#1 Phil Phan!

Be prepared...The story I'm about to tell you is crazy!

So freakin crazy!

It all started with my love of Phil Vassar, an amazing country musician.  Cole and I see him every year when he comes to the Grizzly Rose (you may remember my post about it last year), and last night would make concert #5.  Every year I have wanted to fight my way on stage but every year once we arrive the task seems too daunting.  On the drive down I asked Cole if he was ready to pull out all the stops to help get me on that stage.  I raised my fist in the air and jokingly yelled,  
"Tonight's the night I meet Phil Vassar!!!" 
Hmm, a little foreshadowing, maybe?? 

Just about to head into the concert!

This is actually a really long story, but I'll do my best to just relay the highlights.  A friend of a friend of a friend new a girl (I'll call her Sally for privacy's sake) that knows the right people and had two extra VIP passes to the show.  Even though I had no clue what having a VIP pass meant, I knew I wanted one of the extras.  Well, she gave them to two other girls that were "losely" related to our "group"....bummer!  The good news is that those girls didn't know Phil Vassar and so they gave them to me and my friend Breanne.  I asked one of the security guards (Steve) by the VIP entrance what having a wrist band meant, and he said it meant I could do the meet and greet with Phil and that I should get in line.  OMG!  I couldn't believe that this was happening to me!  My dream was becoming a reality!!!  

As I made it back stage and about 10 feet from the room where Phil was, another security guard asked to see my backstage pass.  Uh, what pass?  So I showed him my wrist band.  Turns out I needed a something else.  "Nooooooo!"  "Porque????"

I begged and pleaded that Steve had told me the wrist band was sufficient and asked that he let me go.  I was so close, surely he wouldn't dash my dreams when I had made it so far.  Actuallly he would.  Breanne and I were "escorted" out.

I found myself back by Steve.  He felt pretty bad (considering he really did tell me I could go back there!).  He pointed to an old man sitting at a table of 4 and said he had heard earlier that he had 2 extra Meet and Greet passes.  The next thing you know I am approaching a table full of strangers and asking the old man if I can have his extras.  Turns out he had already given them away..."Noooooo!"  

(can you believe I actually did all this??...don't answer that!)

I went back to Steve with my hopes dashed.

I begged some more. 

To no avail.

Finally Steve said, "The owner of the bar is standing right behind you.  He's who you would have to talk to."

Had to get a picture with Steve, since he really tried to help me

I think you know what is coming next.  Yes, I turned around, tapped the owner of the bar on the shoulder, and explained (in a high pitch, talking way too fast manner), how much I loved Phil Vassar and how I thought my VIP wrist band meant that I got to meet him, and how I had gotten so close, and how all I wanted was to meet him...

Then walks in Sally who is so drunk and crazier then I could every get you all to picture, and she starts telling the owner (who apparently is her friend) that he doesn't need to help me and she is clearly aggravated with all of the attempts I have made to get backstage.  He asks her if she knows me.  She says, "Yes, I know her, but you don't need to let her back." 

I pretty much wanted her to shut her pie hole!

To my surprise the owner said, "it's no big deal", and he whipped out two backstage passes (he thought Sally wanted one).  Sally told him she had already gone.  Quick on my feet I grabbed them both, said I would give one to my friend, and hurried off in the direction of backstage!

The mean security guards in the back were awfully shocked to see me again, and were initially a bit skeptical about how I had gotten the passes.  I guess it isn't everyday someone walks up to the owner of the bar and asks if he'll let them back...lol.  Just leave it to me!

But...

All my work paid off :)

And I think I earned it!

 I got multiple hugs, I'm pretty sure there was a kiss on the cheek, he signed my pass, and we got to chit chat for a few minutes.  Breanne and I were the last that got to see him!!

I triumphantly reiterated to Cole on the way home,  
"Tonight's the night I met Phil Vassar!!!"  

He couldn't have been more proud!

That was my fun, crazy story.  But here are more pics from the night:)

 I love and miss my old roomies, Shan and Breanne

Best performer ever!

I realize Shan and I look pretty sick in this pic, but please 

note the nastys behind us (but actually in front of us).  Who wants to look at that all night??

 Still real annoyed with those nasty jokers...they must have 

come up for air right as this picture was taken!

