And a Great Weekend it was…

Friday evening started out with a private dinner at the zoo.  The room as decorated beautifully and the food was so delicious (it was made by the same person who is catering the appetizers for our wedding)!  However I think that I was faced by one of the scariest moments of my entire life.  My brother, Knox and I decided to take a private tour of the Lied Jungle.  It was quiet, dark and eerie.   Most animals were put away, and the silence was overwhelming as we ventured through the depths of the jungle in near dark.  All was well until we decided to tour the bottom level of the jungle…in the dark.  For those of you who have been through the bottom half of the Lied Jungle, there are many dark long tunnels.  This is fine during the day, when a certain nocturnal animal stays away, however in the night, they were filled with BATS!  I did fine through the first tunnel as we only saw one large bat fly by us, however when we got to the other side, there were HUNDREDS of un-caged, ENORMOUS bats!  I of course started screaming and panicking as they swarmed around us, zipping around at lightening speeds, while Knox and Pete remained fairly calm.  That too only lasted momentarily as Knox looked ahead to the next long dark tunnel to see it LINED with large bats hanging upside down.  So there we were, frozen still, with the bats swarming around and the dark tunnel in front of us FILLED with these creepy creatures.  I stood there screaming, and decided I was ready to head for the emergency exit (I’m sure at that point lights would have gone on and some siren would have sounded when I opened the door, but I didn't care), when yet  ANOTHER bat whizzed by my head and I nearly passed out. 

Knox and Pete both refused to proceed, so it was time to turn around and backtrack.  But again, we were frozen between the two tunnels with swarming bats all around us.  I couldn’t even open my eyes!  Knox lead the way back through the first tunnel as I held his hand and with my other hand I had my brother.  I had to close my eyes the entire way back as the bats where swirling all around us in the tunnel.  When we got back to safety, I honestly thought I was going to throw up or pass out…I wasn’t sure which one, but needless to say, I think I was more scared than I have ever been in my life!

After calming down back upstairs, we enjoyed our dinner, a brief presentation that was rather amusing on the history of our church, and then off Knox and I went to change into our matching Luau gear and headed to Leigh and Grant’s for the big shin dig.  When we arrived the party was in full force, and we stuck around until the end, enjoying the time with friends.

Saturday we picked out our wedding invitations and then headed home to stay out of the storm.  We completed a few projects around the house and watched nothing less than FOOTBALL!  We both love college football, so we had a really great evening.

Yesterday we headed out to complete some Christmas shopping (we’re on a roll J) after lunching at and grocery shopping at one of our favorite places, Whole Foods.  We really enjoy going there and scouring the aisles for unique items to try.  Sometimes Knox’s picks are a little “too unique” for my enjoyment, but we find many, many goods that we both like.  We plan to make lamb burgers this week which we are both just stoked about!  We also put up a few Christmas lights outside, which makes me so happy.  I love Christmas!  Knox did most of the work, but I stood there, bundled up in support, even when he was dumping snow on me from the roof!

This week is going to be VERY busy for us.  We have a few wedding things to work on and then our goal is to wrap up Christmas shopping.

We’ll see how far we get!  J

Cheers to a great week!

Anastasia

Kalo Mina!

I’m getting very excited for this weekend! 

Why?!  Because it will mostly be spent relaxing with my fantastic fiancé, which we haven’t had the joy of doing, uninterrupted, in quite some time!  It’s so nice to be putting our own little house together, just as we want it, in addition to all of the Christmas decorating!

We have been so busy lately with many, many things.  I have been working on an event for our church, to be held this evening at the Henry Doorly Zoo.  The land that was purchased to build our new facility off of 180^th and Dodge is officially paid off; therefore it’s time to party!!!!  Knox has been so helpful, whether it be punching programs or running errands, I couldn’t have done it without him.  I’m excited for the evening, which will be followed up with ANOTHER party this evening.  Yes, I know!  Our good friends, Grant and Leigh, host a holiday shin dig each year which also happens to be this evening.  After the zoo party Knox and I plan to hurry home and get changed into our best Hawaiian gear as we are headed to their Luau! Can you tell why we’ll be so excited to get a little R*R tomorrow?! 

