in which i ramble about amusement parks

Thanks for all the great responses I got to THIS POST-- I'm glad to know I'm in good company when it comes to my thoughts about running. :) 

Last week was a tad bit long. It was softball camp week: high school, junior high, young girls. Every day. 8-2:30. Two games Monday night. Two games Thursday night.

But it felt like the first real week of summer. It was hot and sticky in that delicious sort of way. My skin felt the heat acutely and I knew it was doing its work of browning my skin.

But before I wax too poetic…

I knew at the end of the week something awesome was waiting for me: a five year anniversary day with my husband. Whoop whoop! [And I don't use "whoop whoop" lightly. Actually, I don't ever use "whoop whoop", so take that into consideration when you think about how exciting this was.]

We haven't really ever done anything to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I mean, we've gone out to eat or something, but this one felt like it deserved more: FIVE!

We started brainstorming. Our original planned looked a little like this: head up to Omaha and go to the zoo [if you don't know the zoo in Omaha is kind of amazing, and neither of us have been to a zoo in about 10 years or so]. Perfect. But as the day came closer, we were less enthusiastic about the zoo. And that's when it happened-- Brent said, "Worlds of Fun?"

Perfect.

If you've read our story, you know that I asked him to go with me to Worlds of Fun about thirteen years ago and you also know he turned me down. [He says he wanted to go. Mmmhmmm, likely story.] So this was our chance to see what it would have been like…to act like 14 year olds again.

[Side note: I should have looked at prices before we finalized our choice. Ouch. Let's just say inflation has been doing its work well over the last thirteen years].

Blythe was all, "Hey guys, I put on my sunscreen, I'm ready to roll! Take me!" And though it was hard to turn down the offer [I mean, look at that face, would ya?], we dropped her off at Brent's parents for our first big night and day away from her.

We had a good family friend hook us up with a perfect "guest house" Friday night to save us some dolla dolla bills. We went out to eat at Olive Garden [because…duh… although I would update this post and rave about the Chicken Scampi], then got lost in Nebraska Furniture Mart just for fun [and because that place is a small island], and then called it a night with some episodes of Friday Night Lights [have you watched this?!], and hit the hay ready for our big day at the park.

Bright and early  9 o'clock

We woke up, my heart aflutter with the thought of roller coaster [more on that in a moment], and donned our swimming gear and sunscreen. We threw our lunch in a cooler, because I'm cheap, and headed out the door. 

After a quick breakfast at McDonalds [two Saturdays in a row?! I'm lovin' it. See what I did there? ], we were on our way to the park, determined to beat the noon rush. 

We parked, made some lame joke about C3PO so we'd remember our parking spot, ditched everything but a single key to our car [this is the only way to do amusement parks, folks: no bags, no fuss], and made the trek to the front gates. 

It smelled just like I remembered: damp, the faint odor of mold and sweat, mixed with a tinge of sunscreen and pavement, and maybe a bit of pee. 

It was gonna be a great day, indeed. 

source

This is where I must tell you I hate roller coasters. Terrified to my core by them. But I was finally at Worlds of Fun with BRENT freakin' IRWIN and I wasn't about to let him down! So we made a beeline for The Patriot [not be confused with the movie my father is an extra in…what? You didn't know that?! Yep, he's famous infamous]. This is a newer coaster that neither of us have ridden, and it's one of those where your feet hang off into the nothingness of space. We literally waited about one minute, and then it was our turn. I willed myself not to wet my pants as the harness fastened over me. 

I'll just say this, the next 2 minutes of my life were completely terrifying. I screamed like a little baby, kept my legs crossed at the ankles so they wouldn't flap about [or become dismembered from my body], and put my germ fears aside and clung my hands so tightly to the bars no amount of time will erase my prints. My shrill death screams could be heard for miles. 

Brent laughed at me the entire time. 

