Jeremy and Sara Kennedy

Labor Day Weekend in Broken Bow, OK

2009-09-14T06:45:00.001-07:00

What a fantastic weekend we had in Broken Bow, Oklahoma!!! To celebrate my sisters' birthdays (Jaime and Beauty) we took a family trip to Broken Bow (where Beavers Bend State Park/Lake is located). We rented a log cabin (more like a house---it was huge!!). We kayaked one day ( I was terrible...I dumped over 3 times!! ) and then spent a whole day on the lake. Everyone skiied/wakeboarded/surfed....except for Jaime who is expecting her 2nd baby!! Attached are a ton of pictures, so bear with me!! I've written who everyone is since it's hard to see if the pic is taken far away :)

Look!! It's me!!! Skiing on one ski!!!
Jerm on the wakeboard!!!
Jerm and my brother-in-law, Alex doing what they do best :)
Dad wakeboarding!!!
Beauty getting up on the surfboard!
Our family by the deck at the house
Jaime, Sara, Beauty, Mom--cute, huh??
Alex, isn't this an awesome picture!!!??
It's me again slaloming!!!!
jerm skiing!!
Mom skiing!!
Our cabin...isn't it so cute??
Beauty and I (and jerm) in the hot tub on the deck
Beauty made Happy Birthday cupcakes for her and Jaime

Naturals Game--Great Weekend

2009-08-03T07:25:00.001-07:00

On Friday night, we went to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals game (minor league baseball team here in town). My room mom for the past two years gave us their tickets for the weekend and their seats were fantastic!! We took Brown and Erica with us. On Friday nights at the ballpark they shoot off fireworks (see pics below!) Jeremy's mom and grandmother came in town on Saturday and we went to the game that night, too (pictures to come...Patty took them on her camera!) It's always great to have family come in town--we've had a bunch of visitors lately! My family was in town last weekend and Jerm's this past weekend!

3rd anniversary

2009-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary last week on July 22nd! I can't believe it's been 3 years!!! We had gone out to Bonefish, our favorite restaurant, for a friend's birthday the weekend before, so we decided to cook at home for our anniversary instead of going out. I actually liked staying at home better than going out!!! I set a "fancier" table than I normally do and cooked a great meal (if I do say so myself!!) and jeremy surprised me with roses and champagne. What a sweetie!! I made a ceaser salad, filets from our meat market, roasted vegetables and potatoes au gratin, then.........a low-carb pavlova with fresh berries!!!! Jeremy LOVED the pavlova...and since it was low-carb, he liked it even better!!!

It was such a great day.....thank you baby!!!!
(Pictures.....first: the table, second: the low-carb pavlova, third: Piper and Ben licked the whipped cream bowl, fourth: jerm took a pic of me next to the roses!)

The Beach!

2009-07-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I just got back from Pensacola Beach, Florida!! It was a fantastic trip. We went with Jeremy's mom, Patty, his Aunt Deborah, cousins Mic and Ashley and Ashley's husband, Rob. We drove down on Thursday the 2nd---we even stopped at The Shed BBQ, a restaurant featured in Diners' Drive-ins, and Dives, on our way down to Pensacola...so yummy. If you're ever in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, go to the Shed!! The house we stay in is fantastic....I put some pictures down below of the house---it's right on the water and looks like it's right out of an episode of "Cribs"...4 bedrooms, a loft, 5 baths, massive kitchen...it's great. Our days were spent out on the water, reading, playing in the ocean, drinking Corona's with lime...perfect. The water was fantastic this week....no jellyfish, waves were calm, and the water was crystal clear. Each person would cook a fab dinner one night and then after that we would play Taboo, work on a puzzle, or basically just hang out. After bottles of wine at dinner, the evenings could get pretty interesting!!!

Jeremy and I took a day trip to Seaside. That's where Truman Show was filmed...it's right out of the movie...perfect little houses all in different shades of pastel colors. Jeremy and I ate lunch at this perfect little restaurant right on the water, it was so great. On our way to Sea Side we drove through Destin. Right underneath the highway was this "party cove" where tons of boats dropped anchor right in the middle of the ocean..the pic is pretty cool.

The Blue Angels are based in Pensacola and they were performing the day we left. BUT, we got to see their dress rehearsal on Friday and it was great!! They do so many flips and turns and dives...so cool!

Unfortunately, we had to come home :( No matter how long we stay you always think you need one more beach day!!

Check out the pics!

Coronas on the beach...perfect :)
Jeremy and Patty--1st day
Rob and Ashley
Jeremy and Sara
Us in front of the sunset on the 4th
Us with Patty

4th of July table setting
Our night to cook...baked ziti!!
Triple fisting, Jeremy????
Waiting for a table at Flounders
View from restaurant in Sea Side
Sea Side
Restaurant in Sea Side
Sea Side buildings
Party Cove in Destin
On the water :)
Gorgeous sunset on the beach
Jeremy and Patty---the thing on Jerm's head is a scrape...he was "riding the waves" and crashed into the sand :(
The Blue Angels

