Headed to Vegas Baby!

Bobby and I are off to Vegas tomorrow afternoon through Monday. Not only is this a cool trip because of the fact that...well, it's Vegas...but this will be the first time that I meet the majority of his family, including his mother. It's her 75th birthday and wanted to celebrate in Las Vegas...so all his brothers and sisters helped fund her trip...while everyone is coming as well. Very cool. I am excited to meet everyone...and maybe a weeee bit nervous. =)

The icing on the cake is that Bobby and I are going to see Jonny Lang in concert on Friday night at the Hard Rock Hotel. Way excited about that as well. For those of you that do not know Jonny Lang's music...look him up...you'll be hooked!

Catch you on the flip side, hopefully with mucho pictures! Have a great weekend!

Cubbies Game

After Bobby and I got back from Illinois, we had a Cubs vs. D-Backs game lined up to go to with the girls. So, last Tuesday, we headed down to Chase Field, downtown Phoenix. Our seats were high up, but they were right behind home plate, so we had a pretty cool view of everything. And if any of you have ever been to Chase Field, it's an amazing field - retractable roof and all...although, it was waaaay too hot for it to be open. We all know that the Cubbies lost...D-Backs were on fire. Although, there were tons of Cubs fans there...almost as many as the D-Backs I think! A Cubs fan even threw back the homerun ball that a D-Backs player hit...and then later a D-Back fan had to be a copycat and do the same with the Cubs homerun ball.

Chase Field, Phoenix

They are Cubs fans for me at least for this moment...but Rockies fans for their Dad other than that. =)

Somehow Bobby has become a mini-Cubs fan too...with a Cubs shirt and all! Although his loyalty is to the Rockies if the Cubbies are around.

You can see how far up we were....if you really thought about it, it made you queasy...but the view of the game was awesome.

The Doggies

Quick post...had to share the short video of Bobby's two dogs fighting. They do this all the time, and from what I hear, it's a normal thing for two dogs. It cracks us up everytime. Usually it ends with one of them getting sick of being tackled and yelps. It ended friendly this time though! The black dog is Khai and the lighter dog is Piper (the one we found as a stray and just gave her a buzz cut!). Enjoy...it's from my camera phone, so I'm not sure it's the best quality.

More on our Illinois Trip - Part 2 (and a little extra about my nutty day)

I'm back! although, I think it's a miracle I am here today! I went out this afternoon to do a few errands...first stop, get cash out...check. Next stop, CVS for some necessities, check, wait, where's my ATM/Check card???? Crap! I didn't get it out of the machine when I was through! Ugh! So...a half hour later after talking to a Chase employee, I have a card on rush order to be delivered in two days...and he did that for me for free...lucky me! But, yeah, call Chase crazy, but the same Chase ATM machine that my card got sucked back into because of my stupid mistake, they can't get into because they don't "service" the ATM that is located at their bank. HUH?! Oh well...I have one on rush order, so I will consider myself lucky.

Next up for my afternoon, time to get gas....it's been almost six weeks since I filled up my tank...yes, six weeks! Aaaahhh...the luxuries of working from home. Anyway, before I brag too much, I'll finish my story. =) I pulled up to the pump, and somehow, made it outside my car with my credit card and that's it....which normally is fine, except when you lock your door on the way out! UGH! In shock...I pumped my gas ($64...yuck!) and then realized I didn't have a cell phone to call Bobby. Went inside and called him from a normal phone and he was wonderful and came and got me. I have PLENTY of spare sets of keys...two extra...but silly me, haven't given one to Bobby yet...and as I had feared...they were both still in my purse from the move....therefore, meaningless at this point. So...I had to call a locksmith and wait around the gas station with Bobby for 40 minutes until the locksmith came. Literally 20 seconds after he started on my car, he unlocked it....crazy. So...$80 later for his 20 seconds of work (what's that come to? $4 a second!)...I had my doors opened. The best part is that I opted for the roadside assistance with my insurance here, so I stopped by my agent on the way home and I already have an $80 check...woohoo! I figure at this rate, I probably should just sit on my couch and be very simple for the rest of the night! Oh...I did find a $20 in the parking lot today...no one around, so I did take it....but kind of felt guilty. Didn't know what else to do about a lost $20 with no owner in sight....so hey...I'm actually $20 richer for this crazy day! =) Oh...and I did give Bobby one set of my keys before I left and put the other set in my apartment...so I should be all good now!