On to coaster two, and three and so on until my head was pounding and my feet felt funny on the pavement. Age 27 does not feel the same as age 16 when you're upside down. 

This is where I would love to write about all the types of people we saw at the park, but I'm afraid we would be here all day, so I'll just say this: I know a lot of people get tattoos of their childrens' names. I've seen some that are pretty cool and classy. And then there are the ones I saw at Worlds of Fun. 

We broke for lunch. We were both a little afraid to touch our food, since I'd forgotten hand sanitizer, so we ate our chips, throwing away the pieces that touched our fingers. [And two days out I think it's safe to say we are in the clear of any diseases we may have contracted]. 

Sunscreen reapply. Exchange tennis shoes for flip flops because, oh did I mention, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun are now ONE PARK! Heck yeah! I may not be keen on roller coasters, but I do love me a good lazy river. 

source

I could spend all day here. By "here" I mean literally right there in this picture above. It's the wave pool, and it is zero entry and perfect for laying out right there as the water gently laps around you [and a million people walk by, a people-watchers dream…that sometimes verges into nightmare territory, because, I'm telling you, these places attract some crazies]. I could have done an hour here, then hopped on a tube in the lazy river for an hour, then returned here, then river…you get the idea. But Brent was all, "SLIDES!", and since I didn't want our anniversary trip to wreck our marriage, I appeased him. 

About two hours into the water side of our day, the storm clouds rolled in. We knew they probably would, we'd checked the radar. So we dried off and made our way back to Worlds of Fun, thinking we'd ride one or two things before the storm hit. But it got dark quickly so we ducked into a little show. It began to pour right about the time Brent was drug up on stage by three ladies in sequins and then pulled behind stage only to return wearing a huge Indian headdress and the fourth member of the village people. You can't make this stuff up. 

After the show we decided to sprint back to our car. Ugh. Running. I thought this part of my life was over. We splashed through puddles and spilled drinks and snacks back to our car. We discussed waiting it out, but it didn't look too promising. It was about 6 o'clock, and we realized two things:

1. We aren't as young as we used to be [cue me saying something like, "Maybe you should have come with me when we were freshman?!"]

and 

2. We missed our baby girl. 

A quick Frosty stop at Wendy's and we were headed home. 

Brent's permanent face from the Mamba roller coaster

We made it back and picked up this little gem:

 And then we crashed. I think it's safe to say we had a great time… and that it may be another 15 years before we are ready to go back.

okay fine...2011: A Review

I was informed by my husband [who shall remain nameless] that my annual "year in review" was sorely missed. I may be doing this just for him, but since he does so much for me I figure it's only fair. However, if you were one of the few who reads this blog AND missed my review as well [which is narrowing the playing field considerably, I understand], then this is for you too: Enjoy! [And if you want to peek back, here is 2010 and 2009].

January: This was an interesting time for us. You see, we got a dog. Her name was Margo. She was a super cute boxer. I realized after 3 days that I am still deathly afraid of dogs. Good bye, Margo. We still think this was a good decision. It was also a crazy time for me as I was coaching girls basketball. CRAZY. I was incredibly busy and though we were winning games I was E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D. Kali also came to visit us with sweet Caroline and we learned that another little peanut was in the making. Oh happy day.

February: This month came in like a lion. Holy smokes. We had a big, old fashioned blizzard. It was fantastic. I think snow is beautiful, and it gave me a week home from school to finish our countertops that Brent had started. This was a big project for us, but we were so happy with the results.

Also, I got a new sink in this process...thank you Beck and Brent. It has changed my life. [Okay, that may be a bit drastic but...yes, it has changed my life. Love it. every day I use it. I love it.] However, a part popped off one day after it was installed. I was home [due to blizzard] and we had a minor flood, a major breakdown, and a dead cellphone. Oh my. It was an interesting 15 minutes of my life. Other than that...basketball continued [one week I had FIVE games in a row!!!]. By the end of this month I had worn myself out and got sick. Bummer.