The Past Few Weeks

2009-05-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! We've been so busy lately! We went to Lake Palestine to visit my family and my parents' best friends, Jan and Glenn. They have a fabulous lake house that is one of my favorite places! It was great to hang out with my family. We spent the night with Jeremy's mom, Patty, on Sunday night back in Dallas and then came back home on Memorial Day. Then, this past weekend we went with our friends, Brown and Erica, to her family's lake cabin on Bull Shoals lake...about 2 hours east of Fayetteville. This lake was beautiful...we only saw a handful of boats on the water the whole time we were there and the water was crystal clear. We always have such a great time with them---hanging out, grilling, playing games, fishing (yeah, I am a fisherwoman now), swimming. It was awesome. Definitely shout out to Erica...she's pregnant and she was such a trooper this weekend!!!
Last day of school tomorrow...thank goodness....my class has been great and I will miss them BUT I am ready for summer. Jeremy and I are planning on buying a house this summer to renovate (a whole different post, I'm sure!!!) so I'll be super busy!!
Check out the pics:
Us swimming in the water!

Beautiful sunset on the lake!

Jeremy was catching the smallest fish...everybody else was catching bass and Jerm kept catching these little colorful fish...too funny!!

My first fish that I've ever caught!!!

Erica's fish...she caught the biggest!

Brown fishing
Erica took this of Jeremy and I....didn't know she was taking it, but it turned out pretty cute!

Jerm and his little fish!

Jerm and I grilling out

Jerm and I on the boat

Brown and Erica

Jerm learning how to drive the boat...he was a natural!!!

Erica and I

We were 20 feet away from the shoreline and this is how deep it was!!!!

My Birthday!

2009-05-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me and to Carol!!! Carol and I have our birthdays two days apart so for the past two years we've had a joint b-day party. This year, we all went over to Larry's house to celebrate! It was so much fun! Even though the weather was nasty, we still got to enjoy the fire pit, the yummy food/drinks, and of course...Rock Band!! (see video below...good thing that I am not a drummer in real life---I promise I am more coordinated than it shows!!) You know I am always on the prowl for a new cocktail--this year I attempted a white Sangria and it was a hit: (recipe----mix 1 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, 1/4 cup brandy, 1/4 cup peach Schnaaps, 1 orange cut into chunks, 1 apple cut into chunks--serve chilled) Super good!! Jeremy and I are so lucky to have awesome friends up here...it was such a great night!
Jeremy and I

The Birthday Girls

Sara, Jeremy, Heath, Carol

Cassie and Blake Dancing

Rock Band! Cassie, Sara, Danielle singing

The cake!

Ummm...no explanation needed!

Kelly and Cassie

Attempting Rock Band...it's harder than it looks!

Girls Trip to Crested Butte

2009-03-28T18:14:00.001-07:00

Hey, everyone! I just got back from a girls' trip to Crested Butte! I went with my mom and two sisters...we had a blast!! GREAT weather, GREAT snow, GREAT company :) I can't remember the last time it was just us girls (no husbands, nephews, etc)....my mom LOVED having all of her girls up there! Mom and Beauty (my little sister, Alex, who we call "Beauty") got up there on Wednesday, Jaime and I got up there on Friday...we skiied all together on Saturday and Sunday. Then, Beauty went home Sunday, Jaime went home Monday and Mom and I skiied until we went home on Wednesday...whew! We went out to all my favorite restaurants, went to the hot tub every evening to ease our muscles, and just basically hung out! Whirlwind trip!! Here are a few pics:

Me all bundled up

Jaime and I before we went shopping in town The girls (Jaime, Me, Beauty)

Mom and I at the Ice Bar (bar on the slopes...it's a good thing we're good skiiers...we can drink and ski :)

The girls

Mom all bundled up

Beauty, Jaime, and Mom

Why we call him Baby Ben

2009-03-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone!

Just a quick cute picture of Ben...obviously this is why we call our Weim, "Baby Ben"....I could have just picked him up and put him in a stroller! Jeremy and I were laying in bed watching a movie (I'm still recovering from a sinus infection...hence the reason we were in bed at 8 pm on a Friday night :) Ben rolled over and ended up in this position....he is too cute!!!!

Ft. Worth Wedding

2009-02-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Jaimie and Steve's wedding in Ft. Worth!! It was BEAUTIFUL!! Jaimie looked fabulous, Steve looked handsome, it was a great night! Jeremy and Jaimie were good friends at Baylor and she ended up meeting Steve at a wedding when she was working in Austin after graduating...long story short, Steve lives up here with us in Arkansas and Jaimie moved up here to be with him a couple of years ago!! We LOVE having them here....a bit of "Texas" in good 'ole Arkansas! The Arkansas crew went to Ft. Worth for the wedding and here are a few pics of the evening (you will notice that towards the end of the evening, we are all looking a little "dis-sheveled".) We decided to hit the TCU bars afterwards....whoa, too old for that :) Needless to say, Jerm and I needed a good night's rest when we got home!!

Carol, Me, Jaimie, Cassie, Kelly, Danielle

The Table--Blake (head cut off), Kelly, Cassie, Danielle, Larry, Heath's daughter, Kirsten, Heath, and Carol

Jeremy and Steve
Jeremy and Larry
Larry and Me (apparently something was funny!!??)

Larry and Danielle

Carol and Blake dancing

Danielle and Carol

And the Ice Days continue....

