Long Time, No See

Yep, we're still here. It's been a long time I know but really, nothing to report. So, just a short post to say yeah, this is still our blog. Just nothing of interest going on right now. I'll update when something new happens.

RAGBRAI 2010

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!

RAGBRAI 2010 has come and gone and we have definitely had an adventure. On Tuesday Justin and I traveled to Manchester. Justin was going to help people clean up from the Lake Delhi dam break. No one needed help any more so, instead of helping clean up, we toured the area...It was amazing. What once was a lake, was more of a narrow river. Boat docks were twisted and discarded everywhere. Boats were on dry land and all the cabins/houses were gutted down to the studs.

On Wednesday we helped around Deb and Randy's house. Justin and Randy tilled the flower beds and picked up rocks and I went with Deb to shop for plants. We went to several different towns and I learned about different varieties of perennials. When we got back, we planted the new plants in the flowerbeds. Following that, we packed up and headed to Charles City, IA.

We camped in the yard of a very friendly couple who fed us burgers, brats, and a variety of different salads. It was Fletcher's 3oth birthday so we had delicious chocolate cake to go with it. About 10 we went to sleep in our tents and woke at about 3 am to sounds of CRAZY partying next door. I thought it was time to start breaking down camp, but was happy when I found out it was only 3 and I had 3 more hours to sleep.

At about 6 we woke up, broke down our camp, ate breakfast, and hit the road at 7:45. The day's mileage was about 75ish miles to Cedar Falls. We rode past so many farms with tents....all you can eat pancakes, bloody mary bars..etc Yes, we stopped. We continued on and continued to stop along the way. Team Wild Turkey made it to Dike, IA to continue our good times. It is hard to explain what this experience is to someone who has never ridden but, let's just say....thousands of cyclists of all different experience levels. Some families, some older people, some crazies, some huber serious about making time and training. All in SPANDEX!

The next day, it was thundering and lightning so this girl said...smell you later boys. They took off and Randy picked me up along with Krit and we set out to just before Rowley, IA. Krit and I rode 6 miles in the cold rainy weather to make it to Rowley and waited on our boys.....about three hours later, they came to our tent. They had some drama. Justin had two flat tires, and they saw a boy wreck right in front of them. Justin had to stabilize his head as they waited for the EMTs.

So, after that stop I decided that I was going to ride the remaining 15 miles to Manchester because after all, that is what we were there for...right?!? So, I hopped on my bike and squish, squish, squish...guess who had a flat tire? That would be me. So Justin had to fix his third flat of the day. After that was controlled we rode the hills all the way to Manchester...I almost complained one time. BUT held it in.

It was FUN FUN FUN...and the party continued at Deb and Randy's with some Eucher and Flippy Cup!

GO RAGBRAI

SILLY PICTURE!

After the rain and the sun came out!

Krit and me on our three hour wait.

Rain gear 2 bags for a buck!

Where are you Fletch?!?

Tired....pass me the toothpicks for my eyes.

Made it, with a smile on my face.

TEAM WILD TURKEY

Fletch and me at Dike.

Bloody Marys at 8:30

Camping

This weekend we decided to head down to Clinton Lake and try out all our camping gear. We had a great time and Callie absolutely loved the water. Below are some pics and a video.

You can barely see her but she is just off my left shoulder.

As we were getting ready for bed, Sara noticed several large slugs attached to her kennel and food dish. Unsure what a slug might do to her if she ate it, Sara (we) broke down and let her in the tent to sleep with us. She did very well but we have no plans for her to get in a habit of sleeping with us!!!

Looking forward to heading back to Iowa to ride a few days of RAGBRAI.

Another Weekend

Justin and I have been having a ton of fun. We went swimming yesterday. When we walked in the pool it was crowded but, soon there was a storm a brewing. Everyone left and we waited it out. Our determined mindset paid off because when the sun came out again, no one was in the pool anymore and I had it all to myself. I could pull out the old tricks from when I was 6. Fun times! Justin counted how long I could hold my breath underwater, I did some handstands, front flips, and diving for things on the bottom of the pool floor. It was fun to relive childhood.