Sad Fact:  No pictures taken with Cole...lame!

Fun Fact:  I was wearing the shirt I wore forever ago on the night I met Cole.  Lucky Charm perhaps?  I have met some memorable people in that shirt! :)

Oh, and before you go thinking that the above crazy behavior was alcohol induced, I am proud (I think) to say that I only had one beer all night.  I'm sure those of you who know me well aren't a bit surprised!

Thank you for your time Phil!
Til next year:)

December's Child

I thought I would share a Christmas poem written by my Nana (my mom's mom).  Every Christmas she would send out a Christmas poem and she managed to do it for 50 years.  Cole and I have many Christmas traditions that we do every year, and this year we decided that we would start reading one of her poems every Christmas.  I thought it was especially fitting today, since the first Christmas poem my Nana ever wrote was in 1952 and was dedicated to the birth of my mom, whose birthday is today!  Pretty special!

 One of my favorite pictures of my mom.

She was praying for the unborn outside an abortion clinic.

Happy Birthday, Mom!



Wine Party

The Chapmans had their annual Wine Party Saturday night and, like every year, we had a blast.  This year was extra special because it isn't every day that we get a night out by ourselves.  We were blessed that our good friend Judy offered to come over and watch Tavian while we were gone.  It was so nice knowing he was at home, in bed, and in safe hands!

I decided to go all out and get really dressed up for the special occasion.  I may have gotten a little too dressed up, but since I so rarely get to anymore, I decided to take full advantage.  My best friend Amy even came over to help me with my hair and make up and finalize which dress I would wear.  I felt beautiful and it made the night all that more enjoyable.

I am so thankful that I was able to catch up and spend time with friends that I don't get to see that often.  Good wine, yummy food, and great friends and convos.  It doesn't get much better then that :)

Here are a few snapshots from the night:

 Catching up with Chelsey!

 Smiling with the beautiful hostess!

 I even got to hang out with my blogging buddy!  Can you believe we got to talk in person?? lol

 I even got a picture with my lovey :)

Enjoy

 Not only does this sound beautiful, but it is also super fun!  Wish I could have been there in person :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/AlphabetPhotography

A Yummy Time of Year

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas Season....

Yummy Mint Christmas M&M's...so Delish :)

Back to December

Do any of you like Taylor Swift?
I know that she gets a lot of flack and that many of you probably can't stand her, but I actually enjoy her music.  No, I don't think she is the most amazing vocalist I have ever heard, but I think that she stands as a great role model to young girls, and I recognize the talent that goes into writing your own songs.  Plus, no matter the haters, she must be doing something right because she has taken over the music industry and you can't listen to any radio station without hearing her songs...over..and over...and over! (maybe why some people are sick of her)
Anyway, I started thinking about her because I have been seeing her preform her music all over lately.  Awards shows, The Ellen Degeners Show (multiple times), etc...and I decided I really like one of her newer songs "Back to December".  You know, the one that is supposedly about her relationship with Taylor Lautner.  I know her songs are full of teenage angst and although I'm sure they would have been much more rateable to my life in high school, I still find myself enjoying them!
Listening to her song really put me back into song writing/guitar playing mode. 
I miss playing guitar.
I miss writing music.
I miss singing.
Maybe one day soon I'll find the time to pick up my guitar again...
Her is the song, if you are interested!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juFTc3gDkKA

Update

I'm so sorry I haven't written lately, especially because I have to follow up on my last post.
I had the ultrasound, and praise God, everything came back and they didn't find anything "concerning".  I assumed that basically meant nothing resembling cancer, which is obviously great news in my book!  But, because we still didn't know what was causing the problems they sent me to see the surgeon.  I saw him a week ago and he found the issue that was causing all the clogged ducts and decided that he would do a small surgery the following day.  It sounds worse then it was, so I will spare you all the details!  All that matters is that the surgery is over and besides being a bit sore, everything seems to be taken care of.  Success!!!
Hopefully painless breastfeeding is in my near future!

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Roller Coaster Ride

It has been kind of rough lately.