March: I finally got back into writing "Our Story" a bit more [which I still am kicking myself to finish...it will get done...I think I can, I think I can...]. I had a moment where I thought I was pregnant and freaked out thinking I would have a December baby [why? my rationale breaks down so I'll spare you the details]. I bought my new DYSON VACUUM. And if I thought my sink had changed my life...well...as Atticus Finch would say, "I had another think coming." You know when a home appliance [is that what a vacuum is considered?] makes your "Year in Review" that it has significantly impacted you in someway. I got to teach my students poetry this month...which I ADORE, and we had a lot of fun. Also...my basketball girls won DISTRICT CHAMPS for the first time since 1986. Wowsa! It was a fun fun time.

April: Brent and I took a little trip to Wisconsin to visit my college roomie, Renae, her husband, Jared, and their little pumpkin of a child, Jaden. We loved it and, as always when spending quality time with good friends, wished they lived next door...or in our spare bedroom. Brent also ran his first HALF MARATHON [13.1 miles, folks!]. This was a huge accomplishment and I was so proud of him.

It definitely put a bug in him to keep running... I must have had a vaccine against that bug when I was little. I dreamed up "teaching grammar with chalk" and again had fun with my students. [Oh and I turned 25 and Brent threw a little "surprise" taco dinner at our place. He's a good one that guy...I should have his children...oh....wait...stick around...]

May: Paige Elizabeth graduated [if you don't know who this is it is difficult to try to describe but basically: my mom babysat Paige and her sister, Torri, since they were 6 weeks until they went to school. We became, essentially, family...]. Kali and crew came back for the graduation!!
Caroline even got to reconnect with her buddy, Scout [my parent's dog]. Little did she know this would be the last time she would see Scout, as Scout had a tendency...scratch that...as Scout ran away every chance possible. She always came back, was brought back, ended up at my house, or my parent's tracked her down, but needless to say "animal loving" is not exactly our family's forte [did you read about January?!], and they thought someone else may...umm, appreciate...Scout more. So Scout went away. I also hosted a big "mother's day extravaganza!" at my house and had my parents, Brent's parents, and all our grandparents over. It was quite fun. I finished my 3rd year of teaching, and still found that I love what I do. Unfortunately at the end of this month the devastating F5 tornado hit Joplin, MO. Brent lived there for four years while in college, so knows a ton of people and places there [including his sister, bro in law, and Henry!]. It was a sobering time.

June: I began relishing in summer vacation and raided our closets [I LOVE doing this!], and I read books, and we took our summer vacation to Nashville/Louisville/Florence Ya'll. We got to visit many wonderful and beloved and deeply missed people.

July: I continued to plug away at "Our Story"...oh wait...that is still happening. I hit 400 posts on this here blog. Oh and I found out I was PREGNANT!! Hooray. Unlike the March scare, this one was prayed for, and Brent and I shared our little secret only with one another for awhile. At the end of this month I got to go on an Alaskan cruise! Something that would have never happened without my dear friend, Micah. We soaked in the sun...oh...I mean, we bundled up and looked at Glaciers, went Kayaking, and ate like queens.

And I slept and slept and slept because I was creating a baby in my womb. [And yes, Micah had suspicions and I lied].
August: I began my fourth year of teaching...man, I'm getting old! I was excited because I had half of my crew from the year before, and I loved them! I jumped right in with Softball again and the heat proved to be a bit much and suspicion number two came from Coach B. But shhh...we still weren't telling. Brent and I also got to welcome our 2nd niece on my side, Elizabeth "Ellie" Kate! Precious.

September: Brent and I made a very quick trip to Nashville over Labor Day to meet, squeeze, and love on Ellie. We broke the news for the first time to Kali and Dan, as we wanted to tell them in person. Squeals and excitement. I continued with teaching Softball, Brent continued at the bank. We went to games and enjoyed the last beautiful summer/fall days. We told our parents and family we were going to have a baby...more squeals and excitement. And then after hearing the heartbeat we let the whole world know.

