We did it!!!

We signed the papers and now own the house!!!

So silly, but we can't wait to get the dogs over there to have them run around the backyard. As I said before, it's the little things.

I can't sleep - I've got 2 hours until my alarm is set to go off this morning. I guess I'm a little bit excited, huh? The movers are scheduled to show up this morning, then Jon and I are heading over to hopefully find new bedroom furniture. Then we'll swing back by Don & Jane's, pack up the rest of our stuff, load up the pups and head back home! (I'm sure we'll manage to squeeze in another trip to Lowe's along the way.)

Here's a link to the album. I'll make sure to upload another one when we've gotten our furniture set up and a picture or two hung up. http://picasaweb.google.com/hollyhanes/OldMacGregor

We have a fridge!

ohhh, it's the small things, isn't it? We have a Sears Outlet where all of the damaged/returned merchandise gets sent to. The fridge we found actually was in near-perfect condition. It only had a few minor scratches/dents on the sides where it will be hidden anyway. But it had EVERYTHING we wanted: Sateen finish (yay! no fingerprints!), water in-door, ice maker in-door, perfect height, everything.

Everything's moving right along. There's SO MUCH to do, but I think I've done everything I can do at this point. Got all utilities ready to be hooked up. Movers have confirmed they'll be at the house Friday morning. We have our walk-through at noon tomorrow and closing appointment at 1:00pm. From what we hear, the sellers were able to get the builders to fix every single thing on our list from the inspection - we had only asked for 2 things. And they've also apparently had all the wood blinds professionally cleaned and have patched up and painted over all the nail holes.

We feel so blessed!!! I'm glad I don't have to go back to work until Thursday - although I know I will be wanting a REAL vacation after all this. We know it's worth it.

Now we just have to figure out when to squeeze in a BIG trip to Lowe's. Oh yeah, and did I mention that Jon doesn't have any time off at all? So we've still got to manage to let him sleep all during the days while I'm home fixing things up. We'll make it work somehow...

We are scheduled to have internet up and running by next Wednesday, so unless I can "borrow" an unsecured wireless line somewhere in the neighborhood, I most likely won't be posting again until shortly after that.

Thank you for all your prayers!! They're being well used.

til next time.... !!!

Sunday Goodies

Jon and I went back to Irving Bible Church yesterday. It's been very easy to become complacent on Sundays with Jon now working nights, but we fully realize how important it is for us to not only attend but to become involved in a church. IBC is a bit far from our new house, but we both really like it, so I think it's where we'll wind up. Yesterday we attended the young couples study following the first service and we really enjoyed it. And we met another couple who live in the development next to our new one!! Such encouragement.

After church we went to Tom Thumb (Vons for all our Cali/Nevada friends) and were hungry - which is never good. We overshot it a little bit when we got a big box of mac & cheese, however we also got a container of the yummy tomato basil soup and a sourdough baguette. We're still talking about how good it was.

Jon hit the hay shortly after and I went to browse Lowe's for goodies for the new house. Kind of overwhelming but definitely exciting. We can't wait!!

Less than a week away!

Jon and I close on our new house in less than a week. We're scheduled for Thursday, July 19th with movers scheduled to come first thing Friday morning! So far, so good. Things have been really smooth - we just hope it continues that way!

I'll have off work for a week starting Thursday. Friday after the movers leave, the plan is for Jon and I to rush over to Lowe's to go shopping! We are in need of a refrigerator, washer & dryer, lawnmower, trimmer, doggy door, etc... !!! Very exciting, yet a tad overwhelming.

We're on our way!!!

We're baaaack!

After a long break, I'm officially picking up the blog again. Yes, again. I realize I take long breaks now and then. It really shouldn't be as much of a burden as I sometimes make it to be. I worry about getting the right pics, the good stories, the interesting tid bits. But I've come to realize this is just us.... So here you go.

We've found a house!! Actually, we found two. The first one fell through after the sellers just weren't seeming to be very flexible with repairs after the inspection. It was a tough decision because we loved the house and we couldn't beat the location. The house would have been a lot of work over time, and it would have extended us financially. Probably more than we would have wished as a first home.

