Crazy Month!

I have been all over the place the past few weeks ... out to California and back, then to IL through a snow storm and then down to KY to see family and friends for Christmas. Finally, I am back at home and back to work here is KS. We played our first game since the Christmas break today and got another WIN! We are 10-2 with one more game before the conference season :)

Following our games in California, Eric and I traveled through a horrific snowstorm to get home to IL to be with my side of the family for Christmas. We made it safely and were so glad that we were able to see everyone. We were only there for a couple of days, but it was great being "home" and seeing everyone. Here are a few pics of the events from Christmas with the Wulfs.

Eric really got into the spirit ... he loved his new boots and shop vac!

Check out all the presents! My mom does an awesome job of decorating for the holidays!

After dinner and opening gifts with my family on Christmas Eve, we packed our bags, said good-bye and headed for Kentucky. Eric's family has always opened gifts on Christmas morning so we are able to celebrate with all of them as well. We made it into Bowling Green shortly after 1 am on Christmas morning so we made GREAT time! We were exhausted, though, and headed straight to bed. Eli, our 2-year old nephew, was awake early on Christmas morning and ready for presents. Jennifer, his mom, had to remind him that Santa had come ... Eli was more concerned that Uncle Eric had come. He went to the front door to make sure Uncle Eric's car was in the driveway and then headed to the bedroom to find him before going to see what Santa had left for him. We spent Christmas morning watching Eli open all of the presents from Santa. It was fun as it he starting to "get it" more that there is a Santa!

Uncle Eric and Eli in the new tee-pee that Santa brought!

Later in the morning, we packed up yet again and headed to Eric's mom's house in Russellville, KY. We WAITED forever for Andy, Jennifer and Eli to arrive so that we could open presents that we bought for one another. It was nearly 3 pm before they got there!! I am not one who likes to wait around to open presents on Christmas ... I am going to be like my parents and let my kids open on Christmas Eve :) We finally opened presents and got some really cool gifts.

This was the first year that I did not have to be back in KS until the 27th so we were able to stay an extra day and have more friends over to celebrate. Our good friends -- the Bibbs and the Moores -- all came to see us on the 26th and we were able to catch up and play with the kiddies (the Bibbs have a one year old, Lily, and the Moores have a three year old, Paul). C-Moore, one of Eric's fraternity brother, is an awesome musician. He brought his guitar over and we all sat around in the living room (like old times) and listened to him sing. The cool thing this year is that there was little ones (Eli, Paul and Lily) all jamming along. It was very special. I couldn't help but think how next year at this time, Eric and I would have one of our own to watch and enjoy!

Because of all the traveling that we were doing that week, we decide to leave Huey with my parents. I trust that he is in good hands and that they are giving him lots of love and attention. My brother (and tenant) John is at home with my parents right now, so I trust that he is helping to make sure that Huey is taken care of. I do miss the Big H and am ready for his return. John is supposed to return to KS on Jan. 3rd so Huey will be coming with him! I can only imagine the excitement that he will have to be back at home :) He loves car rides, but hates being left. It will take a day or two for him to stop being mad at Eric and I, but I am sure that we can help him get over it. He can't stay mad at us for long ...

It's a ..... !

Don't worry, Bumpy, I am not going to post the sex of the baby here! But, in case anyone else is wondering, we know what we are having and we are very excited. We are 16 weeks along now and the doctor decided this would be a good time to get our first ultrasound. With the amount of traveling I will be doing over the next few weeks/months, she wanted to make sure that all was ok with the baby. Everything turned out to be fine ... everything looks great and the baby is very healthy. We were even able to tell what we are going to have! So, if you would like to know (and you haven't already called one of us, please do so and we will be happy to share the wonderful news). Just remember -- my dad doesn't want to know so you can't be the one that lets the cat out of the bag.

The other good news is that I am finally getting over this nasty cold! It has been over a week now and I still have "remains of it" hanging around. I can honestly say that I am feeling better and can function once again. Eric, however, has gotten it and is down for the count. I am trying to keep my distance so that I don't get it again, but I hope that he is able to fight it off quickly.

So, all in all, it has been a GREAT day. I am going to try and scan some of the baby pictures that we got this morning. You can't see a whole lot cause the little bit is still very small, but you can see some things. It was amazing to see the baby move in my belly. All I can say is that we are truly blessed :)

Cold weather & ICE!

It is that time of year ... the temps have dropped and the weather is getting nasty! Over the weekend, we had our share of ice, snow and sleet. Overall, though, it wasn't too bad. Eric did have to go into work at 5:00 am on Sunday morning to get crews out to clear parking lots and sidewalks, but it hasn't been that bad. We are expected to get more storms in tonight through Wednesday morning. These are expected to be much worse so keep your fingers crossed for us!

