitting at the scores table, hanging out in the dugout or riding in the back of his little white truck, it was amazing.
* Shooting hoops with my Dad. Nothing like a little help from your pops. Especially loved it when he was my coach.
* Seeing my Dad in the stands at my games, hearing his voice or his whistle. If you heard a whistle, that meant step it up, lets go!
* Seeing my Dad's face at our wedding.
* Watching him be the center of attention, everywhere he goes. He's charasmatic,funny, and people like him. (especially me).
* Talks with my Dad.....he always knows when somethings up with me. He'll listen and give me advice that only a Dad can give. He's calm and honest, and that's what I love and need.
* And all of those other moments where he's wiped tears from my eyes, made me laugh, hugged me, picked me up, and given me guidance.
Thank you Dad for being you. I cherish our relationship more than you know and truly hope that you have a great Fathers Day.

June 16th......

June 16th is a bittersweet day for me.
The good - On June 16th 2007 my sister and Ryan got married. They are celebrating their anniversary today and that makes me happy. I remember their wedding clearly and some things that come to mind are :
Sarah looking beautiful - truly her prettiest day
All of us girls getting ready at her house - hair and makeup fun
Rachel's bum limb
Ricky looking very dapper in his suit
Ryan tearing up when Sarah came down the aisle
My mom and dad walking her down
The yummy food at the reception
My dad playing Sarah's song that she sang for their dance - surprise!
My dad, Sarah and I dancing together, one of my favorite pics.
My mom being so happy and proud.
A happy couple.
Happy Anniversary to the Smiths - many more anniversaries to come!!

The sad - On June 16th last year, I had a miscarriage. Breaks my heart just thinking about it. Definitely never ever ever want to feel that heartache again. I came home one night after a softball game and just wasn't feelin the greatest. I went to the bathroom and low and behold, there was some spotting. I knew something was wrong. Of course I panicked and told Ricky what was going on. He was trying to calm me down and told me everything would be ok. I called the dr and she said to come in first thing in the morning for an ultrasound. I just knew in my gut though that something was seriously wrong. I had been feeling kind of wierd that week and my pregnancy symptoms were actually fading - which I thought was sketchy. I actually took a pregnancy test just to make sure I was still pregnant and it came back questionable. So, I was dreading what I already knew was going on. Sure enough at the ultrasound they didn't find a heartbeat and told me that the baby only measured 7 weeks. I felt like I couldn't breath::I was crushed::truly devastated. I know Ricky was hurting too, as I could see his eyes welling up.....but he was strong, much stronger than myself. The ride home was silent, but tearful. As I think back on this day I am sad.....I know that there are some unknown reasons as to why it didn't work out, and that God has a plan, but my heart still aches.

I will keep this day in my heart forever - for my sister, and baby L.

Morning with lil Pfeiffer

Babysat lil Brody Pfeiffer today - too cute and too funny. It was kind of yucky weather, but we did manage to get some time in at the park. He was ALL about it. He was climbing around on the equipment like he was 10. I was a nervous wreck! He kept me on my toes, all the while he was smiling. He truly is a peanut. Probably the funniest part of the morning was his constant eating. This boy can take down some goldfish crackers! I swear I must have heard "na na" aka "snack snack" a million times. He was non stop. The best was when Chase (doggie) would try to pick up one that Brody dropped and Brody would quick step on it so Chase couldn't get it. Chase made for a nice vaccum though and definitely knows where to get "treats" from. On our way home from the park we took the long way and I had to laugh when I saw this clothesline with "undies" all on it! Gotta love small towns!

K4 Graduation.....priceless

Today was our neice Jozlyn's K4 Graduation. Wow, funny stuff. The gym was packed with parents all awaiting their childs ceremony - graduation from K4. Funny thing was that quite a few people had flowers and balloons that said "Congrats Grad" and stuff like that on it. I was cracking up - Congrats Grad??? haha! I have to admit though the ceremony was too cute. The kids all marched in single file in the front of the gym. Then they performed little routines, saying their ABC's and counting their 1,2,3's. Of course I finagled my way to the front and was sitting on the floor taking pics. Jozlyn was unbelievably cute. She kept waving to me and looking around for the rest of the family. My favorite part had to have been when she was showing me her pencil that she had in her pocket, in the middle of one of their routines. So funny. All of the kids get diplomas, like real graduation. They called their names and they had to stand up and go get them. Jozlyn was proud of hers. It really was a cute event and I'm glad that we went. I can't believe that she is 4 already, almost 5! Time has flown by. We also got great news that she is no longer going to be in any "special" classes, that she will be in regular Kindergarten next year. I do love this little girl, and was proud to see her doing so well. I may have loved the fact that she was excited to see me and held my hand the whole time too.