I was really looking forward to last weekend because I have really been in need of a break.  And, since I have the most amazing husband ever, he is willing to give me as much of a break as I need every weekend.  It isn't too surprising that I felt like I was running on empty, considering one of my milk ducts hadn't drained all the way in days, and a doctor's apt. on thursday told me that I had a breast infection.  For those of you who have had one you know how much it sucks.  One of the real perks of an infection is that it can affect the milk supply in that breast, which for someone like me who is always struggling with milk supply, it just adds to the stress!  I started on antibiotics immediately.

 

Saturday night was frustrating as well because I lost my cell phone.  I "lose" my cell phone multiple times a day, but this time was different.  And I lost it right after church so I had it on silent, which doesn't make finding it any easier.  Days later I still haven't found it.  Thankfully, and surprisingly, I was ready for an upgrade on my plan so purchasing my new phone wasn't as expensive as I had anticipated.  I'm just bummed because I have never actually lost my phone before.  I keep thinking it has to be in my car somewhere, so hopefully it will turn up in a few weeks.  I don't like knowing I lost something like that, and I'm mostly sad because I have a lot of pictures/videos of Tavian over the past 8 months.  I know, I know...and many of you know as well, I have hundreds of pictures of him, but I'm greedy and I wanted to save each and every one!!!

Then Sunday came and my duct was still clogged...worse then it was days before.  Clearly I wasn't feeling confidant in the antibiotics.  I should have been getting better, not worse!!  Another little treat for Sunday was that Tavian decided to go on a 24 hr. nursing strike.  I know it could have been a lot worse, and I am so very thankful that he is back to normal now, but I can't tell you how emotionally draining it is when your sweet little baby won't nurse on you and pushes you away!  I swear he would have rather starved himself!!!!  Now I realize he was probably having pain from teething and didn't want any pressure on his gums.  It just made for a teary day of fearing that he may be weaning himself!

I thought things were looking up on Monday, and in many ways it was a great start to the week.  Cole's mom offered to come and get Tavian for the day so I could rest and have some time to get stuff done around the house.  I didnt' rest as much as I would have liked, but it was nice being able to accomplish so much!  I am so thankful for my mother-in-law and I love knowing how much she cherishes Tavian.  He deserves to be cherished!!!  They had a great time together. 

Cole and I grabbed dinner alone (another perk) before heading to pick Tavian up.  The bummer is that my boob was getting pretty clogged again, and I made a last minute decision that I should go to the urgent care again and see what they could tell me.  (note that Tavian eats 9 oz. off me every morning so if I was feeling clogged in the evening, if something didn't change it was going to make for a very painful morning!)  I didn't get very much information, other then that I have to go in for an ultrasound on my breast on thursday.  I'm a little concerned, but I'm sure it is no big deal.  That will tell them if the problem is fluid or a mass, at which point they would decide if I need to have the fluid drained or the mass biopsied.  Because not much was done last night, it did make for a painful morning.  Thankfully Tavian ate a lot and I wasn't in much pain for the remainder of the day.  I just want to get the ultrasound over with so I can figure out what is wrong and fix it!  First of all I hope it isn't serious.  But I also really hope it doesn't mean I have to stop breastfeeding yet....I guess only time will tell.

I know that much of this post was a bit of a downer, but I am still thankful for all the blessings in my life right now.  There is always going to be rough patches in life, and I just happened to have a few right in a row.  It could always be worse, I know that first hand, so even though I had a few low days, I am going to keep repeating in my head one of my favorite sayings...

"This too shall pass"

My Shadow

Tavian has become my little shadow.  It started around three weeks ago.  Since crawling he has realized that he can follow me around wherever I go.  It makes it very difficult to get anything done.  Cole decided to document this with our camera!

 Ok Tavian, you win:)

Wedding

(This is long over due..about time i get it published!)

The wedding was wonderful and we loved getting to spend some time alone.  Many thanks to Cole's mom for making it possible for us!!

Amanda and Steve had a beautiful wedding and it was great celebrating with them.  We also got to catch up with our friends, Will and Lexi, so that was really nice.

And, best of all, Tavian did wonderfully!  He and Grammy both had a great time.  It gives me a lot of confidence that we could go away sometime soon for an entire night away...and that makes me very happy.

Here are a few pictures from our fun night out

Andrea, I put this up so you could see the dress.  Look familiar?? you may remember it from senior homecoming...

Kind of embarressing to be wearing a high school dress, but it worked!