This weekend we will also be working on wedding plans as we are knee deep in them right now.  There are so many things going on, so many details to work out, I just can’t thank, once again, my groom and my family and friends for beings so helpful and assisting in getting things done.  For all of you out there that have planned a wedding, I envy you!  It is SO much work!  It seems as though the process begins very simply, but as time goes on and details need to be nailed down, the entire process seems to get a little crazy.  We’ve had so much fun along the way, and we just hope that our friends and family have a FUN night, helping us celebrate our marriage!

I know it’s been quite some time since I’ve updated the blog, so be on the lookout for new photos and posts.

As the Greeks say “Kalo Mina” or “Happy Month”.  Cheers to a wonderful December!

XO,

Anastasia

Market to Market!

I am getting so excited for this weekend and the big Market to Market race!  (http://www.markettomarketrelay.com/)  For those of you who do not know what that it, it is a relay race from Memorial Park in Omaha to the Haymarket Park in Lincoln.  WOWZA!  The race is difficult to get accepted into, as returning teams are grandfathered in and new teams are placed into a lottery, and clearly, we're in!  I am definitely the slowest runner on my team, lol, but I am so inspired by the seven other amazing runners of whom I get to join in this adventure, giving a big shout out to Lindsey, Dan, Amy, Jeff, Christie, Nate and Naresh!   You guys rock!

Knox & I Completely Destroyed Our Shoes after Lucky Bucket

Out of the eight of us, there are about half who have to run 3 different legs, each leg averaging 3-6 miles.  I, thankfully, am only running two legs, Stage 8 and 16.  Stage 8 is 5.41 miles with the baton passed to me for my big start in Springfield, NE!  My second leg, Stage 16, is 4.14 miles, and my starting point (i.e. exchange) is in Eagle, NE.  Starting at 8:15 in the morning, it is estimated that our team will have run the 78 miles in 10 hours, YAHOO!    I am very excited and honored to be participating with these super runners, and will definitely do what I can to cheer them on.



Cheryl, Myself, Heather and Gayle

@ the Lucky Bucket Off-road Race



I’m also excited for the post-race celebration.  My best friend Gayle and our very good friends Heather and Bruce are also running the race, and we plan to meet up and cheer on our Huskers!  I can’t wait for a win; I just know they can do it!  I, no doubt, will be fast asleep on the ride home from Lincoln after such an exciting and eventful day.

Knox is leaving for Vegas in the morning. I hope he has the best time as he has never been before.  It’s such a weird place, lol!  I love all of the shopping, food, shows and gambling, and I am excited that he is experiencing it with his best friends.  I can’t wait to hear all of the stories!  They are staying at one of my most favorite hotels, Planet Hollywood, which is a young and hip hotel/casino right in the center of the strip.

The band is confirmed for our big day! I’m so glad that we were able to get our first choice, and I look forward to having a ten piece band to help us dance the night away!  I finally made Knox dispose of all of the wedding cake samples that were remaining in our house as it was getting a little out of control eating a “little” slice of cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

My best friend Michelle is coming over tomorrow night for dinner and to hang, which will be a wonderful prequel to Saturday’s big race. 

Happy Thursday!

XO,

Anastasia

Oh, What a Weekend!

What a weekend!  We were SO busy this weekend and I’m not sure that much got done, but we had fun!

Knox and I decided to have a few friends over for the Husker game on Saturday, and therefore a trip to good ole Costco was in order Friday evening after work.  Oh, how we love that store.  J We first made a quick stop at Scheel’s  as I needed to pick up a new pair of running shoes as I was getting a hole in the toe of mine (way to pay attention, right?).   Arriving home at 9:30 p.m. without having eaten, I quickly whipped up some Croque Monsieur’s and a little salad with raspberry, walnut and gorgonzola dressing for the two of us.  Delicious!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/croque-monsieur-recipe/index.html

Saturday we were up early and off to the Cake Gallery to sample wedding cakes.  SO GOOD (omahacakegallery.com)!  Minds made up we were off to our monthly massage appointment.  Oh heaven, I look forward to it every month!  I love nothing more than spending my Saturday mornings with Knox, and we soon returned home for an afternoon walk (the weather was absolutely beautiful) and to prepare for our evening guests.

