Showered with March Madness

So I am finally sitting down to catch up on some blogging.




Eric and I ordered Happy Joe's pizza for dinner and are hunkered in watching some basketball. Besides being all cute, handsome, caring and my best friend, Eric comes complete with a big TV that makes for much improved March Madness viewing than what I am used to.



A couple of weekends I headed to my parents house/CU for a long weekend. Friday I spent the day doing various wedding errands and then spent the night at my Mom & Dad's house along with my matron of honor Jenn, and her parents. Jenn flew in from Colorado Springs for the weekend just to throw a shower for me, along with Nikki aka Maid of Honor and Jenn's Mom, Bernice. I was very touched that she made the trip just one month before she does again with John and the girls for the wedding.



The shower was awesome. It was at Silver Creek restaurant in the greenhouse and Bernice, Jenn and Nik went above and beyond. The gifts were wonderful, but by far my favorite part was getting caught up with friends and family and also getting my family, Eric's family, and our various friends together to get to know each other before the wedding. It was lots of fun and bodes well for a fun and exciting wedding reception in a few weeks. Here is the only picture that made it to my camera... Jenn took the rest on hers. I am with my Busey buddies Judy and Linda and my former Busey co-worker Lindsey and her twin sister, Meredith.

A few of my favorite presents include a beautiful glass cardinal my Auntie Ann gave me from her own glass collection, knowing how much Eric and I love Cardinals. Also, my Aunt Mona gave me a Cardinals magnet and a deviled egg plate (we just so happen to have a plated ledge in our kitchen)... which were gifts completely inspired by her late son/my late cousin, Bruce who was my special friend/Cardinal buddy and had a deviled egg plate collection of his own.

After the shower I spent the afternoon/evening/night shopping, hanging out, and enjoying cocktails with Jenn, Nikki and my friend/former roommate, Jeanne. No crazy bachelorette party antics, just good times with great friends. I am truly blessed to have three such awesome friends who though they are completely different from one another, and really don't have all that much in common as far as their daily lives are concerned they all get along great and we had so much fun together.



That Sunday after breakfast with Jenn & Nik, Nik and I headed to Siegel for a baby shower for our friend, Karen. We had just seen her the day before at my shower but it was fun to get caught up with Karen's friends and family too. Karen is looking great and I think motherhood is really going to agree with her.



Sunday after the shower I stopped in Peoria and picked up Eric who spent the weekend with Scott and the rest of the Barkers.



Since then life has been relatively routine with the exception of trying to finish up various wedding details. I think things are relatively under control, and Eric and I are both getting excited for our bid day, and then our cruise the following week. After two moves, adjusting to working from home, and the wedding rush we are ready for a vacation.

Oh, yesterday was a big day. The sale of my house in Champaign closed. My attorney handled it all for me so I didn't have to make another trip to C-U. It went smoothly and the money is in the bank. Eric and I are both so thankful the house is sold, especially before the wedding. We know the quick and easy sale was truly a gift from God. We prayed and prayed about where we should live and if/when we should look for jobs and look for a new house and list me house. Everything in that arena just seemed to fall into place and we know it has all been a "God Thing".

I am not sure if I will blog again before the wedding or not. We are also toying with the idea of renaming or editing this blog to provide for both of us to post. Oh, speaking of blogs Nikki has started one... "In the Nik of Time" (title was my idea:)) and the link is on the right side of this page. She will be heading to Florida for Spring training soon so be sure to check out updates from Florida.



Okay, time to watch the Illini

Rough Week, but a Good Weekend

Last week was a little rough at Janeric Hills (I am trying to come up with a name for our house... so I will test out a few here and there). Between Eric's asthma acting up, and a visit from the flu fairy and her magic congestion wand. By late Thursday and Friday we were on the mend, but seriously I don't think I have ever used so many Puffs Plus in my life.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed to C-U... the first time I had been back since I moved six weeks ago. We met with our wedding DJ and that went really well... I think we are both getting excited about getting to boogie down with our friends and family in 5 weeks. Next we stopped by my house and packed up the few things we had left behind to helps show the house. It is officially empty and ready for the closing later this month.

Afterwards we had planned to meet Nikki for lunch, but she too was a little under the weather so we picked up a bucket of chicken and hung out at her apartment for the afternoon with her parents. It was nice to just chill and get caught up.

Saturday evening I went to dinner with some of my best girls from my church, Quest United Methodist. It was lots of fun and I shared with them how life in Geneseo is going. I will admit that I am a little sad to being leaving such a wonderful faith community behind... okay a lot sad... but I know God will guide Eric and I in establishing a great faith community here. We don't necessarily have all the details figured out, but are trusting God's plan is far better than anything we could imagine. While I was out with the girls, Eric hung out with a couple of the Quest guys. I think he was a little nervous hanging with guys he didn't know all that well, but they ended up playing "Settlers of Catan" a game that Eric loves so that definitely broke the ice a bit. Eric and I like playing the game but it isn't quite the same with just two people, plus I just don't have quite the competitive spirit that they guys had.

We spent Saturday night at my parents house, and had a nice visit and great breakfast/brunch on Sunday morning. My Mom and I got to chat about some of the wedding details, Eric and both got caught up on some sleep we had missed being sick, and it was just a nice quiet visit. Sunday afternoon we stopped in Peoria on the way home and hung out with Scott, Tara & Kira. We exchanged Christmas presents... who cares that it was March 1st. I got the coolest jigsaw puzzle of all of the baseball stadiums that you can write the date you visited each one on. It will definitely be framed one day and hung on the wall when we have our sports/game room in the basement. Eric got a way cool book on brewing beer... right now it is a coffee table book, but we hope to put it into practice in the not to distant future. It was a fun visit, and we all enjoyed a trip to Flat Top Grill before we headed home. Yummy!!!! They had calamari to add to your stir fry, and personally I could make a meal out of the pita bread!!

We got home just after 9 and unloaded what we was the last truck/car loan of our respective moves. Some folks pointed out that we will have to unload shower/wedding presents... but I don't count that... those are gifts and were packed by someone else and infinitely more fun that the stuff we already own.

So, there you go. That's what is up with me... I can't believe I didn't take a single picture from my Quest Farewell Gathering... duh!!!!