All alone

And I'm not happy about it!

Cole left for Amsterdam this morning and he won't be back until Friday night.  He has his first big business trip (tankfully there haven't been more) and although he is really excited about getting to travel, and I am not real thrilled about being without a husband for six days!  I joke with him that even though he is going for work, he is really the one getting the vacation!...although he will be in three countries in the short amount of time, so not much time for relaxing and sight seeing.  He has never been to Europe though so I am sure he will still have a fun time.  

I already am missing him like crazy.  Life just isn't as good without him!  I have been so anxious about him traveling so far from home.  I pray (and I ask for your prayers) that everything goes well and he arrvies safely back home on Friday!

One of the worst parts about him being gone is the sleeping scenario.  As in I usually don't sleep..at all!  It isn't like I just don't sleep as well...but more like the lights on and I am terrified all night and I daze in and out of consciousness.  Not my idea of a restful night.  And restful nights are much more important now that I am taking care of a little baby all day.  (Did I mention what an active baby he is??  He is into everything!)

Luckily my dad was willing to come to the rescue and he will be staying with me while Cole is gone.  I am hoping there may even be some father/daughter bonding...and maybe some bapa/tavian bodning as well.  And I can't go without giving my amazing girlfriends some credit.  Ames and Liss are coming over tomorrow for a spend the night.  We are going to watch The Hangover and eat pizza!  Sounds like a good time to me!!!

Please keep me and Tavian in your prayers as well.  It is probably going to be a very long, tireing week!

Hope you all have a good week:)

p.s. I am so behind in blog world...hopefully I can find the time this week to finish posts I started forever ago!

Some time for me

I am sitting at a Starbucks in Colorado Springs all by myself.

Why am I in Colorado Springs on a Friday afternoon?  How have I found myself alone?  Where is my hubby and child? 

Let me tell you...

Cole's friend Steve is getting married in a few hours at a church in Colorado Springs.  The wedding is at 4, but because Cole is an usher, he had to be at the church at 1:30.  Cole pretty much took the entire day off so we could get everything ready and get here on time.  I don't know what it is about the drive to Colorado Springs, but for some reason there always seems to be plenty of traffic!  Turns out leaving early was a great idea!  As for my baby boy, we dropped him off in Longmont with Cole's mom.  I thought it would be too long of a day for him, a lot of car time, and Cole and I thought it might be nice to take advantage of spending some time alone.  Does it say something that we were even excited for the drive?!?  Perspectives have changed since baby, and what once would have been seen as an annoying, long drive, is now seen as the perfect opportunity to ride hand in hand with my love and spend time talking and laughing without other obligations!

Once I dropped Cole off at the church, I decided I really needed to embrace the circumstances and find a Starbucks and relish in some "me time"!  Let me say, I am loving it!  I probably would have preferred a Barnes and Noble though because this Starbucks is hopping...so crazy and so noisy.  My gps let me down and couldn't find a BandN..so I made do with this!  And I am still very thankful!

Of course coming early has some disadvantages...like having to change and try to "get ready" in a church bathroom.  It should be interesting, that's for sure.  And of course leaving Tavian, as much as I appreciate the break, was hard.  My eyes welled with tears as we drove off, afraid that my little man would feel abandoned by me.  But I know that is rediculous, especially because I am leaving him with Grammy...aka the best hands ever!!  I know he will beloved, spoiled, and cherished in her home...as he should be :)

Well, I only have a short time left before I will need to leave to get ready.  I will post later about the rest of the night and about the wedding.  I'm sure we'll have a blast!

And, if this goes well, maybe someday soon we'll try leaving Tavian overnight...

maybe..

Music to my ears

In the last week Tavian has started saying mama!  I LOVE it!

When I first heard him say it, I convinced myself that there was no way he could know that it was me.  Sure, he could make the sound, but he couldn't know the sound was meant for me...right?  Well, I was wrong.  He definitely knows!  It is the cutest, sweetest thing in the whole world.  Whenever he is frustrated, tired, hungry...basically whenever he needs something, I hear Mama..Mamamama.  He will cry out for me and crawl right into my lap.  The problem is that it is so hard to not give him whatever he wants when I hear it.  Plus, he is going through a stage of separation anxiety.  He literally doesn't want me out of his site, and he would prefer more then anything if I was holding him at all times. 