2009-01-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

More Ice Day pics....

Jeremy and I drove by our lot yesterday to see the damage...not as much damage as I expected but the pictures turned out neat...check them out!!

Since this is my 4th day off from school, I'm definitely going stir crazy in the house!! I've decided to go gambling!!! My teacher friends and I are going to Cherokee Casino to gamble away our meager teacher salary...woohoo!! Benefits of living near a Native American reservation :) Fingers crossed for coming home with more money than I left with!!!!

Snow/Ice Day

2009-01-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

As a teacher, I still get the joy of watching the news at night with my fingers crossed for "Springdale Schools Closed" to come across the screen. Well, I've received that good news the past two days!!! We had a horribly bad ice storm come through Monday night into Tuesday and it is still really nasty out there. The lights flickered all day yesterday, threatening to turn off, and I think the power officially went out for awhile while we were sleeping last night.

Last night we realized that we didn't have anything to eat so we ventured out to the grocery store BUT it was closed. Funny thing is, the liquor store was open with the drive thru line about 20 cars deep wrapped around the shopping center! Arkansans love their beer :) No groceries, but lots of liquor!! It was hilarious!

Today, we ventured out with Piper and Ben to survey the damage around the neighborhood...it was crazy! Trees down everywhere! It's amazing to see how thick the ice was on all of the trees. Check out the pics:

Our Lot

2009-01-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's been awhile since my last post...not much has been going on. School's back in session so that means I'm working myself to the bone. Jerm and I have started a new workout routine--we go 4-5 times a week and do cardio and weights...pretty soon we're going to be the 'buffest' couple in NWA...haha!!!!

I thought I'd post about our new adventure----building our dream house on our dream lot in Fayetteville. We found this lot in the fall (right before we sold our house) and closed on it back in September. AFter that, we chose a builder and a plan that we liked and so now we're just deciding when to build! The plan is a craftsman style house with siding, stone, and cedar shingles. Since the lot is on a hill, we're doing a main level with a walk-out basement. Here are just a couple pics of the lot---it's kinda hard to tell, but it has a great view!!

A New Year

2009-01-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Jeremy and I have great plans for 2009, although we try not to "plan" too much because we know there will be some unexpected things that happen. Here is how we brought in the new year---hanging out with our friends. Perfect :)

Jeremy and Sara

Jeremy and Carol

Kelly, Cassie, and Blake with the noisemakers

Cassie and Sara

Sara, Jaimie, and Danielle

Jeremy playing RockBand

Sara and Carol

Danielle, Carol, and Sara by the fire

Cassie and Sara in the RockBand

The Crew!! Danielle, Carol, Cassie, Sara, Jaimie, Kelly

Christmas '08

2008-12-30T07:36:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Did everyone enjoy all their gifts and the 5 pounds you gained? Or, is that just me?? We had a great Christmas---busy, busy! Every year, Jeremy and I think...."If it's this crazy with just us, imagine when we're toting around a kid??" We went to Dallas on the 23rd and went out to eat with Monty and Jen (bro and sis-in-law). That's our new thing: going out to eat with them instead of gifts....great idea!!!! We ate at Kenny's in Addison and it was fantastic. Then, on Christmas Eve we do tamales/tortilla soup at Patty and Duffy's with all of Jerm's family and then we head off to my parents' best friends, Jan and Glenn's for Cajun food. It's great to have such traditions on both sides of the family. THEN, on Christmas morning we headed off to Monty and Jen's at 8 am for Christmas with Jerm's family (and to watch Reece open his gifts...although you can tell from the pics that he liked the BOXES that the gifts came in!). Then, around 10:30, we went to my parents' house to open gifts and do a delicious brunch that mom made. Bryce was so cute opening gifts---this year you could tell that he knew what was going on...last year, he just kinda sat there! Then, we headed off to Jerm's aunt and uncle's house to do a Christmas dinner (which was so yummy!) and then finally back at Patty and Duffy's to spend the night. Whew!! The next couple of days, we hung out with our families and it was great to spend time with my grandmother who was in from Phoenix. We came back on Saturday and are still unpacking and catching up from the days gone. Although it's a little crazy, we are so thankful we can see both our families around Christmas!! Here are a few pics from the trip:

Bryce opening up his guitar that we got him :)

The crew over at Jan and Glenn's house

Bryce with his new 'fancy' cup that we got him :)

Jeremy and Reece---check out his pajamas!!!

Reece enjoying the box that the gifts came in!!

