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