Okay...a few more updates on our trip to Illinois. Let's see....oh...Bobby and I took Friday off and went and visited family in Washburn. It was really great to see everyone...grandma and grandpa Hinck, grandma Betty, Aunt Margie, Uncle Dan, Alissa, Bryce, Erica, Travis, Lexi and Brookelyn. First time that I had seen little Brookelyn....and she was cuter than her pictures even! She was adorable...I already envy her hair color and skin color! Lexi was more adorable than I remembered too....chatting away, she was sooooo cute. Check out the pics below.




After seeing the family, Bobby and I drove to Tanner's Orchard, a local apple orchard. While there weren't many apples in season yet there...we still took advantage of the bakery and got ourselves an apple dumpling....um.....YUM. We walked out of there buying a couple pies and took a couple pics too. Enjoy.





We went to a Chief's game that Friday night with the family, which was very cool since Bobby had never been there before. It was MUG-GY...yikes. And the bugs, oh...the bugs. They liked me and were driving me crazy by the end...but in the end, had a great time...and it was actually was a great game...maybe I should pay attention more often! Here are a couple pics from the night.





Saturday, we had a lazy morning and then had a few family and friends pop by to say hi and hang at the pool. Andrea, Corey, and Landon (Corey's son) stopped by first and I got to meet Landon for the first time. Such a cute little boy...so cute. I really appreciated that they stopped by to say goodbye. Then, my cousin Lori, her daughter Payton, and my Aunt Sandy stopped by for swimming and dinner. We had a great time catching up and Kiara and Payton played together...and had a great time - even with a little falling on the concrete accident and some screaming...eventually all calmed down again. We took some pics of the girls eating a pink icing cupcake...too cute. Also, one of the two of them "hiding" in the stuffed animals. So cute...and then they wanted Nikki and I to do the same....so we tried our best! Enjoy the pics.




Bobby and I left on Sunday, Dad and Mom drove us to St. Louis to the airport...and it was a bitter sweet goodbye. I want to come back at least once again before the wedding...maybe more if I need to for work as well. I enjoyed my time so much, and I know that Bobby did too. We miss everyone soooo much....we always welcome visitors here in AZ too! Thanks especially to Dad and Mom for making the trip amazing for us. Also, my sister and Ryan...they did a lot of traveling to make sure and take advantage of me being home. I love you all!

Time in Illinois - Part 1

So...I am finally getting around to writing about Bobby and I's trip to Illinois. We came home on Sunday night to both his dogs having ticks....yes, ticks. And lots of them. So, after flea and tick dips, buzz cuts for the dog, spraying the yard a million times, checking the dogs over and over for more ticks, and spraying the house down too, we've mostly recovered from that ordeal. Piper, our dog we just "acquired" six weeks or so ago (stray from the streets), got her hair buzzed off because of all of this...she looks even cuter now...and I'm sure she's soooo much cooler too!


There are a bunch of pictures and stuff to share, so I think I am going to do this in pieces...so this is Part 1.


Anyway, Illinois was awesome....couldn't have had a better week at home (except if my friend Jen was home). Bobby and I spent a ton of time with my parents, my sister and Ryan, and of course, Kiara. Both Bobby and I worked most the days were were in Illinois, so it made it a bit more hectic...but it was well worth it! Bobby got to spend some time with my dad, fishing, going to the coffee shop, going on a home inspection...so he was really happy about that. Also, Kiara also warmed up to Bobby this trip to the point that I think he should be her full-time "eat three more bites" coach. He made it look easy to get her to finish her food...and not just the dessert! You could just tell that she really feels super comfy with him now...which was endearing to see. Oh...and my family and I taught Bobby how to play Euchre (card game). If you are raised on my mom's side of the family, you pretty much come out of the womb knowing how to play the game. Bobby has wanted to learn for a while...and he did...and I hate to admit it, but he beat my Dad and I both times we played (once partnered with my mom, and once partnered with my cousin Travis). It's alright...I'll get him back soon. Now that he knows how to play, we are going to strike up some games with his neighbors.



Like I mentioned before though, I was Kiara's favorite for most of the week...and I just ate that up. One of the first nights there, we went and ate at Alexander's for a good steak, one night, and we took her home from there and she spent the night at mom and dad's that night. She normally sleeps with mom...except with me there, I got that honor instead. I'm a hot sleeper and from what I have heard about Kiara sleeping, she likes to nuzzle up to you...so I was hoping that I wouldn't burn up. All in all, it was a nice night of sleep with the little one...I had about six inches at the edge of the bed for my sleeping spot - she was like a little puppy sleeping next to it's mom...but other than that, it was a nice little night's sleep with her. And, I felt pretty fortunate that I didn't' get the jabs to the ribs from her legs that she is known for! =)


Here are some other pics of Kiara from the night at Alexanders....way too cute for her own good!