The second the shower door closes, I hear him whine for Mama over and over.  Kind of breaks my heart.  The worst is nap time.  He scoots to the edge of the crib, gets on all fours, reaches out his arm for me, and cries, "Mama!"  Sometimes I can stand it, but others my heart melts and I go and pick him up.  The more I respond when he says it, the more positive reinforcment he is getting...right?!? ;)

I never knew something could be so special!  And now Cole is trying to get him to say Dada..too cute!!!

I guess this is just another joy about being a mom.   Sometimes it is still hard to believe that I get to be the Mama..and I get to hear my beautiful baby call for me.  What could be better??

Things are about to get interesting...

Because I have a little boy who has learned how to get to where he wants to go!

Tavian has started to crawl!  He hasn't mastered it yet, but I think he will be getting into all sorts of trouble in no time!  Here is a sneak peak at my soon to be trouble maker :)

I'm a proud momma!

Scary Story

I mentioned in the post about my sister's visit that I would later say more about the night we went out in Old Town.  Well, here is our scary story:

We met friends at the Drunken Monkey, stayed only about an hour, and then headed home around 11:30pm.  We were headed Southbound on College.  Andrea let me have a drink (probably as repayment for going out with her so late...I mean really, I needed some incentive!! and beacuse she would most likely be breatsfeeding in the early morning hours) so she said she would drive us home.  Yes, I could have driven with only having one drink, but we are just extra careful about these things!  Well, as we were approaching Drake on College, we suddenly realized something was very wrong.  A white pick up truck was headed North on College, but while driving in the Southbound lane.  Sooo not okay!  There was a few moments of confusion and panick, but Praise God there weren't any other cars close to us so we were able to get all the way over to the right hand lane.  Andrea handles herself perfectly!  One of the scariest things about this was that the driver had NO idea he was going the wrong way on the wrong side of the median!  He wasn't slowing down, wasn't trying to turn around..nothing!  I immediately started laying on the horn as he passed to try and warn him, as well as all the cars he would soon be approaching!  I also called 911 and let them know what I had seen.  Of course everything happened so fast and the last thing on our mind was to get the license plate number! 

We have no real way of knowing if anything else horrible happened because of that drivers stupid decision to drive drunk, but I pray that no one was hurt because of it. 

Anyway, Andrea and I were really shooken up.  It gave me a whole new perspective as to what it must have been like for my dad when he and my mom were hit by a drunk driver...

So reckless, so senseless!

Thank you God for keeping us safe:)

Respect Life Month

October is Respect Life month. A month to remember all the unborn whose lives have been taken by the Silent Holocaust. I consider myself a pro-life advocate. I first protested outside abortion clinics when I was a little girl, holding signs, praying, and in my mother's arms. I have never known anyone who fought for life as passionately and lovingly as my mother. I hope to always continue and fight for the rights of those who have no voice.


At UNC the students have started participting in something they call BEARfoot for Babies which takes place during one week of Respect Life month. This year it is Oct3-Oct9. The students go the entire week without shoes or socks as a form of silent, peaceful protest. They also fill the week with prayer, mass, and amazing speakers. I have the priveledge of seeing Lila Rose speak tomorrow at UNC...but more about that tomorrow.
For more information about BEARfoot for Babies take a look at their video:



Hopefully you all can find a way to participate this month!

Life as it should be...

with Andrea, Luke, and Augustine in Fort Collins!

My sister Andrea and her family came to visit this last weekend and we had the most wondeful time!  You may already know that Andrea is my best friend and an amazing sister and I am always wishing that she lived here.  It will probably still be a few years before they move here, but in the meantime little visits are so exciting for me!

I picked them up from the airport on Friday afternoon (should have been morning but of course their flight was delayed..)  Anyway, we started our time together with a delicious homemade dinner of chicken with shrimp salad.  And for dessert?  Yummy white wine and homemade oreo mcflurries outside by the fire pit.  So much fun!  Andrea and I talk multiple times a day, but actually getting to talk in person was so surreal!  She knows every detail about my life, every new outfit I buy, etc...but being here she actually got to see the outfit, or see Tavian's new silly face, or the new toy I bought him!  Pretty sweet!