October: I began writing letters to my sweet baby. We carved pumpkins with Avree and Rylee [Riley? Oh no... drawing a blank! Yikes].

Brent ran ANOTHER HALF marathon and improved his time even more. This time he decided, "Yep, I'm gonna run a full marathon next." What?!

We celebrated Joan's birthday with family and Henry :). I fell in love...became obsessed...with Olive Garden again. Softball season ended, which is always bitter sweet.

November: Brent turned a whopping 26 years old. Basketball season began WITHOUT me, as I had decided that it wasn't for me after last season. We still went to all the games. We found out the GENDER of our sweet baby GIRL and were super excited. We prayed and decided on the four characteristics we hope she embodies [Joyfulness, Compassion, Hospitality, Modesty]. I got to begin teaching my favorite book, "To Kill a Mockingbird", again. AND over Thanksgiving 2 of our favorite people, our lifers, Meagan and Shane made the long trek to stay with us for a few days. It was a glorious time. We all hoped that time would stand still… but it didn't and they had to leave. We again begged them to move, but they drove away anyway. Bummer.

December: I continued writing letters to our sweet daughter who began to show herself more and more. We finished working on our laundry room [a project that began in the summer].

And then we geared up for lots and lots of family at Christmas time.

Here's to another great year! I have a feeling that this will be a year of many changes for us… and we're ready to see what all it holds!!

when you wish upon a star...

…it makes no difference who you arrrrreeee!!!! You know the song, right?

Well, Brent and I have recently gotten a big kick out of what has happened since THIS POST about my unending love for Olive Garden.

Doesn't that picture make your heart SING!!

Moving along…

After I wrote that post, I couldn't believe how many people said something about it. People I didn't even know read my blog had a comment about Olive Garden, or my slight obsession for it. Well, little did I know what was going on behind the scenes.

My good childhood friend Katie, who used to live in the house Brent and I now own, read my blog. "Aha!" she thought. "I should send this to Travis, the general manager of the Olive Garden here in town whom I just so happen to know since my husband used to work at that Olive Garden. Yes, indeed I will do it right now." [Or something like that. I'm not actually a mind reader and I don't know her exact train of thought]. So she sent him the link to this here little blog o' mine, copied me in the message, and poof it was done. I laughed at her silliness and said, "Well, maybe I'll get a coupon out of the deal!"

The next day I get a message from her: "Kelsey: Travis, the GM, wants you and Brent and Devin and me to come in for a dinner on him sometime! What works for you?"

And so our free meal was in the works. I couldn't stop giggling at the craziness of the whole situation. My words were going to provide food for my family [did that sound dramatic enough for you all?]. And last Sunday evening we met Katie and Devin at the place that makes time stand still, makes worries disappear, and makes pregnant ladies oh-so-happily-fed: Olive Garden. We shared an appetizer and salad and those delicious breadsticks and each ordered an entree of our choosing. We were too stuffed for dessert though Travis tried to bribe us into some. And when the time came to get our bill, our waitress simply said, "Travis has taken care of it." What a guy! What a place! What a meal!

It was a fun evening and great to catch up with Katie, and obviously great to fill up on excellent food. [Thanks for passing the blog along, Katie. And Travis, if you're out there, THANK YOU!]

And on one final note: Also since that post Brent and I have received two gift cards in the mail for Olive Garden [One from my sister and the other from my friend Joanna, both "claiming" they had sent them before reading the blog. Mmmhmm]. Thanks, guys! Also, Thursday when we had a reason to celebrate the news of our DAUGHTER, Beck and Joan [Brent's parents] treated us to a meal at…you guessed it…OG!

Oh sweet succotash, life is good! :-) Now if you'll excuse me I must clean the computer. I seem to have salivated while reminiscing.

