Saturday, November 12, 2011

Huxley

Meet my new best guy: Huxley! He's a 7lb Bernedoodle puppy! (1/2 Bernese Mountain Dog and 1/2 poodle - a new dog hybrid that will get to about 70 lbs, be lazy and lovable and best of all - non-shedding!)





Aunt Leah and cousin Gavin bought him this snazzy sweater so he can keep warm with the weather gets cold!

He's been busy making new friends everywhere he goes - from Pet Smart for a bath, to all the neighbors down the street!
House training has been going good as well - he's a very smart puppy! So far, his favorite game is to fetch my slippers!
However, dad is his favorite buddy - probably because he gets treats and played with a lot!

~Sharon

Jusin & Ashton's Wedding

Jusin (my cousin) and Ashton's wedding, held October 15th in Denison, IA:

My family, at the reception!

Leavenworth Friends

Some photos of me and my favorite girls in Leavenworth on one of my last nights out before moving back to Minnesota!Miss you ladies and thanks for the great memories!




Sunday, September 25, 2011

Amanda and Len's Wedding: 9/3/11

The Bride - showing up for pre-ceremony pictures at Fort Belmont in Jackson, MN

Lance, with the girls, Katherine, Mindy and Lindsay

Lance and I!

All of the guys, goofing around with the old-time tools for the photo-shoot

It's the girls' turn to goof around....






Amanda and Len's first dance!

Gavin and I hanging out at the reception.

Leah and I

Father/Daughter Dance

The wedding party, line dancing to Boot Scoot'n Boogie!

Manda Jo's Bachelorette Party

August 27-28th

As Maid of Honor for my sister's wedding it was my job to plan a rock'n bachelorette party for her, a job I took very seriously and started planning sometime in May. The details, were kept strictly confidential, with the exception of dad, whom I would tell about my plans and ask for advice. (Hey, he was in Afghanistan at the time, who could he tell?)  The girls were told the barest of details in the invite, only where to meet, what time and what to wear (which was based on a cowgirl theme).

Curious yet? Check out the pictures below and see what we did:

The Theme: Cowgirls: " A bunch of girls, look'n for a good time, break'n hearts, turn'n heads and look'n so fine."

The adventure began at 9:30 am. We met at Grandma and Grandpa Kuehl's house in Mapleton, and started with a toast before loading the 15 passenger van and heading off to our fist destination. Mom was our designated driver.

Here we are, with the van. We're just waiting for two gals before heading out!

I had to sit on a tiny work stool in the middle of the isle the whole day so I could conduct the games and activities as we drove.

Mom, the designated driver... off we go!

Our first stop, was Lucky Lanes in Denison, IA, where we completed a game of Crazy Cowgirl Bowling complete with "An Electric Slide" frame and a "Sexy dance move" frame! Prizes were awarded for best and worst bowlers!
After bowling, we were picked up and taken out to a local park where we noshed on pizza, cookies & bars. We also made sure to hydrate with beers & cowboy lemonades!
On the way to our next stop, Amanda opened her gifts. Since this is a PG rated blog, this is the only photo I am able to post!

Our third stop of the day was Dale Valley Vinyards in Stuart, IA. Here we listened to a blue grass band and sampled all of the local wines! De-licious! As you can see, the winery's tasting room was a converted old school house.

Stop #4: Dance-A-Cross in West Des Moines, IA, for line dance lessons! Here we learned 4 different line dances that we will all hopefully remember and can do at the wedding next weekend!
Phew....I'm getting a bit tired. Next stop - The hotel for a short rest and change of clothes before continuing our adventure!


Dinner was down-home-cook'n without the work. We dinned at The Machine Shed at The Living History Farms in West Des Moines. We had steak tips, pork, baby red potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, rolls, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. It was super delish and oh, so much food! We were also spoiled with awesome cocktails, like my bacon bloody mary!
Amanda, practicing up for the next stop....
Buck's Bar in West Des Moines. Not only did we get to ride a mechanical bull, but Amanda was given a free t-shirt, bottle of Boone's Farm wine, we had a campaign toast and didn't have to pay cover - Yee Haw!


Katherine's turn on the bull!



Cowgirl Up Mindy!

Amanda, arrested for bad dance moves! JK - Love ya Sis!

Book Em' Danno!

Even Mom was thrown behind bars!

Public Intox!


But, Amanda could spring us all from the clink by spinning the Wheel 'O Shots! Jager Bomb! Thanks for taking one for the team Manda!
Last stop of the evening - Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar! For oldies, sing-alongs, and much more!

On Sunday, the only stop was for coffee before heading back to Mapleton. I ended up with a migraine headache that morning and because of it, was the only one who got sick! LOL!
Overall - a great bachelorette party!
Can't wait to see everyone again at the wedding!

~Sharon



Monday, September 12, 2011

Yummy!

September 12, 2011

Not sure what this is called (maybe: pesto, veggie, pizza/tortilla?) but thanks mom, for letting me tear this page out of your Taste Of Home magazine while I was back home last week!

Not only was it delish! But it was a great way to use some of my garden veggies and things from the Farmer's Market!



Bon Appetit
~Sharon

Friday, August 19, 2011

Floating The Icicle - Take 2

I got to spend another great day on the river with a friend! Check it out:

My friend, Evelyn

Self-portrait!

~Sharon

Monday, August 15, 2011

Floating the Icicle River

What: Floating the Icicle River with friends and enjoying a (rare) day-off
When: August 10th

One of the most popular summer activities in Leavenworth is to do a "lazy" float down either the Wenatchee river (getting on at the bridge, just down from my house), or the Icicle River (getting on at the fish hatchery, just 2 blocks down from my house). Most of the locals own a min. of 2 tubes per person, and on a busy Saturday, I've heard 500+ people spend the day relaxing on tubes in the rivers. So, naturally, I had to buy a tube and try this! (If you aren't a local, and still want to join the fun, you can call Tube Leavenworth, a local company, that will rent you a tube, give you paddles (read: Frisbees) and shuttle you to a drop-off location and then pick you up at the beach when you are done!)
I went with some friends, Laura & Quinn from The Sleeping Lady, and Jason, a friend I met through Laura, Quinn and Jess.

Check out my day, and please forgive some of the photos. Evidently, my photo-taking abilities are inversely proportionate to my Margarita consumption.

At the put-in. We're waiting on the boys....

Here they come - Quinn and Jason.

A view from the river

My friend Laura!

Self-portrait!

I'm willing to bet this beats Margaritaville....but, where's the salt.....?



just relaxing on the river...

Got my toes in the water, ass in the sand....oh, wait, I got my ass in my tube, toes in the air.... not a worry in the world (including that this doesn't rhyme), a cold drink in my hand!

Quinn - you're so talented - you can balance a beer on your stomach while Kayaking!



Till Next time.....
Hope you are all having as much fun as me!!