Tag-You're It

2008-12-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

This is fun....try it!
Sara:
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Well...I was 16, so driving ANYWHERE I could
2. wearing drill team spandex
3. going on massive group dates to TGI Friday's and the movie theater
4. taming my acne
5. dating Jeremy

5 things on my to-do list:
1. finish Christmas cards
2. finish doing my Colorado laundry
3. finish shopping for Christmas presents
4. prepare some gourmet appetizers for Jeremy's planning commission party tomorrow
5. finish ordering pics from Pensacola

5 snacks I like:
1. little clementine oranges (Piper and I could go to TOWN on these)
2. reduced fat cheez-its
3. mozzarella sticks
4. crackers and cheese
5. Steak and Shake strawberry milkshake

5 things I would do if I was a billionaire:
1. pay off my house
2. get a Range Rover
3. start a Labrador Retriever Rescue
4. donate to cancer research (any and all)
5. buy parents a HUGE house in Crested Butte to retire
6. buy Patty a HUGE house in Pensacola to retire
7. pay for college for nephews and any other future nieces/nephews

5 bad habits:
1. eating when I'm bored
2. being lazy at the gym (If jerm is there I work out hard---gotta impress him)
3. interrupting people
4. not unpacking when I'm on a trip
5. leaving house-cleaning until it's way past too late

5 jobs I've had:
1. customer service rep at Oshman's sporting goods
2. nanny
3. camp counselor
4. teacher

5 places I've lived:
1. Richardson, TX
2. South of France
3. Austin, TX
4. Fayetteville, AR (3 houses...I'm such a gypsy!!)

Crested Butte Trip

2008-12-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

Hey, all! Jeremy and I just got back from a ski trip to Crested Butte, Colorado. I know you've read the posts before...it's our favorite place in the world! Jeremy and I sometimes think, "how can we retire at 30 and live in Crested Butte full time??" Yeah, teaching and real estate is obviously not the answer!!! Haha!!! This time we decided to share it with our friends, Brown and Erica! It was a great trip, short-- but great. We left on Wednesday right after work and drove part way that night (spent the night in Dumas, TX...lots to see and do there...haha!!!) and the rest of the trip on Thursday. We skiied on Friday, shopped on Saturday (it was snowing so hard you could barely see in front of you so we decided that it would be a good shopping day), and then skiied on Sunday. I know from the pics it looks like we didn't ski at all BUT no pics were taken on the mountain because it was too freakin' cold to get the camera out and take my hand out of my gloves!! It snowed 18 inches in 48 hours so you can imagine how cold it was!! The drive back was a little hairy....it took us 21 hours instead of the usual 16 because of the weather and slick roads. I had to work the next morning and I didn't get to sleep until 4 am...needless to say, I was a zombie at school! But, it was a great start to the holiday season. The town was all decorated with lights and wreaths and Christmas music was playing everywhere....along with Bob Marley which is why I love CB so much!

Enjoy the pics!!

snowball fight!

Jeremy in front of the car when it was snowing!!

Us in the snow
Kennedy's and Hanna's at the bar (typical--you've got to stay warm somehow!!)

Kennedy's and Hanna's

Fox right outside the balcony

The town decorated! View of the mountain from the lift

Piper and Ben

2008-12-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of cute videos of Piper and Ben...they are so cute when I get home in the evenings. They can't WAIT to go outside and play :) Notice the difference in the "pleasing" side of Piper (first-born) and the 'stubborn' side of Ben (2nd child).

This is the "hungry" video

Cutest things I know...

2008-10-29T15:31:00.002-07:00

I know a lot of cute things...but here are my top #3 (in no particular order :)

Bryce at the pumpkin patch!

Reece at the pumpkin patch!Piper injured from day care wearing an ace bandage! (So adorable!!)

Small Plane, Big Fear (in the wife's case)

2008-10-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

My greatest fear is small planes. You ALWAYS hear of small planes crashing...hello, DJ AM and Travis Barker???!!! Anyways, Jeremy and his boss, Bob, got this GRAND idea of chartering a small plane to Columbia, Missouri to check out some property to possibly build. Which, by the way, is a great idea...college towns are always so fun!! I don't put my foot down on anything, but this, almost made me put my foot down (right, baby?? :) I was so scared that this plane was going to crash. Fortunately, Jeremy and Bob got there just fine AND saw the Montgomery's (aunt, uncle, cousins) which was an added bonus!!! They were in town doing a college tour for Chase to see Mizzou!!! Jeremy got back Friday night around 8:00...not bad for a 6 hour drive which became a 1-hour flight! I was hoping that Jeremy would HATE the flight...but no, it's all he can talk about lately :) He even got to sit in the co-pilot's seat BOTH there and back and wear the headphones to hear air-traffic control talking to the pilot...haha!!!

Now Bob's latest kick is buying a plane and having Jeremy get his pilot's license....might have to put my foot down on that one :)

Check out the pic:

A Great Weekend!

2008-10-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it when you have one of those weekends that is perfect?? Although it does make it EXTRA difficult to wake up on Mondays...

Well, we had one of those weekends--- The weather was fabulous, we hung out with all of our friends on Saturday night and then spent a "family" day on Sunday. On Saturday night, we met all of our friends at US Pizza and then we went to this new wine bar in Fayetteville called "The Wine Cellar". They have a machine called an enomatic and it's basically like a wine-vending machine. They had about 25 different wines all hooked up to this machine--you put in your pre-paid card (you can put whatever amount you want on it at the bar) and insert your card and press which wine you want. They have 3 different buttons--a tasting size (a couple of bucks), a half glass size (3-10 bucks) and a full glass button (7-25 bucks). A little straw is in each bottle and it pours you just the right amount! Then, it just deducts that amount off of your pre-paid debit card. Jeremy always says I'm a "Marketer's Dream" because I love the latest/greatest of whatever...I was in heaven!! Of course, I spent WAY too much money drinking WAY too much wine but it was so fun to sample! Here's the link to the machine---I guess they only a have a handful in the world and who would think Fayetteville would have one? So up-and-coming....way to go, F-town!!