BUT - We feel like that was a necessary detour for us to find the one God really had for us. We went and looked back in the area we've been interested in from the beginning. And we found it!! It's an absolutely beautiful 1-story home, 1900 sq ft in a new development. The house itself is just about a year old. The inspection went extremely well and as of right now, we're scheduled to close on July 19th! Thankfully this home needs absolutely NO work on it right away - save for a few coats of paint once we get settled. And it's already got the appliances we wanted to buy anyway!! Hooray!! We've just got to get the fridge, washer & dryer. (Oh yeah, and Jon's TV). We have tons of plans for the future of this home and are just so excited.

We're just looking forward to being settled in by our first anniversary. So far, things are looking good.

Jon and I were able to take a weekend trip to San Antonio over Memorial Weekend. A very much needed getaway and we had a wonderful time staying on the Riverwalk.

But the bigger news over Memorial Weekend was the birth of the newest (and final??) addition to the Dunn family. Tobin Christopher was born on May 27th weighing 9 pounds, 1/2 ounce and 22 inches long. Auntie Holly was able to visit last weekend and I instantly fell in love. I wasn't convinced I'd be able to love another nephew like I love Camden. But now I understand how, like a parent, your heart just grows bigger to make room for all the love you feel. It was amazing to be able to visit and spend good Auntie time with Camden and get some good baby cuddling time with Tobin.




Yesterday I attended the baby shower for Michele, Jon's sister's oldest daughter. Got that? In otherwords, Mine and Jon's niece. She's pregnant with her second child due mid-August. Had a lovely time and got to say hello again to Karyn (Jon's sister), and her two other daughters, Samantha and Christi. Jon and I hope to be able to spend more time with their family soon. There's not too many funnier families we've found.

Jon and I are both doing our best to become more active and lose some of the weight we've gained since moving to Texas, plus the weight we've gained since getting married, etc, etc... We're in a aerobics/step/weight/spin class that we attend twice a week, plus we're walking two other days a week. Slowly noticing changes, so we're trying to become more serious about the diet part.

Dogs are good and funny as ever. They manage to crack us up every day. No less full of their own issues, though. Funny boys.

Sargey Boy

Sarge has been quite the little escape artist lately. He's jumped over baby gates, pulls open baby gates like they're doors, and has learned how to open the door to the laundry room. Sneaky little devil Here are some pics of our favorite Houdini.

These first 5 are from today. Lazy boy was posing for the camera. This was in the span of about 15 mins.






Apparently he got tired of the paparazzi snapping pictures every 5 minutes.


Here is Sarge looking pretty.



Here is Sarge wanting to be a Rottweiler and squeezing into one of Wylee's t-shirts.

Fun With Wylee

You're the One

Quick wrap-up:

How could I forget to write about Emmitt Otter?????? Jon and I finally watched it on New Year's Eve day. How is it possible we've found each other and that we both love this movie?? It was meant to be, as Hanz said during our ceremony. We sent one to Hanz and Family for Christmas, but haven't heard a report back on it. I'll have to make a phone call...

We redeemed our voucher for free Penn and Teller tickets and last night was our show. We had a great time, and who can beat free???? Something different, lots of laugh. Great show.

I do realize I love TV. I watch too much and get easily addicted to new shows and have a slew of shows that I "have to watch". Well, my life just got a little simpler. We finally got a DVR!!!!! Okay, let me rephrase - we finally got a DVR we could get to work!!! Heather actually got me a TiVo last year, but we could never make it work at our place because we don't have a home phone number. Soooo.... since Cox offers one at only $10/month, it was a must to have as the new TV season starts up and I start school at the end of the month. Woohooo!!! Sooooo exciting. Well, for me at least... but I think Jon will love it once he gets to watch all of his games and Discovery shows whenever he wants.

And one final item. Don and Jane gave us a fun puzzle of Las Vegas in our batch of Christmas goodies. We finished it in a couple days - 3 sessions to be exact. Pictures of our progress below. It has led us to purchase 2 more puzzles mostly because they were on sale. I'm not sure we have the time to dedicate to any more right now since our lives were basically put on hold while we were working. Kinda sad.

Apple Cake!

The second try at Nanny's apple cake this year was successful. Enough so that I made two of them! And as good as it is hot right out of the oven, Jon says it's always better the second day after the apples' juices have a chance to sort of permeate through it. I have to agree with him.