*photo credit: www.metrocreativeconnection.com

drumroll please….

After a fitful night of sleep, tossing and turning and full of anxiety and excitement for the next day, Brent and I woke up and began the countdown to 3:20 p.m. when we would get to see our baby for the first time in a sonogram.

Brent decided to wear this today: A blue shirt with a pink tie. What will the sonogram reveal?

Torri showed up at school and brought me this tray of cookies:

Even though some arms and legs had fallen off, and they included a dog just to make me laugh, it was a really cool gesture [and the cookies are delicious!]

In 2nd hour some of my girls brought me this cupcake with blue and pink sprinkles:

I didn't snap a picture of my voting sheets I had in my classroom but will tomorrow. My students were very excited which still amazes me at how sweet they are and how much they care about me.

Finally after waiting ALL DAY, at quarter after two, I walked to my car and my nerves and excitement just kept rising. I picked Brent up from the bank and off we went. In the car I was either jabbering or we were silent. We got to the doctor's office, I checked in, and five minutes later we were in the little room and I was having jelly rubbed on my belly [I was so glad I didn't have to sit and wait!! They got me in 15 minutes BEFORE my appointment time! Awesome].

The technician flipped off the lights and then began explaining the images we were seeing of our baby. Oh. My. Goodness. And some people think there is no God? These images were unreal and seeing our baby's heartbeat was simply incredible. Brent and I just held hands and smiled at the miracle on the screen.

Our technician, Kristin, was chatty, but very sweet and just kept showing us different parts. FINALLY, about five minutes in she asked if we wanted to know the gender. YES YES YES, I screamed at the top of my lungs [Okay, so it was more like a mild, "Yes, please]. And then she said nonchalantly with a smile…as if it weren't changing our lives forever…

"You're having a girl…"

I squeezed Brent's hand to keep from busting. He squeezed back. "Are you sure," I asked. [I just had to check]. And she said, "I'm positive. She's been flipping around and shown me about 6 times!"

We were/are thrilled. We both not-so-secretly were hoping for a girl. When we first got pregnant I whispered a prayer, "Lord, please give me a baby girl to love." Brent has always thought he would have a girl first. And he is going to be a phenomenal dad to a girl.

She printed off some pictures for us and sent us on our way. She said since our girl was moving so much it was tough to get a good profile [that's my child alright!], but here is one of the best ones: Her face is in the bottom right and you can see her nose and lips. The second "blob" on the left is her abdomen. Isn't she beautiful?!

We had given our family members two cards when we told them we were pregnant. #1 and #2. We called and said, "OPEN NUMBER TWO!" Squeals. What is better that already having 2 granddaughters? Having three!!! We met up with Brent's parents and went to supper [at Olive Garden, of course], and they were thrilled too. I thought my dad was going to bust, but instead nearly tackled both Brent and I in hug.

A girl. A girl. A girl. Brent teared up when we were in the waiting room after our sonogram. He's so excited. We can't wait to meet her!

And now I better get this blog posted so you all can stop wondering!!! :-) Thanks for being excited with us!

a "stats" post

cravings: I really haven't been craving too much. Early on I just needed to eat to keep my belly happy, so I munched a lot on crackers and such. There was aday [as in literally a 24 hour period] in which I consumed an entire box of triscuits...which wouldn't be too bad but I ate most of the box with cream cheese and the rest with melted cheddar cheese mixed with sour cream [but I've been doing that since high school...it's how I keep my hips healthy :)]. This trimester it's been all about the carbs so far...which again, isn't TOO abnormal for me, but I think I'm just hungrier and carbs seem to stick around longer.

weight gain: This is the only time in life it is okay to announce this on a blog, right? At my last appointment I had gained 6 lbs. I'm sure that is a up a bit more, but my doctor said I was right on track with weight gain.