Just a slight ham!

Bobby and I also got a night out with Andrea and her man, Corey. We ate at Firehouse Pizza...which was another "must eat" place when we were there. Then, we decided to do a little karaoke too (who would've thought???). We had a cool night with Andrea and Corey...got to see them and chat and then sing a little as well. Here are a couple pics from that night too.

Well...that's it for now...I'll write more in a day or so. Chief's game and family fun at the pool are the topics! =)

Days in IL

I am going to do a better post tomorrow about the trip to Illinois...with pictures and everything! Bobby and I had an awesome week back in Illinois....everything from euchre to swimming to family to friends to favorite restaurants to a broken insulin pump to baseball games to....okay...that's enough for now...I promise I will blog about it all tomorrow!

We're in Illinois

Hello there...Bobby and I made it safe and sound to Illinois today. It worked out perfectly that my sister was in Chicago this weekend anyway, so she picked us up from Midway and we drove to my parents house. Kiara and Ryan were there and we had a good reunion...Kiara was my best friend tonight ("I get to sit by Dani!"), which I love it when she chooses me for that role! =)

We ate dinner together and then spent some quality time with my parents outside talking (it's so nice to be under 80 degrees - even 90 actually!)...I actually got cold after it got dark...woohoo! A few bug bites to go along with it too though...but it was gorgeous out.

We have a busy week planned out already...a little wedding stuff, work (obviously), going to see grandparents, some good dinners, and even a Chief's game too. I hope it doesn't fly by too quickly!

RAINY DAYS IN AZ!!!!

Okay, so it's pretty funny that I just started my blog and named it , "Sunny Days in AZ" yesterday, and the same day it officially POURED rain. Bobby and I were at our softball game...bottom of the 1st inning...our team is up, 5-2 already....and woosh! Rain pouring down. The clouds looked NASTY on our drive there...and for those of you that know me well, know that Dani no likey tornadoes. And yes, I know they don't have tornadoes here (except for that crazy night back in '96 that they tell me about)...BUT...scary clouds are scary clouds....and scary clouds remind Dani of where tornadoes come from back in IL and the "Terrible Tuesday" video they showed us in 2nd grade...so, I was not happy to be playing softball to begin with (oh...and seeing lighting in the clouds, and the thought of me holding an aluminum bat wasn't a fun feeling either!). Even so...I got my butt out there with minimal grumbling (right Bobby???) and was actually starting to embrace the fact that the clouds weren't going to hit us like it looked like before. That didn't last long though, because the sky started falling shortly after that. So...we actually ended up winning our game AND we got to get out of the lightning and tornadoes! Double bonus. It continued to rain here in the Valley (it's officially been AZ's monsoon season for almost a month, and the weather keeps building to this point of official downpour) the whole night...and for a lot of it...it seriously poured rain....and I really loved it. Never thought this sun worshiper would say that...but it hasn't rained in the two months I have been here....so it was awesome. And, it's the talk of the town when it rains here too....people can't get over it. Since it barely rains here, it's like a novelty. I seriously think I heard people somewhere in Bobby's neighborhood last night shrieking with joy in the rain....not even kidding.

I also was just looking at my sister's blog and this picture is just awesome of my niece on a 70's dress up day at dance class (that is Nikki and I's old acrobat outfit from back in the day!), so I thought I would steal it and post it here too...just to show off her cuteness....enjoy!

I'm blog happy today!

Okay...I guess that I am a little blog happy on this first day of blogging...but, I did want to add that Bobby and I will be back in Illinois next week (even though both of us are still working) for those that didn't know. We don't have too much planned...family time for sure and work has to happen along the way as well...but we are hoping to catch up with as many people as possible and have a great week!

Pictures of MY MAN! =)

By request...here are some pics of Bobby and I (and the girls)...I forgot that some of you may not even know what Bobby looks like!

A Few Pictures!

These pictures are from when I first moved here in May. While my mom was still here, Kyndall, Megan, Bobby, her and I went to the Botanical Gardens here. Of course, they were having record 110 degree weather already here in AZ, so we were a little hot to say the least. Still it was very cool to see a desert garden...and some good pics too!

Finally...I'm blogging!

Hey there! I wanted to start being a blogging person when I moved to Arizona...so after two months...here I finally am! I hope I keep up with it and I can keep everyone back "home" in the loop a little easier, since I am far away and not able to share as many life experiences with the people I really care about. I will do my best to keep this updated! Until then...I'm going to try to figure out this blogging thing a bit more. Catch up with you soon!