First Cyclones game of the year

Ricky is playing for 2 football teams this year, one in the IFL and one in the WSFL. His IFL team hasn't really been giving him an honest shake so this week Ricky played in the preseason game for his WSFL team, the Lake Country Cyclones. This is "Ricky's team." He plays a really big role for the Cyclones. Although they are a bit like the bad news bears and can't really get it together completely, I like this team. They have heart and it shows immensely. They don't have a stacked roster by anymeans, but it works and they are a family. I am really excited for this season to start. The coach has a lot of faith in Ricky and I love that he gives him the opportunity to prove himself. Unfortunately I don't get to take alot of pictures during the games because I am vidoetaping. Game film is a priority, so pictures get the back seat. Here are a couple from when the team was getting ready.

Flowers from the market

Happy Wednesday - lovin my farmers market flowers!

Happy Anniversary to us!!

Happy 2 year anniversary to the Leas (us)! We made it babe! Hahaha! Of course we made it, I'm just kidding. Anniversaries are fun to celebrate b/c it brings you back to the day when you said "I do." For us, that day was......RAINY. I mean monsoon!! It was amazing regardless. We always joke about how we want to get married again so we can have all of our friends and family in one place, the yummy food, the dressing up, and the celebration of us, another time. It was amazing. Ricky Lea, I would marry you a million times over and not just for the party, but for the life partner that I received. Thank you for another wonderful year and thanks for being my bestie. All my love, Liz

Farmers Market Love....especially the flowers

Oh how I love the Dousman Farmers market. It's simple, not a ton of stuff at all, but the people that sell stuff there are what make it great. This is one of those things that truly makes me enjoy living in "smalltownville." I have a little more love for one booth (shh...). My favorite little Hmong family that cannot be any nicer. They have THE most amazing flowers.....honestly. My dream is to secretly go to their farm/land and take pictures, I cannot imagine what that looks like, flowers galore. I met them last year when I used to fly in every Wednesday at 5:45 (closes at 6) when everyone would be packing up. They would always save a bouquet for me because they knew I would come. How sweet is that? They have already shown me the same love this year and that makes me smile. I was really excited to see them the first week. They were sooo cute. They totally recognized me and we all had ear to ear smiles. Their daughter (who I would talk to every week) is still at college, but they told me that she said "make sure to say hi to my friend." Me! I look forward to seeing her. Their flower bouquets are unreal....the most unreal thing about them is that they are $6! A $1 price increase from last year =). I cannot fathom that they only charge $6??!!! It is worth $30! So, my hope is to post a picture of the flowers that I buy every Wednesday, b/c I will be getting flowers EVERY Wednesday. There's just something about having beautiful flowers on my table that makes me in a better mood and makes my house look a little more pretty.

I can't wait to see the different flowers that this family is going to bring to me this summer.....

Dinner with the fam

Sarah and Ryan, Ricky and myself went out to dinner with my Dad and Kristin for Sarah's Birthday. We went to dinner at P.F. Changs and then to this real cute wine bar afterwards. Really loved my Muscato wine that I got there. It was very sweet, kinda like a dessert. We spent our time sipping our drinks and chatting it up. Kristin, Sarah and I have a hard time keeping a conversation going because we are not talkers at all......bwahahaha! I know Dad you are laughing at that comment. Anyways, this pic is of Dad and Kristin. Dad doesn't like this picture, but I do. He looks happy, and I know that's what he is. Thanks Kristin for being a big reason for that happiness.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy to my baby sister!!!

Happy 27th to my bestie...also known as my sister. I think that all too frequent enough we forget how great it is to have a sister. She's your lifetime bestfriend. My sister and I have been through everything together. The good, the bad, the ugly.....and we've made it. We have shared laughs, tears, clothes (not by my choice), and so many memories. People say that we look completely different but that we act completely the same. I am truly thankful to have a sister like Sarah. Happy birthday Lynner, love you.

E-Money - Soccer

One of E's soccer events this summer. The boys were definitely getting a work out in this 90+ degree day. Loved that when Eric was goalie he didn't have to put his "goalie shirt" on, he got to wear his wife beater! Hahaha! Check out the pipes on this kid!!!

I've been waiting for you all winter

Welcome Spring!!! I am so glad you are here and that you are making my yard beautiful. I love when the weather starts warming up, the grass starts turning green and then of course my favorite is when the flowers start blooming. My only wish is that they would last all Spring & Summer. Oh and maybe that I didn't have to pull weeds too, heehee.

It's the little things.

I have to say, I love my husband very much. I am very lucky to have him and I thank God that he was brought into my life. He truly makes this ride called life worth riding. I try to remind him of how much I love him in different ways than by just saying "I love you." Today in the mail he got a very small letter from the "Worlds Smallest Post Office" that I had sent to him. Although I did not literally make this teeny tiny letter, the words in it were all mine. When I say teeny tiny, I mean really teeny tiny. They actually sent a little magnifier with the letter so he could read it....too cute. Even though Ricky doesn't always appreciate mini things like I do, he definitely appreciated this little thing.