The Huskers showed a nice win that evening over the Wyoming Cowboys.   Yahoo!  It was a great day and Knox was excited to get a brand new PlayStation3!  He was literally glowing.  I guess for some of us, it’s the simple things!  J

Sunday I was off to church and Knox and Zach went to shoot some trap.  Knox met my parents and I for lunch, and then we were home again, surprisingly enough, for another walk!  This time we had the three pups with us (we are babysitting Matilda who is Knox’s parent’s dog), and for anyone to see us walking all three, it had to be better than the circus.   Over the last week it’s like we have a herd of 10 pound cattle.  With Skeelo being the smallest (7 pounds) and Gussy the largest (17 pounds) it was a riot as they ran around the house in a little pack, all chasing the same bone after  each having been given their own.

Sunday evening I went and saw Jersey Boys at the Orpheum Theater with my best gal Sarah Spooner. (http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/broadway/) The show was WONDERFUL!  I was surprised at how many songs I recognized that were performed by The Four Seasons, and I found myself frequently dancing in my seat!  I came home to make Knox listen to “Oh What a Night” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” before bed. J  What a FUN night!  Sarah and I enjoyed a cocktail and appetizer and the ZIN Room prior to the show, and I must give it a two thumbs up.  The spinach artichoke dip appetizer was superb!  (http://www.zinomaha.com/ordereze/1000/Page.aspx)  I think it’s one of those foods that had there been an endless supply, I just would have continued to eat it!  The happy hour pricing was also stellar, with two glasses of wine and the appetizer totaling just $13, service was wonderful.

This weekend went by so fast!  Volleyball tonight, and then Knox will be off to Vegas Friday to celebrate his best friend Bob who is getting married October 14.  I am working on the OPA Ball, our church’s biggest fundraiser, which will be held Saturday October 15^th at Champion’s Run Golf Course.  The evening is a blast and I can’t wait to get dressed up with my fiance for a night out!  If you are interested, please let me know and I will forward you an invitation.  The food and dancing are great, and there are some pretty awesome silent auction and auction items…condo in Aspen anyone!?

Saturday I’ll be running Market to Market and plan to do nothing but relax and get some things done around the house on Sunday.  I am SO looking forward to it.  And best of all, my person will be returning home!

Cheerio!

Anastasia Ephtyhia

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Yassas, everyone!  What an awesome weekend!

First and foremost, I bought my wedding dress on Friday! Hioh!   I am completely in love with it, and I am so excited to wear it on my big day!  The experience was simply delightful! From the women in my life who were there to support me in buying the most important garment I will ever wear (thank you Mom, Julie {Knox’s Mom}, Holly {Knox’s Sister} and Patty {Knox’s Grandmother}), to the most wonderful bridal consultant, Linda at Bridal Traditions who assisted me in finding the most perfect dress, I couldn’t have asked for anything more!  We rounded out the day having lunch with Maria, Eva and Mia (Eva and Mia are our flower girls) and viewing where we would be having our reception. I just can’t wait!

Friday evening we headed to Pizza King in Council Bluffs to have dinner with my family.  LOVE Pizza King (http://www.pizzaking1101.com/), and it very special to us as my brother’s godparents own it.  So delicious!  We ended the night with a trip to Harrah’s casino where my soon to be husband, The Slot Whisperer, had his usual success with the slot machines, leaving with $80 more than what he came with.  He is the sweetest and always splits his winnings with me as he will tell you I can probably lose money faster than anyone you know.  We had a great time and soon returned home so we could prepare for Saturday’s big game…

I will save my observations relative to the Huskers for another day, but will say I am very glad they won!  I am fairly confident the two young boys that sit in front of us each game are becoming increasingly unsure of what to think about Knox’s commentary as they frequently turn around and look at him with very perplexed looks on their faces, and sometimes the evil eye!

We had a GREAT time tailgating with Knox’s parents and a superb dinner at Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln after the game with Knox and Julie, my parents, Pete and Abbe, Greg and Debbie Boosalis, Bronson Boosalis and my god sister Lia Sleder.  We stayed out a little too late, and could totally feel it the next day as we ran the Corporate Cup race in downtown Omaha (http://omahacorporatecup.org/).  So proud of my little brother for finishing in 53:51, go Pete!  We were exhausted afterwards, but the workout felt great!  We had a little lunch, made a trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart to purchase ANOTHER new couch (we love this one so much more) and then a quick nap before my godson’s 1^st birthday!  I can’t believe that he’s already one, time flies!  Happy Birthday, Jackson!