Whispering

We've decided to use some of the Dog Whisperer's techniques in trying to get our dogs a little bit more respectful in some areas. Of course Sarge is pretty much the perfect dog except when it comes to OTHER dogs. He can't stand them and it's always a struggle on walks when we encounter other furry friends. Wylee is not exactly the most friendly pup either, but will submit a lot easier than Sarge will. Not to mention the fact that Sarge is 5 times bigger and 3 times stronger (yeah, Wylee's pretty strong :) ).

It's been a little difficult for them - and us. But with plenty of practice and consistency, we're sure we can make it happen for both of them. It basically comes down to them becoming submissive and realizing we are their pack leaders. And it also involves US realizing we are their pack leaders. Not as easy as it sounds, but we're confident we can make it happen!

Here's Sarge looking at us and seeming to say "oh yeah? We'll see who the pack leader is around here!!"

A whole lotta nuthin'

The past few days have been WONDERFUL for Jon and I. I had a 4 day weekend after deciding to take Friday off for what I considered a much-deserved break. Jon had Saturday off, so we've spent the past 3 days just hanging out with nothing to do.

A huge blessing for myself has been that the pain and discomfort I've been experiencing due to indigestion has all but gone away. The only explanation is that it was due to stress at work - and there's been plenty of that for me the past 8 weeks or so. Jon had me start a cycle of Prilosec and I tried my best to stay away from spicy or acidic foods for 2 weeks. I feel 100 times better - I am SO thankful! It's been the perfect medicine this weekend to have a whole lotta nuthin' to do. I have no idea what to expect out of work the next few weeks, but nothing could be as bad as the last 2 in particular.... right????

Friday I accomplished the only goal I had set for myself for the weekend which was to take down all of the Christmas decorations. I was correct in my prediction that I was READY to have all the stuff gone as soon as possible after Christmas. It was enough. I went to the movies and did a ton of laundry. Nothing too exciting, but wonderful to have time to do on a day off.

Saturday Jon woke up and took the dogs for a run. He's gotten into the habit of taking BOTH dogs and assures me that Wylee and his little legs do just fine on the longs treks. Jon's already lost a bit of weight and is happy to see his pants fitting easier. He loses weight so easily, it's sickening. We treated ourselves to a fun lunch at Islands but pretty much did nothing for the rest of the day except continue to clean the house. Texas played that day, and though it wasn't a guaranteed win early on in the game, Texas came through, which allowed Jon to be in a great mood. Our neighbors came over for a visit that night and she helped me work on my admission paperwork for the University of Phoenix. My class will start January 31st! I just need to decide for certain on a major.

Sunday we woke up and watched Harvest online. We have to get out and start looking for another church but it's hard to get motivated. We took yet another day to do as little as possible except for watch a few movies and get In-n-Out as our last meal of 2006. We watched the Times Square celebrations, then switched over for local Strip coverage. We love where we live because it has allowed us to go out the past two years to the sidewalk in front of our unit and watch the fireworks go off from at least 4 of the casinos. Fun stuff. Oh yeah, and I beat Jon at Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture 2... AGAIN. :) He put up a fair fight, though.

Today Jon made a great big breakfast which was such a treat and very very yummy. And a tradition in my house growing up was always the Rose Parade. I'm a little disappointed in the options for coverage where we're at - all the networks just want to plug their shows and constantly show commercials. I miss KTLA!!! Thankfully the Travel Channel showed an extensive pre-show done by KTLA along with the same broadcast and hosts I'm used to seeing. Even though it was the encore broadcast and I still had to put up with commercials... it was better than nothing. Love the Rose Parade. And we took the opportunity of our day off to go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and use our gift certificates so we could buy our new pots and pans. And man, are we glad we waited! The set Jon wanted offered a free $50 pan with purchase and with our coupons, store credit and gift cards, we were able to buy a few additional items and only paid $1.47!!!!!!! We love it when that happens!!!!

Currently, we are sitting here watching USC beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl. It's the 3rd quarter and I have every confidence in my team. My USC sweatshirt should probably be laid to rest very very soon, so it would be nice for this season to go out with a bang. Then I can treat myself to a new "Rose Bowl Champions" sweatshirt! (And maybe Wylee, too!) :)

Happy New Year!