Saturday started with Mckenzie and Dylan's soccer games.  They both did great!  My other sister Ellen and her fmaily were also in town and it was great getting so much of the family together and watching the cousins play together.

After the soccer games Ellen, Andrea, and I brought our kiddos to a pumpkin patch by our house.  We weren't really interested in all the festivities offered, but  we thought it would make an adorable photo op...and it did!

The rest of Saturday was spent planning for a big dinner celebration for all our family.  It was somewhat stressful because I was the hostess and I have never had that many people come over!!!  There were going to be 16 adults and plenty of kiddos!  Luckily everyone was bringing a dish to share.  My extended family happens to be amazing cooks so we had TONS of yummy Italian food.  Of course I forgot to take any pictures...so lame!  The weather was perfect so we were outside the majority of the time and the kids and boys kept busy playing cornhole.  Everyone left around 9 and just when I was thinking that bed was around the corner, Andrea asked if I wanted to go meet up with Audra (one of her high school friends) downtown.  I said yes, which is total proof of how much I love my sister!  It takes a lot for me to  not go to bed early!!!  No pictures from downtown either :(, but it was a good time.  (I have a side story about it that I will post at another time!)

  

We met all the fam at Panera early Saunday morning for some delicious brunch.  Normally we go to mass at 730 but we were all pretty tired from the night before so Andrea and I went with our families at 12.  We got home in time for the Bronco game at 2.  The rest of the family met up at our house in the afternoon so Ellen and her family could say goodbye to Luke, Andrea, and Augustine before they left to go back home to Gillette.  That night I met some of my high school friends for a quick dinner at The Rio because Annie Pitner was in town.  I ended up getting to see Annie, Kalin, Whitney, Carly, Ashley, Syd, Esther, and Megan.  It was great getting to catch up with everyone...even if for only a short time!  I went home and got to continue hanging out with the rest of the gang with beer and corn hole.

Monday was probably one of my favorite days!  Cole took off work so that we could go up to Estes with Andrea and Luke.  It was such a fun time and the weather and scenery were beautiful.  We started with lunch at Wapiti Grill, walked around town, stuffed our face with the best ice cream at Haleys, and then ended the day with mini golf and Go Carts.  Too much fun! 

We drove home in the afternoon and had one last dinner with all of the family so everyone could say their goodbyes. There was more cornhole and more fun. And, after they had finished their dinner, we gave Tavian and Augustine a bath. One of the cutest things ever! Wouldn't you agree?!??

We ended the night just Andrea, Luke, Cole, and me and a game of Chicken Foot.  The days went so quickly and I am so bummed that they are gone.  I already miss them so much...I mostly miss all the laughing that Andrea and I did together.  Like maybe when she nailed me directly in the temple with her elbow with massive force?  Oh yeah, that was so funny!  Oh wait, it wasn't.  It was only funny to Andrea.  She laughed until she cried but I just cried!  Lol..at least I can laugh about it now.  Miss you sister:)  Til next time...

 

Scottish-Irish Highland Festival

Cole, Tavian, and I went to the Highlands Festival in Estes Park on Saturday.  They have the festival every year and this is the second year in a row that Cole and I have participated.  My Aunt Fran and Uncle Larry always register our "clan" (Clan Rutherford) so that we actually get to walk in the parade.  My Rutherford side is my Scottish side, but my mom's side (McCormick) is all Irish so this parade is a great fit for me:)  My Native American/Italian hubby just comes along for the ride.  haha!  Cole and I have really enjoyed getting to participate!

The weather was perfect!  My Aunt Barb owns a condo in Estes so after the parade all of us ate lunch there.  It was such a fun, relaxing day spent with family.  I am hoping we will get to participate every year..and maybe next year we will dress a bit more festive.  Tavian would look adorable in a kilt! :)

Tavian is ready to start marching:)

What an amazing start to the day...beautiful weather, family, and a white mocha!

The start of the parade

Tavey and Daddy..  Tavian wasn't sleeping, it was just too bright out!

All of the family that marched in the parade.  It would have been fun to have a picture of us marching, but that would have been a difficult task!

Our family.  If only Tavian was looking!

When we got back to the car we had to change his diaper...the trunk seemed a reasonable place! lol..what a fun baby!