I’m excited for the rest of this week as I am getting a little scrapbooking time in with my good friend Dani Hampton, a trip to River City Round Up with lots of good friends, date night with my fiancé, and what I know will be a win by the Huskers!

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll!!!

XO,

Anastasia

Birthdays, Weddings and Huskers

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

It’s almost time for the weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited for it to be here!  Tonight we are going to Katie’s Greek Restaurant (katiesgreek.com) to celebrate my parent’s birthdays!  Yahoo!  I can’t wait.  The food is absolutely delicious and the restaurant is owned by very good friends of my parent’s.  I think that Knox and I have both been dreaming about Greek food the last few days in preparation for tonight’s festivities!

Tomorrow will be a fun filled day, though sadly Knox and I will be spending it apart.  A very good childhood friend is getting married, and therefore I will be attending the wedding with my family.  At the time I had received the Save the Date card, I had told Knox he could still go to the Husker game as we hadn’t been dating that long and I knew he would be bummed to miss it.  Well here we are, so many months later, engaged and both committed to separate events tomorrow.  I know that we will both have a really good time, but having fun is never the same without your best friend in tow!

We are kicking off our United Way campaign here at work this week.  Our department is donating three baskets for the Business Services Center raffle.  I have completed two of them (lots of help from Kelli Erhart and a few other members on my team) and need to get the remaining goods for the final basket.

The first basket is an “all seasons” basket full of items for all seasons of the year…beach towels, Christmas candles, holiday pillowcases, gel potpourris, flower seeds, Easter eggs, cocktail napkins and so much more.

The second basket is a date night basket, primarily French themed, which includes a bottle of Moscato, two wine glasses, chocolates, a candle, cocktail napkins and Visa gift card.

The last basket will be Creighton themed as my former boss in Internal Audit, Jude, generously donated a pair of tickets to the winner’s game of choice to a Creighton basketball game (thank you, Jude)!    I need to grab a few more goodies for this basket and accessorize with the required white and blue before sending it off on Monday.  I know I would love to win any of these!

Sunday I am trying on wedding dresses…WOWZA!  I can’t believe it!  I am very excited and will be accompanied by my Mother, future Mother in Law, and Knox’s Grandmother, Patty.

Last but not least, enjoy this photo from last week’s Ke$ha concert.  I’m following quickly in the footsteps of my Great Grandma Houghtaling, having a superior ability to cut people’s heads off!

Just love Gayle, Liz and Angie!  We had so much fun!

Have a great weekend, and Go Big Red!

XO,

Anastasia

P.S.  I will get into this more later, I’m sure, but has anyone watched the first episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills!??!  Knox came in and commented that I looked like a zombie glued to the TV.  My response was “don’t you know this is my “watching a train wreck” face”?!?!?  All I have to say is WOW!

Flower Girls!

So excited!  We officially have two flower girls and a very cute ring bearer that will be helping us celebrate our big day!  We had dinner last night at Bonefish Grill with Maria and Jim Sanderson (two of my favorite people) and their little girls Mia (5) and Eva (3) who have agreed to help us celebrate and participate in our big walk down the aisle!

If you haven’t met the two girls, they are absolutely HILARIOUS and completely adorable!  While at dinner, Mia decided to show us what our family was going to look like.  She started by drawing just two babies, but in the end, Knox and I were destined, per her table drawing, to have a family of eight.  Thank goodness I am far too old for that!

Oddly enough, we ran into Maria and the girls today at lunch.  They were SO excited to see us both, and if you know the two girls, they definitely have each selected a favorite between Knox and myself.  Mia’s eyes lit up when she saw me along with a huge shriek to tell me that she has made my wedding present already.  Eva, upon seeing “Mr. Knox” let out a loud shrieking “Knooooooooooooooooooooox” and ran right past me and flew into Knox’s arms giving him a big hug.  They are simply the cutest girls, have the best sense of humor, and I am so honored that they are going to be a part of our big day!

Last weekend was so busy and we’re already nearing this next weekend (no complaining here).  It’s just incredible how fast time flies.  I am returning to softball tonight in hopes that I won’t:

a) Be afraid of the ball!

b) Won’t get hit again!

I am in a ton of pain after last week’s debacle!  While there wasn’t much pain in the beginning, as the bruise has “subsided” (can you feel my eye roll on that one?) the pain has increased, and I’m just livid!  I am to run the Corporate Cup run on September 18^th and Market to Market (a relay race from Omaha’s Old Market to Lincoln’s Haymarket) on October 1, and since the softball incident I have been able to get in a few baby runs.  But with the increase in pain, I haven’t been able to do much but lift, and so I’m a little nervous and frustrated as to what will happen when I take on the challenges!