http://www.enomatic.com/

http://fayettevillewinecellar.com/contact.html

Then on Sunday, Jeremy and I drove out to Devil's Den State Park. It's only about 30 minutes away from the house and it's gorgeous---loaded with trails, cabins, a lake, swimming pool, paddle boats, canoes, etc. Of course, P and B went with us and they LOVED it!! "So well behaved" were some of the comments we got from fellow hikers. (They obviously don't see them at home :) The trail we were on, Yellow Rock Trail, led us to this gorgeous overlook!! I, of course, got a little nervous when Jerm stood on the CLIFF with Piper---Ben and I were at a safe distance.

Here are some pics:

Trying to get Ben to sit....Ben and I as close as we would get to the cliff...
The family :)

Ahh....Austin!

2008-09-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I decided to take a last minute trip to Austin for the Texas-Arkansas game. It was awesome!!! The plan came together last weekend and it just snowballed from there. We rode down with our friends, Megan and Chris, and got to Austin around 12:30 on Saturday (after a quick stop in Waco for breakfast at George's!) I haven't been back to Austin since I moved in '05 and it was a pretty emotional drive down I-35...so many memories!! We stopped and tailgated before the game and then finally made it to our seats. Our seats were great---way up high but you could see everything! After the game,we went and checked into the hotel to get ready for the night. We went to Hula Hut (such an Austin fave of mine--awesome drinks, atmostphere, view, and food!!) and then went down to the "new" part of 6th street where there are a ton of new bars. It was so much fun and we can wait to go back soon!!! We drove back the whole way on Sunday back to good ole Fayetteville...poor Hogs....

Here are some pics: Sara and Jeremy tailgating in their burnt orange!
Chris, Megan, Jeremy, and Sara

At Hula Hut (My eyes are kinda big, huh?)

Jeremy

2008-09-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

I just read Jennifer's blog (sis-in-law) and she answered these questions about Monty, so I'd thought I'd give it a go with the Jerm!

1. Who is your man? Jeremy Everett (the Jerm)
2. How long have you been together? in February it will be 13 years...hahahahaha!!!
3. How long did you date? too long...10 years
4. How old is your man? in January, 27 (VERY close to 30)
5. Who eats more? more veggies: Me. More beer: Jerm No, actually Jerm mostly but when it comes to onion rings, ME!
6. Who said "I love you" first? I can't remember that long ago. I'm sure it was sweet though.
7. Who is taller? Jerm
8. Who sings better? Me, Of course!! I'm the next Carrie Underwood
9. Who is smarter? Jeremy (I was trying to think of something clever, but then I thought, no, he really is smarter.
10. Whose temper is worse? Neither of us really have a temper, but I guess me. If Jerm is mad, run for the hills because it must have been REALLY bad.
11. Who does the laundry? Haha, this is so funny because now that our house is so teeny, we have two separate laundry baskets and so we each do our own I guess. Jerm has shrunk a lot of my "must hang" things....
12. Who takes out the garbage? Man's job.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jerm
14. Who pays the bills? We both do. We sit down and go through and shred. Our least favorite night of the month. I like to know how much (or little) I have to spend :)
15. Who is better with the computer? Word/Internet: Me Excel: Jerm
16. Who mows the lawn? the Jerm...I've asked him several times if he wants me to do it but he always looks at me like I'm crazy. I would probably hurt myself (or pretend just so I wouldn't have to do it anymore)
17. Who cooks dinner? Me for sure. Hands down. I like to cook and if Jerm was "cooking" dinner we'd have peanut butter and honey sandwiches for a week. Seriously, I'm not joking
18. Who drives when you are together? He is such a better driver than I am. Although I have been known to be the DD
19. Who pays when you go out? it's all the same moolah.
20. Who is most stubborn? Haha...me for sure.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? both of us
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Um, it's a toss up. We don't see either of them enough.
23. Who kissed who first? Jerm kissed me first in his baseball uniform one summer (ahhh, baby!!!)
24. Who asked who out? Jerm said, "will you go out with me?" Isn't that a hoot??
25. Who proposed? He did. So cute--he was so nervous!!
26. Who is more sensitive? Definitely me. Puppies, babies, heartwarming ESPN stories....
27. Who has more friends? Probably equal
28. Who has more siblings? Me! the Three Wiseman--I think 3 is the perfect number.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? We both do. It's definitely an "even" playing field. Although Jeremy always says, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". Got that Piper and Ben?

Goodbye Big White House, Hello Small Yellow House!

2008-09-13T12:55:00.001-07:00

It's the end of an era. Jeremy and I have officially sold our beautiful first home...Here's a pic... R.I.P. White House.OK, in all seriousness, we had so many mixed emotions about selling the house. We knew when we bought it and did a ton of work to it that it would only be in it a couple of years. But, it was the house that we got married in and started our little family. It was a great house...it will be missed!! I think we're going to miss the neighborhood the most. I only broke down once during the whole move---it was when I saw the house completely empty...ugh, it made my stomach and heart hurt so bad!!! BUT, we sold it to a wonderful family with 2 kids and I know it's going to be in good hands. And the check we got at the closing was worth it :)

So, now we are in a little rental house about a mile from the white house. It's a great little place but the key word is LITTLE. But, it has an awesome backyard and the dogs are enjoying every romp outside!

