Silpada Jewelry Party

My good friend and co-worker Stephanie just started selling Silpada. It is gorgeous and the collection has many statement pieces.




(These are the pieces I ordered)
I hosted her first party this week and it was a great time!



We had drinks

And an ice cream bar (with homemade frozen yogurt modeled after Pinkberry)



She even had her first sale – thanks Kathy!

I am excited to get all the new jewelry and for Stephanie’s new venture.



Thanks to all of my (and my mother’s mostly) great friends that came out to support Stephanie and purchase jewelry.

*Jewelry photos from Silpada website.

Highlights of a Country Concert

Since tomorrow is the Dierks Bentley concert at Stir I felt it appropriate to post photos from our last Stir concert adventure, that started with dinner and drinks at Riverside Grille.

Eric Church was amazing! So amazing guys even felt the need to crowd surf??

But of course the most important part of any country concert is the boots

The hats

The time spent with friends



And family


(my work "family")

Occasionally a drink may even be consumed…..

Can’t wait to enjoy live music under the stars tomorrow with this crew.

168th Infantry You are in My Thoughts and Prayers...

Iowa is deploying the largest number of troops since WWII this month. Yesterday Council Bluffs hosted a send-off ceremony and parade as the 1st Battalion 168th Infantry departed for training before deployment to Afghanistan. The ceremony was very neat and a tear jerker


Hard not to get a little teary when you see images such as this – the Freedom Riders saluting the current service members.


Over 2,000 people attended to show support along with the Governor of IA, our Mayor, and many other dignitaries for the area.


Images such as this were also heart breaking, a little girl clinging to her daddy with tears in her eyes.

So many families were crying while hugging their sons/daughters , wives/husbands, girlfriends/boyfriends, or siblings good bye. Knowing the loved one was heading to war and thousands of miles away for over a year. Each of these service members are making a huge sacrifice for our freedom. I can’t thank them enough. I also thank the families and friends they leave behind, they too put their lives on hold and worry every day. I almost think it may be harder to be the ones standing behind with a loved one at war. Those at war have a mission to focus on , a mission they signed up for and usually welcome with excitement and open arms. Their loved ones did not always sign up for this same mission. To all of you (deployed and at home), know that you will be in my prayers and thoughts this year. If there is anything I can do to lessen your burden never hesitate to email. I have been in your shoes and know how it feels – although I did not carry a weapon and have the same responsibilities as many of you.


I was usually the one leaving. I was always excited about the adventure that awaited me and the chance to help others. It was hard to hug my family and friends and say goodbye but once in country the worry quit as you compartmentalized the situation and dealt with it as needed. Leaving those at home to do the worry – sorry mom/dad and family! And through all this there is a still a huge part of me that wishes I was deploying with those troops to Afghanistan. I want to be there helping fight that war and learning more about the Afghans and their country…..

We’re Off to the Races…

Horseman’s Park has live horse racing one weekend a year. Last Sunday I was lucky enough to catch a few of the races.


I love horses and miss Big Red (my childhood horse). I think I need someone to buy me a horse – oh yeah they need to take care of it for me also, so I just get the enjoyment of riding. Just such gorgeous animals.


The best part of the final race…..

The jockey of the winning horse was a girl! Very cool in my eyes.

I really want to attend the Kentucky Derby! Every year it rolls around and I wish I was there. The fancy dresses & hats, the mint juleps, the pretty horses. What’s not to love?

Is cheerleading a sport?

The age old debate. I remember spending hours defending my sport in high school to the doubters (mostly the boys of course). We would argue over how hard practice was, how athletic we were, and the fact that we competed just like any other athlete. The following article and related comments in the Omaha World Herald crack me up as such strong opinions on whether or not Cheerleading is a sport. I vote YES!!! Especially for the competitive teams. How do you vote? And for entertainment purposes - a cheerleading photo from my glory days borrowed from a FB wall.

VIP Tour of the Elk & Buffalo Ranch

As mentioned in a previous post there is a cool Elk & Buffalo Ranch near Niobrara owned by the Kreycik’s. Lucky for me I was able to get a VIP tour via four wheeler last weekend….

I got a bit muddy but trust me nothing is more fun than four wheeling around this gorgeous country side


can’t you just picture a huge farmhouse or lodge atop this hill where you wake up to this view every day!?!

Checking out these amazing animals up close and personal - no steel bars for protection like in the wagon


Some not quite as close for obvious reasons...


Others really close


Jr and Boomer (the long horn steer) were the least shy of the bunch as you can tell.