Tomorrow evening we will be celebrating John and Kathy’s birthdays.   Happy Birthday, Mom and Dad!!!!  You guys rock and I love you!!!

XO!

Anastasia

Go Big Red!

Can I start by saying how simply excited I am for this weekend?!  It’s the beginning of Husker football, and if you know anything about my in-laws (and ESPECIALLY my person), they LOVE IT!  Lucky for Knox, I love it, too!  We’ll be headed down to Lincoln tomorrow morning to prep for the game via the Jones Family tailgate.  I’m super excited as my parents will be joining as well, and I am most assured a good time will be had by all.  Timothy, our Husker gnome, will also be in attendance for good luck even though I know we won’t need it after we effortlessly hand over to TN @ Chatt their first loss.

We’re going to try and head to La Festa Italiana tonight, depending upon how much we get accomplished this afternoon.  Check out the website for more details.  http://www.omahaitaly.com/  The food is simply fantastic and I love me some homemade cannoli.  You bet we’ll be taking a box of those goodies home with us tonight.  MMM…the thought of a meatball sandwich makes me hungry already!

I SAW KE$HA!  And LMFAO.  What a FUN night.  LMFAO was definitely the best part of the show, and it was one serious dance party.  Ke$ha was amazing, I’m sorry for those of you that are haters out there, but she rocked it.  She has SO MANY songs that we all know, she definitely has done a good job making herself a catchy popstar.  The only downer to the night was going home and knowing had to get up and go to work the next day.  Oh, what happened to the days when I went out EVERY night of the week and could have cared a less if it was Wednesday or Friday?!?!??!!?  Growing up is so fun to do!

Speaking of which…

Last night was my first experience playing first base on my softball team.  HELLO!  Next time I will be arriving in nothing short of full catchers gear, only to surprise the team by announcing that I am truly the first baseman. Upon the news that I was being upgraded to this new position, I was asked if I was afraid of the ball.  If you know me, you know my answer was “no way, bring it on”.  Second inning I was completely rocked by a guy who hit the ball at warped speed at no place other than my shin. Needless to say, the majority of my leg is black and blue today, my brother asked if I really needed a glove as I am using my body to stop the ball, and Knox has been taking care of me with ice packs and ibuprofen.  I’m a little nervous as I have a couple of races coming up in the next month, but will still be headed to the gym to work on strength training until I am up and running at full speed again.  Injuries, too, are not as fun to get over (similar to how waking up the next day after a concert and having to go to work) the older you get!

Wedding plans are going so smoothly!  A few more things down and few surprises to come!  Cannot wait for everyone to share in our big day!

Have a great weekend, and GO BIG RED!

XO!

Anastasia

People have been asking me why they haven’t seen a blog post from me in what seems like FOREVER!  Well, that’s because so many things (as most of you know) have happened in the last month, and I’m still playing catch up with about half of it.

First and foremost, I am currently the future Mrs. Knox  S. Jones.  Yes, that’s right!   On my birthday, Knox proposed with a GORGEOUS engagement ring complete with a fancy yellow diamond.  I couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful piece of jewelry, and I am SO lucky to have such an incredible person that, soon enough (May 19^th!), I will be calling my husband!  I love you, Knox!

Needless to say, The month-and-a-half since my birthday has been a whirlwind of wedding plans and moving, and it all couldn’t be going any more smoothly.  I have wonderful parents and future in-laws who have made everything so easy up to this point!  The Groom has been pretty helpful as well.   While I may give some tidbits about wedding plans and info about where we are with things in the upcoming months, for the most part, my lips will be zipped, so don’t ask! :p

Tonight I am going to be throwing some glitter and making it rain because there’s a party at a rich dude’s house…. If you have absolutely no clue what I am talking about, I’m headed to see Ke$ha tonight with my bestie Gayle, her cousin Liz, and my other bestie Angie!  I can’t wait for the girl’s night out and to relish the fact that we will probably be the only ones old enough to be enjoying cocktails at the show.