Today is the first day of 2007 - whew, time has flown!!! We had quite a year! I'm planning on writing a belated family "Year in Review" letter to send out in a couple of weeks - anticipating some news in mid-January that will kick start that letter. But before that, here's a list of just a few things that happened in 2006:

1. February - Jon and Sarge picked up and moved to Las Vegas! Of course, the road trip on the way was half the fun of getting here. 24 hours of driving was not the highlight, but Holly was most excited to stop in Winslow, Arizona on the way!

2. May - We're engaged! Jon asked me to marry him and we promptly set a date to be married in Las Vegas 10 weeks later. Just enough time for everyone to make their plans to come into town. We didn't get too many complaints, though since we had changed our minds and scrapped our original plans to elope ALONE in Antigua.

3. July - We're married! We had the perfect small backyard ceremony. Low in stress, high in fun and friends. We felt so blessed God had brought us each other and had the perfect day to celebrate that.

And PLENTY of other big news along the way, including Jon's college football team (University of Texas) beating Holly's team (USC) in the championship game at the beginning of the year, a few illnesses, a trip to the emergency room for both Jon and Sarge, a lot of fun shows and concerts, and best of all lots of laughs.

What a year 2006 was. We're not sure how we can top it in 2007, but we're sure going to have fun trying!!!

Merry Christmas!

I have a lot of catching up to do! We were both sick last week - Jon stayed home from work and I came home early one day. We've both slowly recovered. Just in time to head to California to celebrate an early Christmas at my sister's place on Saturday. Our family pulls names, so it was fun to see what we all got from whoever had us. Jon got his new razor and Band of Brother DVD set he had wished for from Kevin. I got a fantastic pink candle and Old Navy gift card from Fred- woohoo! Does it get any better? Of course Camden was overwhelmed with all the presents he got from Mimi and Poppy and Auntie Holly and Jon Jon.

Mom and Fred left to head back home and the rest of us headed over to the Irvine Spectrum to get out of the house and try to get Camden to burn some energy. He got to ride the carousel with dad and Auntie Holly and Mom took him on the "big wheel" much to Dad's horror. We made it through safely, and Camden did a great job of making Auntie feel at ease-- especially at the high parts. And I found out today he told Kevin's mom that I was scared and I cried. Funny kid. We came home and said goodnight to Camden and the four of us played one of my gifts to Wendy - Trivial Pursuit 80's edition. Finally the girls were redeemed after their sorry loss to the boys at the last game (I Love the 80's) because we kicked their butts!!! My advice to anyone looking for a rematch: Don't mess with the Winslow gals and their 80's music knowledge. Finally a use for all of that stuff stuck in my head!

We got to sleep in the next day and said our goodbyes and had lunch with Hedder. Jon was thrilled that she gave us a gift card for Bed, Bath and Beyond so he could put it towards a new set of pots and pans that we've been waiting to get. yay! Then we went over to Harvest for the 4:00 Christmas Eve service and really enjoyed being there at a familiar place that felt like home - for me at least. Great to see Hanz and Debbie and their girls... along with everyone else of course! Made the drive safely home and picked up the pups and came home and CRASHED.

I was so excited for Christmas this morning that I woke up and could not fall back asleep, so I woke Jon up--and I've been exhausted all day! We opened presents - he got me a gorgeous "right hand ring" just like the kind I was looking at when I was looking at engagement rings. We need to get it sized and I can't wait to get it on! I made Nanny's apple cake this morning, but it wasn't exactly right because I used whole wheat flour in an effort to be a little more health conscious. Doesn't work and I need to re-make because you can't skimp on things like Nanny's apple cake. :) I'll try again this weekend, though Jon said this batch was just fine. (It wasn't). We love to go see the Belagio's conservatory decorations, so we got dressed and headed down there. It was awe-inspiring as usual, and from there we headed to Lake Las Vegas to see the Christmas decorations. Not much to see there as just about everything was closed, but it was still a great outing. And that's been pretty much our day!! Mostly enjoying the day off.