comments: "Are you SURE you're pregnant?" [my students] "You're totally having twins!" [my softball girls] "Name the baby Respucha!" [A student] Tears. [My mom...just kidding] And my personal favorite happened just yesterday when I told my students the baby is now the size of a sweet potato (thank you, fruit ticker): One student responded "Will it be shaped like a sweet potato?" [To which I said, I sure hope not! but baby, I will love you even if you are) And the second response was, "Will it taste like a sweet potato?" [To which I said, Do you plan on eating my baby?]

fears: listerios. I think this is just because it the the "THING" doctors are honing in on right now...and because there have been outbreaks from cantelope and spinach this year! Yikes. I heat my meat religiously [to which a coworker of mine scoffed at. His wife just had a baby and he said she ate deli meat all the time and the only thing wrong with his baby is that her hair stands straight up! :)] I'm also a little nervous about getting sick this winter... I don't do sick well anyway, so on top of that to be pregnant and not allowed to take much medicine...yeah, don't want that. Other than that just the typical fears that this little nut will stay in my incubator long enough etc. But I also know that God is looking out for me...but that faith thing is a bit difficult at times, isn't it?! Oh and this may seem like an odd one...but I'm a little nervous about my water breaking while I'm in the middle of class-- I may need to prep my students for that one.

general mood: I really haven't been too hormonal at all. Early on when I was so tired I was a bit cranky at times [but that is pretty typical...sorry, Brent]. The only moment I can remember would be when B and I were eating at Fazzolis [when OLIVE GARDEN just couldn't fit in our budget :)] and he reached over and dipped his breadstick in my pasta sauce. I snapped-S.N.A.P.P.E.D.- at him saying, "If you wanted SAUCE to dip YOUR breadstick in, then YOU should have ORDERED pasta and NOT a sandwich..." He responded perfectly-- by laughing. I love that man. I couldn't help but laugh too. But like I said, other than that...not too bad. I cried before I was pregnant, so that still happens. But overall I would say this is a consistently happy time for us.

things i have been surprised by: how excited and interested my students have been--which shouldn't have surprised me, as I have truly awesome students. That THIS seemed to be a popular question people felt the need to ask, "Oh, was this planned?" Seriously? Maybe my mom can ask me that, but someone I barely know? Not necessary. And furthermore, I'm almost 26, have been married 3 and 1/2 years, own a home, have a steady job..."Was this planned?" Really? [It was... but I just think that is a weird, unnecessary question...so don't ask me that, okay?!] Off soap box now. Other surprises? That it has taken me so long to show. I thought since my stomach has always been super flat that it would be noticeable right away. Finally at 18 weeks I've got a little something to show for the work my body is doing :). I also wasn't expecting to feel the baby move this early, since most women told me they felt movements around 20 weeks. I have felt movement for a couple weeks now, and it's fairly noticeable now. I suppose that means this baby is a MOVER!!

things i'm most looking forward to: To fall head-over-heels in love with this baby. To watch Brent become a father. To watch my parents and in-laws love up on this child. To see who the baby looks like... And to find out the sex in 2 weeks!

what i think is really cool and crazy: That something from Brent and something from me came together and is now a human growing inside of me...that the human body is capable of this...at how big this shows that my God is-- I really can't wrap my head around any of it.

things i'm doing to prepare right now: For me it's important to process these small moments, so I'm writing and journaling a lot and hope to share that with the babe someday. We painted the room gray this summer, and will leave it that color for boy or girl...but I'm getting other nursery ideas and plan on diving in head first with that once we find out the sex. I also have thought about registering and such, and will probably do that within the next month. Right now though, we're enjoying the daily new stuff that is coming our way [and probably will for the next, oh 20 years!].

What about you? What's the big stuff [or little stuff] you remember from pregnancy?

job idea

I think that Olive Garden should hire me to write food reviews. Seriously.

I think their food should be served in HEAVEN.

Brent and I hadn't been out for a long time. And I'm pregnant. And we wanted some time "out of the house, alone." So Brent uttered my 6 favorite words: "Want to go to Olive Garden?"