Did you all watch the MTV Video Music awards on Sunday?!?!?!    So much I could say about it!  However, I will keep my remarks short and sweet.  Lady Gaga was great, poor Chris Brown should stick to dancing, I got a little teary during Adele’s solo, and Russell Brand, who I normally do not care for, delivered a lovely tribute to Amy Winehouse (who was, indeed, a VERY talented musician).  I thought the Bruno Marz tribute to Winehouse was very sweet too.

More to come...I promise I will be blogging more frequently!

Cheers!

Anastasia

P.S. - Fage came out with a few new flavors of yogurt that are simply delightful!  I am currently in love with the Cherry and Pomegranate mix.  I definitely recommend trying it if you are a Greek yogurt fan, they’re delicious!

P.P.S. It's about that time...GO BIG RED!

And It's Saturday!

Yassas, my friends!

I hope that you all have had a wonderful weekend so far.  Mine’s been nice and relaxing, the weather’s been great (a little humid), and of course, full of missing Knox!  I think you all will hear me continue to whine for the next few days until his return, so for everyone else’s sake, Knox, get back!  :p

Our annual Company wide meeting was held, yesterday, at the MidAmerica Center in Council Bluffs.  It was a rather eye opening moment to see all of the volunteers that were filling sandbags to protect Omaha and our surrounding communities as I drove through the parking lot to attend the event.  So much work that goes into filling just one sand bag, and hundred of sandbags are needed just to protect one small building.  I commend all of the volunteers who have taken to assist in this effort, as I am afraid the battle continues.  Below is a photo of Building 11 on the ConAgra campus.  The area on the left that appears to be dirt was once a parking area, and the sandbags have been stacked to create a four-foot wide by four foot high barrier in hopes to protect the building from future flooding.

After the meeting, my team decided to head over to the Company Store, which is located at the Council Bluffs Manufacturing plant.  I think this was the same idea that everyone else that had attended the meeting had as well.  I waited half an hour in line, but was able to purchase many of our famous brands at super discounted prices for myself, my parents and Knox.  My favorite thing that I walked away with was the Banquet Chicken Pot Pies and the Banquet Peach Fruit Pies.  While these are intended to be individual servings sizes, Knox and I always split them and pair with a salad to reduce the calorie count.  I love them, they are delicious, but they aren’t exactly the healthiest meal in the world.  And the best part is you can microwave them, so it’s a quick and easy meal if you don’t have a ton of time to cook, which happens to us during the evenings we play softball and volleyball.

I then was forced to go to my least favorite place in the world, the DMV!  Each year I am cognizant to mail my check and insurance the minute the card shows up in the mail informing me that my plates are due (I hear you can do this online now).  This enables you to avoid the lines (and headache) associated with actually making the trip to the DMV.  Well for some reason I did not get the notification card in the mail and had to actually go to the DMV.  40 minutes in line and A LOT of strange looking people, I was ready to run out of there.  Just saying.  After my time waiting in line at the Company Store and DMV, I don’t think that I have ever looked forward to pool time as I was at that moment!

This is where Knox spoils me.  As most of you know he has a gorgeous in ground pool, and that is where we have spent our pool time this summer.  With him being out of town, I decided to venture back to the country club pool where I had spent so many summers of my life.  I always enjoy thinking about all of the good times that I have had at the country club over the years, including when my parents threw me a Sweet 16 birthday party there, had the pool shut down for the private party, and pretty much invited all of Central High School’s Junior Class of 1999.  It was pretty freaking awesome.

Sadly, I can officially say that I am not heartbroken that I haven’t been there this summer, and am pretty thankful to have to use it as an alternative only when necessary.   Throughout all of the years that my parent’s have belonged to the country club, I always have selected the same spot at the pool to sprawl out and soak up the sun, which is right next to the diving board.  I love watching the little ones go off the board, and don’t mind the occasional splash that I get when the older kids jump over the board as it’s a perfect way to cool down.