Ice storms always remind me of when I was younger. I can't remember what year it was, but I remember waking up on Valentine's day (yes, February) and seeing EVERYTHING covered in ice. It was crazy. You could walk on top of the snow as it was frozen hard. I remember the trees in my parent's backyard -- split right down the middle. Several of them were killed or took years to come back because of that one singe storm. We were out of school for a few days because the power was out in several areas and the roads were too slick to drive on.

Let's hope that is not the case this week. There is too much to do ... although, I wouldn't complain too much if we had a snow day! I haven't had one of those in a REALLY long time :)

Engaged!

Just a note to let you all know that it is OFFICIAL -- Bobby and Alisa are engaged. Following several years of dating, Bobby decided to finally get off the pot and pop the question. Alisa had NO idea it was coming and was surprised by Bobby during the Thanksgiving meal with all of her family around. She had just gotten back from Hawaii and was pretty tired, so I am sure this was the last thing on her mind upon her return.

We are very excited for them. The planning has already begun and the date has been set for October, 4, 2008. Lots to do between now and then, but they are going to enjoy the holidays and then get down to business.

Here is a picture of the actual event. Please excuse Alisa's expression -- she was overcome with joy at this moment in time and could not hold the tears back.

Colds & Puppy help!

I must say that I hate them in general, but they are even worse when you are pregnant because you can't take much for them....Robitussin and some cough drops! I woke up Saturday with a major cold. I could feel it starting to come on Friday night as we went to dinner and by Saturday night/Sunday morning, it has ATTACKED! Saturday wasn't too bad, but by Sunday, it was HORRIBLE. I coughed and coughed .... after sleeping on Sunday (following our game), I felt much better yesterday, but then woke this morning with the crud again. I am able to function throughout the day (with a few coughs), but it is night time that is killing me right now. I am avoiding meds as much as possible, but I have given in at night because otherwise, I can't sleep!

So, I plan to head home tonight and crash .... or at least try to. I will stay with the meds till I can function again. I will say, though, that I sound alot worse than I actually am. Everyone who talks to me tells me that I sound horrible -- lovely, I know.

On a happier note, I was able to get most of the Christmas gifts wrapped last night that we have bought so far. I took me longer than expected because my furry sidekick didn't quite understand the idea that he had to get OFF the wrapping paper before I could wrap the gift. I would literally roll the paper out to measure for cutting and he would make his way onto it and sit. I should have just wrapped him up! I probably ruined at least 10 ft. of paper and 20 ft. of ribbon with him in the room.

Also, if anyone is looking to get Huey a gift this year, please buy him Blue's Clues brother set. We had a furry Blue that was purchased for our Salvation Army family and he could not get enough. He loved the feel of it (it was soft and furry) ... I had to hide it from him because he kept wanting to sniff and lick it. It was crazy ... he went bonkers over this thing! I made Eric remove him from the room because he was so infatuated with this thing. He also loved the spool of curling ribbon ... he looked like a cat trying to reach for it with his paw ... but unlike a cat, he tried to eat the ribbon. He also loved when I finished off a roll of wrapping paper and all that was left was the cardboard tube ... it was soon turned into shreds and he feasted on it.

From now on, I will be wrapping somewhere he can't find me. He is really the nosiest thing and it can be a pain. I am just praying that all of our presents remain in tact under the tree and that he doesn't open them. I would not put it past him one bit ... especially if he is looking for Blue!

Baby Update!

We went to the doctor this morning for our monthly check-up. We are 14 weeks today and everything appears to be right on track. Our doctor checked the heartbeat and everything looks strong -- 153 bpm. It took a few minutes as they baby was all over the place. I could see Eric starting to sweat over in the corner a little bit because she wasn't able to find the heartbeat for the first few minutes (he/she was moving that much!) I am also doing well. I have actually lost weight since I got pregnant ... no worries though :) My blood pressure has also decreased a bit since I got pregnant, but again, nothing to be worried about. All is good on this end!

Not much else to report on from today's visit -- pretty standard. We will, however, be going back in 2 weeks for our sonogram visit. So, on Dec. 12th we will know what we are having :) Just a heads up that I do not plan to post on here what we are having because me dad DOES NOT want to know and I know that he reads the BLOG. So, if you would like to know, please feel free to call or email me, but make sure you keep it a secret from old Bumpy :)

Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know this is a day early, but I will not be at a computer tomorrow. Instead, the team and I will be in Dallas preparing for our tournament at SMU. Eric will be going with me so that will be nice. He has vowed, though, not to come out of the hotel room tomorrow as football will be on. I am sure that he will make an appearance for dinner tomorrow evening. We will be gone through Saturday evening. The Championship game is at 7:00 pm on Saturday so hopefully we are playing and get on the flight late to head home. We start on Friday with Drake and then match up against either W. Michigan or SMU on Saturday.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful (and safe) holiday. I wish that we could be with our family tomorrow, but this has become the norm. Eric and I are very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends (and a little one on the way). Enjoy your time with family and friends this weekend (wherever you are) and take a moment to give thanks for all that you have been given in life.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Capps!