Last week we received our gifts from Jon's parents, which they asked us to open early so we could enjoy them. We discovered gift cards to Target, Buca di Beppo, AND Bed, Bath, and Beyond - which guarantees we have enough to look for a nice set of pots and pans. Such a blessing and we're looking forward to treating ourselves thanks to them. Along with a huge puzzle of Las Vegas that is guaranteed to begin as soon as the Christmas decorations are put away and we have a little more room. Can't wait!!

I've been putting in a ton of hours at work and Jon had an exciting week last week (great news!!! - hopefully more information on that SOON!) so we're pretty exhausted these days.

We hope everyone had a fun Christmas like we've had. And of course we must remember what Christmas is all about and celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The greatest gift of ALL. Tons of pictures posted below. Enjoy!

Camden and Kevin on the carousel. Camden was VERY focused.

Sisters!! She's getting a belly finally!!

Soon to be big brother and mommy.


Cute guy at the Bellagio.


That tree was amazing surrounded by TONS of poinsettas.




At Lake Las Vegas.

Looks like a real Italian street!

Birthday Boy!

Yesterday was Jon's 31st birthday! I tried to make the day very special and memorable for him. Unfortunately for him he had to work in the morning (7am - yuck!). But fortunately FOR ME it allowed me a few hours in the morning to arrange for a few special surprises.

Because we celebrated with Brad Paisley last week, I didn't get him anything big and exciting. But I DID get him his own "Stinky" (feather pillow) so that he would stop stealing mine every night! :) I think he liked it. I also surprised him with a ton of balloons and his very own cupcake cake all decorated for him. He was tired, so we took a nap, then got up and got ready to go where he requested to go for his birthday: The Rio buffet! He's so easy to please! We stuffed ourselves pretty good, then wobbled out and drove to Red Rock to catch a movie. But we got there a little late, so we killed 2 hours people watching and trying to continue to digest our dinner so we could sit through the movie comfortably. We saw "The Holiday" and really liked it. Very cute movie.

All-in-all, I think it was a fun day for him! You know, except for the working part. It was the first birthday of his we got to spend together, so I tried to make the most of it. Pics below!!


With his hat! Hadn't shaved yet....


Cupcake Cake. He's 31, not 37. It's a 1, I swear.


Cute.

Make a wish!


At the buffet with his favorite meal - dessert!


At Red Rock, waiting for our movie to start and for our bellies to deflate!

Sneezing, Playing Dress-up, and Silly Sarge

I came down with a good bout of allergies beginning on Sunday. It's actually a mild case compared to what I've dealt with in the past, but apparently living in Vegas for a over a year now is beginning to strengthen me a little bit. I still feel like my brain is leaking out my nose and probably by tomorrow I will be ready to trade in my nose for a new one that is not red and raw. I feel pretty good for the most part - just congested and sinus pressure which makes me sleepy. Hopefully I start feeling better soon. I really hate waking up with a sore throat after having to breathe through my mouth all night.

Saturday night was my company's Christmas party. it was at Red Rock Resort, which we really love. We had a fun time, and as always, Jon was a good sport while we spent time with all the people I work with. Of course, he got to touch base with a few people he used to work with as well. And he LOVED the food. Here is a picture of us from the night:




Here are a couple of pictures of Sarge being a weirdo. We know how much Don loves these pictures.



This is one of Sarge's favorite places to lay. We're not sure why he loves to stick his head under the bed, but it apparently makes him happy.


Sarge sat in this position for a few minutes. It looks as though he's about to lie down but he got stuck. And that's how he stayed. Weirdo.

Baby, you are the world

Jon's birthday is Saturday. We don't have any real plans, except to spend the remainder of the day together after he gets off work. The rotation of Saturdays wasn't kind to him, so he's got to wake up early on his big day.

We did get to celebrate 9 days early. I treated Jon to go see Brad Paisley, aka "My Man" as Jon calls him. My favorite thing about getting him the tickets was when I was asking questions about who he might want to see if we went to a show for his birthday. I said "there are tickets I want to buy you for your birthday, but I want to make sure you really want to go because they're kind of expensive." His response was, "is it like, Brad Paisley big, or what?" I couldn't believe he used it as a comparison to determine if he'd want to go, so I blurted "well, it IS Brad Paisley". So that was that.