Yesterday, however, as I was lying in my usual spot, I hear a group of 10-year-old boys bickering over how much to raise the diving board (the board there can be manually raised up and down).  One boy wanted it higher, one boy lower.  The boy who wanted it higher turned to the other boy and asked, “Do you even belong here”?  The other boy, head down, sheepishly said, “No, I do not”, and went on to say he was a guest of another boy.   Boy #1 then went on to say to him “Well then since you don’t belong here, you don’t get a choice, now do you”?  I couldn’t believe it!   My heart felt so sad for the boy who had just been delivered that nasty message.  That was the moment when I thought to myself, I am so glad I don’t have to come here frequently anymore and witness this kind of behavior.  Shame on the parents who have raised their ten-year-old son to be so exclusive and self centered.  I really enjoy that my parents belong to the country club, but I swear to you, it’s like the monster in everyone comes out during the summers there at the pool.  The exclusivity and feeling of being better then others festers each summer in the waters of that pool.  I don’t know how it ever got that way, but it makes me sad when people forget that money or not, we’re all the same.

Don’t get me wrong; I love that pool.  The trendy, fun, music, the children, and being able to have a glass or two of Pinot Grigio delivered to you by a pool boy aren’t anything to complain about!  And I was able to walk a way a shade darker than when I arrived, goal accomplished!

This morning I woke up and drove downtown to pamper myself a little and get my hair done.  I LOVE the Icon.  If you’ve never heard of it, it’s an amazing boutique salon on about 40^th and Farnam.  I’ve been going there for years and it would take a real act of God for me to change where I go.  There are four stylists, I go to Bonnie, but would trust any of them with my long locks.  Check them out at http://www.facebook.com/iconstudioforhair.

As we speak my mother is off to get her hair done as well, and then I’m off to meet her for a little shopping excursion.   Yes, it’s what we do best!  I might squeeze a little pool time in, and then off to Archiver’s for a 6 hour scrap booking session with my lady, Dani Hampton.

We’ll see how much I get done through all of our catching up, I can’t wait!

XO,

Anastasia

Happy Thursday!

I have to say I’m stoked and flattered at the number of people who are viewing my blog and even more excited that I actually have some followers.  Yes, I think this means I have the best friends and family, EVER.  Hopefully I don’t disappoint the masses and am able to provide some sort entertainment value, whether through my sometimes outrageous views on things or my commentary on simple, yet meaningful, life events.

I am officially out of touch until with Knox until Monday (sad, I know!).  He’s in Canada fishing Aikens Lake, which is pretty cool if you ask me (http://www.aikenslake.com/main/index.html).  He has been instructed to catch every fish in my honor, haha!  He was super sweet and called this morning to bid a final adieu until Monday.  I sent him this picture text of Skeelo, my oldest dog, in bed with Gus’s giraffe.  Awww, I love my puppies!

I must admit, this separation will be the longest that I’ve had from Knox since we’ve started dating, and to top that off, there’s no contact due to his pilgrimage into the wilderness where cell phone towers do not exist.  Normally a few calls or emails are exchanged when we are apart, but I am deprived, this time, the luxury of the nightly phone call!

Let’s just say Monday can’t come soon enough, but I hope he has a fantastically relaxing trip!  I already miss him!

Today is my parent’s 32nd wedding anniversary!  WOOHOO!  My parents are the bomb.com, and I’m so thankful to have them.  My dad gifted my mom with something super fancy and nice…a NEW CAR!  I think that woman will be in the garage for the next few weeks trying to figure out how the darn thing works (maybe he did that on purpose!).  CONGRATULATIONS to my Mom and Dad!  I love them and am so happy for them!  They plan to go to Crave, at Midtown Crossing, tomorrow evening to celebrate.

Last night…last night I had a wonderful time at Bonefish Grill with my friends James and Amy.  Holy smokes though, watch out for Wednesday evenings at Bonefish.  Apparently the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer (which is my absolute favorite) is on special for just $5!  It’s amazing what people will do for a $3 discount on shrimp at a higher end restaurant where $3 really isn’t going to make too much of a difference on your total bill!!  I mean really, people.  I think for myself, after ordering two glasses of wine and the Bang Bang Shrimp dinner, my total came to around $43 with tip and tax, which is about what I had budgeted for the evening.  It was super delicious and I’m excited to eat the leftovers soon!

Speaking of eating…I am currently in the process of consuming a HUGE piece of leftover cake from Pete’s birthday celebration on Sunday. 

White cake with vanilla frosting from the Cake Gallery…I couldn’t believe it when I set eyes on it this morning!  Shocked, I told my Dad I couldn’t believe there was still left over cake in their house and no one had told me!  Had I been living in the same house as that cake, it would have been gone and I would have been doing two a days at the gym!  Thank goodness it was a late discovery.  Cake and hotdogs = my favorite food = yummo!