Future plans: we are trying to close on a hillside lot in central Fayetteville (fingers crossed) and then eventually we will build on that. But, for now, the little yellow house is doing its job: we're cozy and blessed.

Crested Butte with the Family!

2008-08-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

You all know that I have a soft spot in my heart for Crested Butte, Colorado. I learned how to ski there, my parents have a place there, and it's just about the best place on earth. My little sister, Beauty, myself, and my parents just got back after spending a week in CB. We had a blast...Dad tried to teach us all how to fly fish, we went to some Colorado wineries (great wine!), hiked, ate great food, and spent the evenings in the hot tub....ahh...perfect! Here are some pics from the week!

Beauty and I outside of our favorite restaurant near the ski lift!

View from one of the wineries

Watching Dad fly fish

Mom and Dad on the drive back from the wineries...we were driving along a cliff!!

Dad teaching me how to flyfish!

More flyfishing lessons from the Pops...

Pensacola, Florida!

2008-07-30T14:05:00.001-07:00

We just got back from Florida. It was awesome...we stayed at a fabulous house, stayed on the beach all day long, drank yummy concoctions, and had such a fun time together. Thank you, thank you to Jeremy's mom for taking us. The water was warm, although there were tons of jellyfish (I got stung!!). Our house was right on the beach---we just walked down the few steps to the water. Jeremy and I also celebrated our 2-year anniversary!! Can't believe it!! It's been a wonderful 2 years, baby!! (well, it's been a wonderful 12 years, too :)

Jeremy and Patty

Jeremy, Sara, Ashley, and Mic (Jerm's cousins)

Jeremy and Duffy (his grandmother)

A Great 4th!

2008-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous Fourth of July Weekend with our good friends, Julie and David! They are getting married in August so it was nice for them to get away from all of the wedding stress and come up to good 'ole Arkansas! We went to Brown and Erica's family lake house on the 4th and then went rafting down the Elk river on the 5th...here are some pics from that weekend!! And no, the rafting was not "white water"...basically it's the Guadalupe but just on a raft...you can hold a beer and not spill a drop! Although, there was a time where we got stuck on a tree limb and David jumped out to 'save us' and there was some beer-spillage. I have some video of the aftermath...it's hilarious!

Julie and David on the raft! Julie's sporting the convenience store beads!

Jeremy and I on the raft! The water was freezing but after about an hour in the sun we eventually got in!

Here are the videos...the first one, we ALMOST lost David due to a tree limb and Jerm was not so happy because I was filming and not helping to row...Julie and I were cracking up and the boys were a little on edge due to the tree limb in the way...so funny!!

Busy June!

2008-06-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

Wow! So many things have been going on with us! A week ago, I was home babysitting Bryce for a week while my sister and Alex were in Europe--whoa, I have a whole new appreciation for motherhood--that is one busy little boy...oh, but he's so cute! We went home last weekend for a few things: Julie's bachelorette shower, Bryce's 1st birthday party, and hanging out with Reece. Here are lots of shots from that weekend...including Piper in my parents' pool! She has webbed feet for a reason! A few notes:

1. It really is sickening how I talk to Piper on the videos...I'm so embarassed. I'm going to be a wreck when I have human babies. Make sure you mute it! And the Weim, Ben, was being a total baby (typical) and just watched from the side. Although he did have an awesome time in their huge backyard.

2. I took so many pics of Bryce's birthday but not with my camera--only with my sister, Jaime's. So if you want to see awesome pics of the birthday boy, check her blog! http://consultingmom.blogspot.com/

3. Such cute photos of Reece---he's at such a fun age! Laughing, smiling, (ok, and crying in my lap--I promise Monty and Jen...I didn't do anything! He must have had gas :)

4. One last note...our camera has this weird black spot on some of the photos--just ignore.

Now to the good part---photos and videos!!!

Bryce in the pool!

Bryce taking a bottle..he rubs his hair when he's tired! Don't let the bottle fool you--he's a meat and potatoes kid.

Cutie Patootie in the pool---isn't she adorable??

Jerm getting licked

The mama and her baby girl
Ahh...now you know why they call him "Baby Ben" at day care :)

OK, he's a little upset--but 2 seconds later, he was all smiles! I'd be ticked too if I was on a liquid diet...haha!

Uncle Jerm--he's so fun!

Have you noticed that Reece is all smiles with the Jerm? Maybe it's because they look alike...

Ahh...

Playing with the uncle!

The Last One

2008-06-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Danielle's last chemo! Yeah! Many of you know that my friend, Danielle, has been going through chemo for the last several months---yesterday was the last one! We celebrated with a zebra-striped cake that said "The Last One" and teal balloons that she let go as she left the oncology center. She has been such an inspiration to all of us and continued to have a smile on her face every day! Here are a few pics of that day:

U.S.A Rocks--60's Version

2008-06-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hi, all!