We had a really great time. Until I met Jon, I hadn't listened to country since high school. I've mostly enjoyed getting back into it, though it's still weird to me. Brad's music is great and his live show is a lot of fun. And a bonus for BOTH of us was that Carrie Underwood opened the show! She sings AMAZING live, I couldn't stop being impressed by her.

It was a late night on a work day for us, but well worth it. Fun to do something different and to celebrate Jon's birthday doing something he really loved. By my calculation, his birthday has already lasted about 3 weeks and it hasn't even happened yet! I hope he keeps that in mind next time mine rolls around. :)

The big 3-6!!!

This big congratulations is a week overdue but I still want to acknowledge the 36 years of marriage of Don and Jane Hanes!!!! It was officially a week ago on November 22nd. Unfortunately I don't think it was a wonderful celebration due to Don's root canal, but it doesn't make the date any less significant. And we hope to see them soon!!!




Speaking of anniversaries, today is mine and Jon's 4-month anniversary as a married couple! I realize we have all sorts of silly dates we recognize as "anniversaries" but 4 months ago today we said our "I do"s and committed our lives to each other forever and ever. We look forward to celebrating 36 years together like Don and Jane... minus the root canal, hopefully.

Birthday Boys

Today is Thanksgiving and we have SO MUCH to be thankful for. We had a wonderful day full of all the usual eating, laughing and football. Camden is at an age where he is so hilarious and says the funniest things. It's such a fun time.

Last night we celebrated both Jon and Camden's birthdays a little early while we were all together. Jon got a birthday pie (pecan) with candles, and Camden got a very delicious chocolate cake. Though when told to "blow", he blew his nose instead of his mouth. Easy mistake when you're 2.

Both boys had fun opening their presents, though there was a little more screaming and jumping up and down on Camden's part. Poor Jon is faced with sharing his birthday with our favorite little boy, but he proved himself very selfless and gracious and willing to share the spotlight. Plus he got pecan pie!

Fun time had by all! Though we wanted Camden to wait until the morning to open one of his games that was going to take quite some time to set up, so we snuck it away when he was distracted by something else. It brought a few of us to laugh to the point of tears when he kept turning around looking for that other box, seemingly saying to himself "but I know there was another one!! It was right there a minute ago...!" His little 2 year old memory is pretty good, we had to admit.

And it's not until right now as I'm posting pictures that I realize we didn't even take one of the birthday boys together. Heck, we didn't even take one of Jon.... At least I have his actual birthday to make up for it in a couple weeks.

Our Boys

Since we don't have kids, our worlds revolve around the dogs. Seems they've been extra-entertaining lately. Which could also translate to higher maintenance. Sarge still has the occasional accident in the house and the times he does prove to have no logic, so we've almost stopped trying to figure it out. We endured a bit of drama this week with trying to find Wylee a new bed. With new couches arriving on Saturday, sleeping on the couch is no longer an option for the boys - even if it was never an option to begin with, it's out of the question now. Wylee's second favorite spot is UNDER Sarge's bed, which leaves Sarge no other logical option (according to him) but the couch... and round and round we go... Never did I think buying a dog a bed would be such an ordeal. The only thing I can compare it to is the story my stepdad tells of taking his son to go buy a new "wubby" (blanket), where they had to "test" each and every blanket based on how it felt and fit in his tiny hand. The same goes for Wylee and how he determines comfort and fit. We've tried 3 and failed miserably each time. Though we have gotten some good laughs with each attempt watching him try to squeeze himself into a bed we thought was plenty big as we stood in the aisle discussing the pros and cons. For full disclosure, I must say that we might have found a few beds Wylee would have found completely suitable, but they did not pass the Jon and Holly test of ugliness. The saga continues.... Included in the slideshow below are a couple of shots of Wylee trying to act comfortable in a bed we chose. Luckily for Wylee, we've saved the receipt and it is being returned.... We've also snapped a few of Sarge's alternative choices for sleeping spots. And, just because, we had a little fun with the pups today and got a good snapshot of Cooper's ears flipped over. It was hilarious at the time, and the picture still makes me laugh. If I could get Wylee to sit still enough for me to get a good shot of him, I'd post one of his ears, too. One day...

Our Boys' Slideshow