Callie continues to entertain us. For some reason though she will not walk with me. She only goes on walks with Justin. Yesterday morning I tried and tried and tried to get her to go on a walk with me. I was determined not to let her win. Despite the fact that the neighbor was watching my every move I continued to look like a moron when I tried to coax her on a walk and she laid down in the grass. Here is the part that annoys me....when I did give up, and turned around, she went into a dead sprint back to our house. What a stinker!

Wedding (200 photos), by Sara Frailey

I'd like to share my Walgreens Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Callie, Callie

Our new puppy puts smiles on our faces! She is so clumsy that she routinely trips over herself and her legs give out from under her. It is so cute! Justin and I try to hold her as much as possible because we know those days are numbered as she will grow and grow and grow...just take a look at her ginormous paws and you will instantly know she will be a BIG DOG. She is learning to walk on a leash, retrieve balls and frisbees and sit. She is getting good at walking as she gets two walks a day. The other things, well only time will tell how those go.

Riviera Maya

Justin and I had a GREAT time on our honeymoon! Here are a few pictures from our trip...I am saving a few of my favorites until I see everyone in person! So, consider this the carrot. :)

We're Expecting...

...to add a puppy into our home!!

Introducing Callie

She is half weimaraner, half black lab.

We learned of the litter of puppies from one of the IWU basketball players. After checking them out, we knew we wanted one. The litter had 7 pups, 5 male and 2 female. While the timing wasn't great, the owners agreed to hold her for us until we got back from our honeymoon. We are looking forward to puppy-hood and may need to pick up some training books for when we are sipping cocktails on the beach in Mexico!!!

2 More Weeks!

Justin and I are all smiles today because in 2 weeks we will tie the knot! We have spent the last week working our behinds off painting and shampooing carpets.

Painting...

Here are the highlights. I almost had a conniption because the paint looked pink, after 5 coats it was acceptable. We had to sleep two nights with no front door so Justin had to make a contraption to keep the bad guys out!

Shampooing...going good until I asked Justin to take the dirty scuzy water out to dump it. Just as I was asking SPLASH all over the first floor. ICK! Then, the next day when I went to do the next rooms the DARN thing wouldn't work...so, we proceeded to take it completely apart. We couldn't find anything wrong with it. Until we got to the handle. After we went Bob Vila on the the carpet cleaner we were able to sort of finish the house.

Here are some things I have learned.

A small project does not take one day to complete.

You will make 2-3 trips to a home improvement store.

Do not start more than one thing before the first thing is complete. (My self-diagnosed adult ADHD took over)

As for wedding prep...We got to talk to a very snippy government employee about our marriage licence. Why do gov. employees besides teachers get a free pass to be MEAN? We have finished our programs, and met with Jennie for the last meeting regarding our ceremony.

LOVELY

Okay for all of you who read this....Prob my family mostly.......I need you to quiz me to make sure I have gotten everything I need done...Go ahead try me.

Enagement Pictures, by Sara Frailey

I'd like to share my Walgreens Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Marathon Victories

Yes, we completed the Illinois Marathon.

Justin, his fourth full marathon.

Me, my first half-marathon.

We are alive and well. I am happy to report that I did not walk!!! and I made it in 2 hours and 16 minutes. I am very thrilled with my accomplishment, although I probably will not be running to sign up for my next one any time soon.

I am going to reward myself with a swimming suit for our upcoming honeymoon....two are already on their way :)

Also, we had engagement pictures taken, I am posting a few here on the blog. They turned out nicely. We had great weather on Wednesday when they were taken.

Our new home!

This past weekend we moved into our new home. We had lots of great help and we wouldn't have been able to do it without them.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

We still have a long way to go but it is definitely starting to feel like home. We can't wait to have friends and family come visit.

Geeeez Another Photographer

Justin and I are having a great time planning our wedding, and everything has been going relatively smooth. But, finding a photographer that has been another thing altogether. We have three upcoming appointments so wish us luck!

We registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Justin did a great job with the scanner. :) We hired a string quartet. EXCITING!

All the big things are almost done.....hopefully they will all be done soon.

Our Wedding Website

I began playing with a website on the knot.
A link for the page is below:

Justin and Sara's Wedding Webpage