It's been a while since my last post! I'm singing "School's Out for Summer" in my head as I type. In keeping with tradition, we did a "USA Rocks" program at school where each grade level dresses up in a decade and performs a song of that decade. Here is a picture of Jennifer, Carol, and myself all decked out in 60's gear!! So fun!

Other Blogs...

2008-04-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

To keep you updated on our family, here are Jaime/Alex's blog (check out Bryce learning how to do kisses!!!) and Monty/Jen's blog (check out super cute Reece-man!) Love you all!

http://consultingmom.blogspot.com/

http://montyandjen.blogspot.com/

P & B

2008-04-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

Piper and Ben are about the cutest things I know...here is their latest cute moment. Jeremy and I love Saturday mornings because they just lay so sweetly together on the bed! Ahhh!!

Slow vs. Fast Metabolism

2008-04-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

A few of you (namely, family) knew me when I was in 2nd grade. I was a cute, chubby, but cute nonetheless, little blond girl. My teacher was doing a little lesson on health and she introduced the word metabolism into my vocabulary. Actually, she introduced it by telling the kids in the class who had a FAST metabolism and who had a SLOW metabolism just based on their size. I, of course, was one of the SLOW ones. I remember going home and telling mom that the teacher said I had a slow metabolism...she, of course, was horrified, and might have pointed out that it was not slow, I just liked Doritos too much--just kidding, Mom :)

Anyways, I just got home from my workout with my personal trainer (which by the way is part of my "Summer of Sara 2008" plan) and he did a "lab-test" on me and my metabolism...it measures the amount of calories you burn at a resting heart rate, ya da ya da...anyways, the test showed that I have a "VERY FAST" metabolism!!! Take that, Mendenhall Elementary 2nd grade teacher!!!! Haha!!

Testing Week with the 3rd graders

2008-04-17T18:15:00.001-07:00

You just gotta love 9 year-olds...especially MY 9 year olds! We have worked SO hard this year trying to get them to grade level (in August, about 17 of my 25 were working at least 1-2 years below level). Anyways, we had the Benchmark test this week---the "big" 3rd grade end-of-year test...funny thing is, the Dept. of Education thinks the end of the year is mid-April...a whole other story!

So, here are my two cute testing stories:

*One of my little boys who struggles every day but is so cute, was working on his math portion of the test. On one of the questions, it asked him to draw a bar graph of the information in the provided table (some tally graph about favorite colors.) When I walked by his paper, I noticed he had drawn a plethora of teddy bears on his paper. Hmmm....I just walked on by shaking my head. Later I asked him what the deal was with all of the bears....he answered, "Mrs. Kennedy, it told me to draw a BEAR graph, so I did...I drew lots of bears." Oh geez....

*On the writing portion, it told them to write a story about their favorite place to go...well, about 4 of my kiddos wrote about Wal-Mart!!! When in Rome....

Crested Butte Trip

2008-03-23T14:48:00.001-07:00

Hi, all~
Jeremy and I just got back from our ski trip to Crested Butte, Colorado! We had the best time! We went with my sister and my parents. It was such a great trip! We are so thankful to my parents for letting us tag along and for buying the ski condo---it really has made us so happy knowing that we can go to CB for years to come and eventually bring our little kiddos to enjoy the greatest little town in the world. Attached are some pictures and videos of the week. I definitely have to give kuddos to the Jerm---he was definitely MVP on the trip. He skiied like a champ! He was much faster than me this year! Way to go, Babe!

Jeremy posing on the slopes!

Me on the slopes (my helmet is a tad funny looking but it's safe and warm!!!)

A pic of the mountain at night (you can only see 1/2 of it)

Jeremy and I having a drink after a long day!

The family! The white spots are snowflakes :)

Sara skiing!

Jeremy skiing! He is the tiny speck at the top of the hill...I tried to focus on him the whole time! You can see him better when he gets closer!

My mom and Beauty (sister) skiing~ Mom is the 1st, Beauty is 2nd

Jeremy and I at Mountaineer Square (it's snowing :)

Skiing---best sport ever!

2008-03-12T15:12:00.001-07:00

Those of you who know me know that I am NOT the most athletic person in the world. In fact, I hate playing organized sports or team sports (I get too competitive...thanks, Mom!) BUT, I love skiing! It's the one sport that I'm good at. I love the wind whistling by you--I love passing Jeremy on the way down and screaming, "On your left!". Jeremy is a very athletic person so it's the one thing in life that I'm better at than him. Sorry, babe :) Althoug he is a great skiier!!Jeremy and I are going skiing next week with my family in Crested Butte. Crested Butte is my favorite place in the world for a few reasons:
1. The mountain--it's beautiful and has the best skiing! Wide open runs

2. The restaurants--Donita's Mexican food and a carafe of margaritas...what more could I want?

3. The CB "vibe"--anywhere you go you can hear Bob Marley playing over the radio, ice cold beers, labs everywhere, jeans are the 'norm' attire, and sunburned faces. Love it!

4. Family Time--ahh, too sweet, I know. BUT, I love spending time with my family while skiing. We're all so laid back and relaxed and it's nice to get the quality family time.