Do I want to go? Are you kidding me? I would eat there every meal, every day, for my entire life. Yes, even breakfast. Who says you can't have bruschetta for breakfast?

We piled in the good 'ole Subaru and headed to St. Joe. 35 minutes later we pulled into the parking lot and I could hear the angels singing. We walked into the blessed establishment, my senses went into overdrive at the smell of such wonderful scents swimming through my brain, and we grabbed our timer and headed back outside to wait "25-30 minutes." I would wait 2 hours to eat there. I'm sure I've waited over an hour at some locations before.

I could barely carry on a conversation while we waited for our timer to buzz. All I could picture were the breadsticks and pasta and...oh my watering mouth nearly salivated into my lap.

The buzzer buzzed and I felt like everything turned from black and white to color. I leaped from the bench, nearly running over two small children and an elderly man....and my husband...in my attempt to get to the door.

A sweet teenage girl ushered us to our seat. A booth. This would make our dining experience even more perfect. I opened the menu, poured over the words as if I were reading "The Sermon on the Mount," and then we ordered.

We began with an appetizer of spinach artichoke dip with amazing bread, then for the main course decided to split Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. Such a simple choice for such an important evening, you may be thinking. But you see, it is only the best of the best that can do simplicity well.

And then our bowl of salad came with breadsticks, butter dripping from their garlic-y golden brown tops. We bowed our heads and praised our magnificent God for the abundance of delicacies before us.

Let me break the events of the next twenty minutes down for you:

The salad: There is nothing, I repeat NOTHING, like an Olive Garden salad. From the mixture of the greens to the olives, to the croutons, to the freshly grated cheese [OH don't even get me started on the cheese!], to the splash of tangy, sweet, perfect dressing-- there is NOTHING like an Olive Garden salad.

The breadsticks: As aforementioned, they entertain the pallet with butter and garlic and warm goodness that tastes like a perfect walk on a perfect spring day. I ate one, and then proceeded to eat another while scrapping the salad bowl clean with it.

The spinach and artichoke dip: There is no appetizer that will leave you unsatisfied at Olive Garden, and this is just one example. Straight from the oven, its warm, creamy goodness has the perfect ratio of artichokes to spinach. Both are finely cut up, as well, so one is not to receive a giant chunk that he or she is unprepared for. The thin sliced bread with which it is served does not disappoint either, and we ate and ate, wishing the bottom of the bowl were unending.

ENTER ROUND TWO OF EMPTYING A SALAD BOWL AND BASKET OF BREADSTICKS. ENTER ROUND TWO OF TRUE HAPPINESS AND ECSTASY.

The Fettuccine: From the moment our waitress placed the steamy plate of noodles on our table, I knew we were in for a treat as the smell overtook my desire to continue eating the dip. I split the large portion onto both of our plates and slowly twirled the pasta around as to enjoy each moment with this meal. As I placed the bite in my mouth, I realized that life is worth the living because this meal exists. This was the absolute best plate of fettuccine I had ever been given.

The end: I looked up at Brent, with tears in my eyes, knowing that I could not fit another bite of food in my stomach. We still had some dip left, 3 breadsticks, and about 1/3 of our fettuccine. I sighed, and then flagged the waitress down. She scooped the remains into two white boxes, gave us our Andes mints [another reason this place= perfection...ANDES mints! Hello! They are not just skating by with plain 'ole peppermints, no siree], and we gave her our debit card. I didn't care what the ticket said, it was worth every penny [and I RARELY feel this way].

We made our way to the car- stuffed, happy, practically dancing.

Fast forward to yesterday in church. As we wrapped up and said our goodbyes and headed for the door, I began the traditional "What-should-I-make-for-lunch" routine in my head. And then I about jumped off the sidewalk when I remembered: I remembered that we had leftovers from OLIVE GARDEN.

It was yet another good day in our household.