I will be partaking in happy hour here in just a few short hours with my best friend Michelle, YIPPEE!  I feel like I never get one on one time with her anymore due to our busy, busy schedules!  I am fortunate enough to get to see her once a week at volleyball on Monday night’s, but it’s just not the same as true girl time.

Be sure to sign up at the right side of this page for my Google Group “FollowAnastasia” which will allow you to receive email updates each time I post!

Cheerio!

Anastasia Ephtyhia

A New Beginning!

Yassas (that’s hello in Greek to all of you)!

Oh my, goodness…let me start by saying I’m so excited to start this blog! 

I’ve been reading a few of the blogs that my best girlfriends have started over the last year or so, and found myself thinking it’s time!  Most of you know that I am an avid journal-er (is that even a word?), and indeed, do still keep a diary.   And those books (yes, there are volumes) contain everything.  And when I say everything, I mean everything.  I know you all know what I’m talking about!  I think that my first diary entry was in 1993!  What is an 11 year old thinking, anyway, that’s significant enough to write in a book!?  Well, it’s continued on ever since.  In taking a step back and thinking about where I am today in my life, I thought to myself that it’s time to hang up the old diary and try something new.  So while this selfishly is for me, a new place to keep my diary and another way for me to document my life (in addition to my crazy scrapbooking addiction), I hope you enjoy it and please participate!  Parakalo (please!), post your thoughts and commentary, too!

You might be thinking, what’s up with the Cocktails, Party Dresses…and Snacks?!  Well, I thought it the perfect title to describe my life, as I know it today.  I think that every time I would get my girlfriends together, I’d say “Get your party dresses on ladies, and let’s go have some cocktails”.  Well the truth holds the same for today, but the Snacks part has become a pivotal part of the equation.  Life, today, is different.  We’re all grown up, in relationships, buying homes, getting married, having babies, and so while I still am totally about the cocktails and party dresses, my invites have now turned into “Get your fanciest pants on party people,  come over and let’s have some cocktails and snacks”!  We’re getting together at each other’s homes, going out for dinners, conversing over cocktails, and finally learning to live and relax.  And it’s great.  There’s nothing better than having a few people over and enjoying a little food, a little drink and little camaraderie.

And because this is MY blog, I get to be cheesy (I’m normally the one gagging over people’s curdling Facebook posts).  Yes, I do apologize, but it’s mine and I can do and say what I want, so here it goes!  I am completely blessed to have the most amazing boyfriend any girl could ever ask for. Now I know, ladies, that you all think that your husband/boyfriend/significant other is the bee’s knees, but I’m telling you, mines the best!!! ;)  He’s handsome, funny, gracious, witty, too smart for his own good and a real ham.  Ahhhh, Knox (smiling, smiling, smiling at the thought of him). 

Knox was generous enough to let me have a few of my favorite people over for to his beautiful home last weekend for a little pool and barbeque.  We had an awesome time.  My godson Jackson came over but could not get in the pool due to the thunderstorms that were surrounding us.    The adults (Knox and I, Jackson’s parent’s Liz and Jon Mehuron - Liz and I have been besties our whole lives - and Liz’s brother Zach and his girlfriend Kelli) had refreshing cocktails (I made my usual poolade of beer, vodka and lemonade) and some awesome snacks (which you’ll learn that for us has become synonymous with dinner).

The weekend ensued with a Saturday morning massage (Knox and I get a couples massage once a month), lunch, and an afternoon walk.  We walk, A LOT.   Knox left for Lincoln to pack for his Canada trip and I went to my cousin Tonya’s wedding (Congrats!).  Sunday we celebrated my little brother Theo’s 22^nd birthday and father’s day at Champion’s Club with a little lunch/brunch, and then headed home for some pool time (I’m determined to figure out this water aerobics thing).  Sunday evening we had dinner with Knox’s family at Parker’s Smokehouse in Ashland.  If you’ve never been, it’s delicious!  Happily stuffed, we headed home for a walk and prepped for the upcoming work week, which brings us to today!

More to come, but it’s a start 

It’s almost time for cocktails (and a work dress) as I’m headed to dinner at Bonefish Grill with two of my favorite friends, James and Amy.  James and Amy were two of my co-workers in my old Chanel make up artistry days, and we’ve remained close ever since.

Bang, bang shrimp, here I come!

With love,

Anastasia