5. Road trips--I love road trips!! The 16 hour car ride is part of the adventure! And, I have a rule that whatever I eat in the car on a road trip doesn't count in my daily caloric count...hello, McDonald's McMuffin!

I'll post when we get back from our trip!

Piper and Ben...the kids :)

2008-03-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

OK, so I bet you were all wondering how long it would take for me to mention my babies. Not long at all! Here is some video of them being "them". This video captured their personalities to a "T". Notice Ben wanting all of the attention, Piper's tail out of control, Ben only knowing one command--"Sit" (although he does it quite well), Piper TRYING to do her tricks but Ben gets in the way, and of Jerm and Piper's favorite trick...jumping up. Sometimes he actually catches her in his arms and picks her up. Too cute! They are such great dogs...they definitely have their 'quirks', but we love them! Note our entirely too messy office (sorry---it's a jumble of cords. We just moved our office upstairs and the cords are everywhere!!!)

Friends...Old and New :)

2008-03-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided I would spend a few minutes introducing some of our friends...here are a few photos. My AR friends have not met my "Texas" friends and vice versa. Jeremy and I are so blessed to have amazing friends that we love to hang out with! When we first moved to Arkansas, that was our biggest worry since we have amazing friends back home. But, we have made some great friends here that mean the world to us!

Erica and Brown-our best couple friends at New Year's Eve:)

Carol and Danielle rocking out at the Piano Bar

Blair, Me, Julie, Jamie, Brooke (high school friends :) at Julie's shower!!

*Jaimie, Carol, Me*

Lucky Rabbit's Foot

2008-03-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

OK, one quick cute teaching story. I have this little boy in my class named Timothy. A complete handful, cries at the drop of a hat, but so CUTE sometimes! I had to leave school a little early today because I had a doctor's appointment. When I was leaving, Timothy called out, "Mrs. Kennedy, I wish I had my lucky rabbit foot to give you to keep in your pocket at the doctor's office!!!" So cute. Another kid acted horrified that I had to go to the doctor's office...he asked if I had to get a shot. Although he reminded me that I would get a sticker if I was good! All I get is a co-pay at the doctor's!!!! Another sign I'm old...no sticker, just a co-pay!!! I just love my job sometimes!!

Aunt and Uncle

2008-03-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Jeremy and I now have TWO nephews!! Bryce and Reece---cutest babies EVER! It's amazing to see your sister and brother (and bro-in-law and sis-in-law) become parents. I feel like I've learned more about babies in the past 8 months than I have in 25 years. It definitely has made Jeremy and I realize that we want kids...not anytime soon, though :) We want to enjoy Bryce and Reece as long as possible before we're too preoccupied with our own set. We are so blessed to have two healthy (and cute) babies in our lives!! Thank you Jaime/Alex and Monty/Jen!!! Check out these cutie-patooties!

Officially Old...

2008-03-05T19:39:00.001-08:00

OK, I think everyone out there reaches the point in their lives when they think....I'm old. Or, at least oldER than I remember myself being. Well, at school today, I receive an email from Pass Your Plate (sort of like Super Suppers...you go and make your food and freeze it??). The local PYP (see? I'm on abbreviation terms with them now!!) was having a wine-tasting, food-sampling party tonight where you can try out all of their March menu items. Free wine? Free food? It's like Saturday at Sam's WITH alcohol!!! Count me in!! So, I recruit my two trusty friends and we cruise on over at 4:00 pm. (The first 30 customers get free door prizes...we're there! Another sign I'm old..I'm looking out for door prizes!!) We realize that we each have massive SUVs sans children (2nd old sign..driving a mom car---which I love by the way :) and are amongst 25 other women with kiddos---stay at home moms I'm sure since it's 4:00pm. The three of us grab our popsicle sticks which are encrypted with our door prizes (an order of sweet bacon green beans :) and head to the bar. Then we survey the location...many different samples, so little time :) This is my place, I think to myself!! Of course, I spent $40.00 on what was supposed to be a 'free' evening of entertainment but I calculated in my head that each meal I get out of these frozen entrees works out to be about $3.00 a meal/person. 3rd sign I'm getting old---I'm calculating the price per meal...

Who DOESN'T know all the words to Whitney Houston?

2008-03-05T19:34:00.001-08:00

I am joining millions of other Americans and am now offiically GLUED to American Idol. We had our POA meeting tonight (a whole other post, I'm sure) and we DVRed American Idol. My faves so far are: Jason Castro (digging the dreds), the rocker from Missouri, and the blonde who sang Pat Benitar. While we were watching, Jerm kept looking over and smiling...apparently I'm the only one in the house who knows every single 80's song out there. I told Jerm, "Can't help it--- I'm a walking iPod."

Well, I'm a blogger

2008-03-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

We're (well, I should say I'm...Jerm thinks this is a little silly) officially in the blogging world. I wish I could call it something else...blogging sounds like I weigh 400 pounds and am bloated from too much fried food. I could use it as a synonym for being full...I'm blogged! I'll keep you posted on the goings-on here in Fayetteville! There have been a few, "Tales from the Sticks" moments (although I hope my AR friends aren't offended by me calling it the sticks.) Jeremy and I love it here but it definitely has some "interesting" moments...moments where you think, "Dorothy, I'm not in Texas anymore :)"