Easy Friday

This will be the first weekend we don't have a game or "something" going on. No, I don't have the weekend off, but it is only practice so it won't be too bad. We practice this early this afternoon (2:45-5:45 pm) and then are off until tomorrow morning. We are going early in the day (8-11 am) so that we can all head over and watch the #3 Jayhawk football team at 2:30 pm. This is their final game at home this season.

We will not be able to attend their game next weekend in Kansas City against Mizzou because we will be in Dallas at a Thanksgiving tournament. We leave Wednesday for Dallas and will be gone through late Saturday evening. Eric is going with me on this trip because of the Thanksgiving holiday. For Thanksgiving this year, we will be eating at the hotel. With 30+ people, it is hard to go to a restaurant so we will have a catered meal at the hotel. We may have to cook "the real deal" this weekend as I have a feeling it is not going to be the same.

Relaxing weekend

I can honestly say that I had a relaxing weekend. It was the first time in a VERY long time, that I found myself taking a nap and cleaning the house. Although we had a game yesterday, there wasn't a whole lot else going on in town so I was able to just sit at home and do nothing on Saturday. Eric was gone the entire weekend to KY so I was on my own, and let me tell you, I enjoyed it! It was quiet and relaxing :)

On Friday night, we had practice till about 6:00 pm and then there was a men's home basketball game. I stayed till about halftime and realized I was tired of watching basketball and was ready to go home. So I headed for the house and quickly fell asleep when I laid down. We had practice then on Saturday morning (9 am - Noon) and then I was done for the day. I headed home and got comfy on the couch. I fell asleep, which was wonderful! After getting up, I realized that our house was quite dusty and dirty and our poor dog stunk! So, I headed to the bathroom to wash Huey. This was his first time getting a bath in the new house and it went rather smoothly. After the bath, I kept on going and managed to get most of the house dusted, vacuumed and organized. John even helped with some dishes!!

On Sunday, then, we had our first "real" game of the year. We played Hartford and won! This was a quality win for us as they have appeared in the NCAA tournament the last few years. So, that will make for a happy coaching staff for a few days :) Our game was at 1:00 pm yesterday so I still had time to come home and relax before it was really time to go to sleep. All in all, it was a good weekend.

Eric made it home about 11: 30 pm last night and was sound asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Must have been a productive homecoming weekend at Western!

The McCaslands are State-Bound!

I talked with my good friend, Kelly, this morning on my way to the gym. It was about 5:30 am our time, which meant 8:30 pm Japan time. They have been living in Japan for nearly 18 months (since June 2006) and have just found out that they will be returning to the States (for good) on Jan. 31st! I know they are very excited to finally be coming "home."

Evan and Kelly have had an awesome experience and have taken full advantage of the opportunity to travel and really engage in the new culture. If any of our friends could take on something like this, I knew Evan and Kelly would be the ones to make the most of it! They have done a great deal of traveling and have really taken time to see that side of the world.

I know they are anxious to finally be coming home (to the South) where they belong. Kelly will probably return in mid-January so that she can start her graduate degree classes back up and then Evan will follow at the end of the month. Kelly has been volunteering alot and has been teaching English. Evan works for Nissan as an engineer so he will continue his work back in TN upon their return home. They will also be looking for a new home ... I know this has been a great stressor to them, but I am confident they will find what they BOTH love.

Please pray for Evan and Kelly as they come to the end of their adventure. They will spend Christmas this year in Japan as they are coming home for good so soon after the holidays. There will be lots going on in their lives and we are all hoping for a smooth (and safe) transition home. Eric and I are most excited because they have PROMISED to come visit us in Kansas this winter/early spring. Kelly and I plan to be sitting on the rocking chairs (on the front porch) drinking hot chocolate this winter catching up on all that has been going on!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all! Today was our 10-week check-up at the doctor. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat!! It was at 166, which is good according to the doctor. It will continue to go down as the baby grows in size. I am doing good as well. One thing she did mention is that my iron is pretty low. So that is now on the watch-list. Nothing major, though, at this point.

It has been a fun week with Andy, Jen and Eli here to visit. Eli is very excited about Halloween today and has his costume all ready ... he is going to be a firefighter. We carved a pumpkin together the other night and then Eric carved another one with him last night. I will say that Eric's was very good, but he cheated by using a kit! Mine was done with no stencils :)

Our first game is this weekend. We play Pitt State at home on Sunday afternoon. It is an exhibition game so it won't count in our W-L record, but it will still be a good test and preparation for the games to come. We kick off the season for real on Nov. 11th with a game at home against Hartford!

Happy Haunting Today :)

Eli is coming, Eli is coming!

Andy and Jennifer are making their way to Kansas this weekend. They are actually leaving KY today and will stay in St. Louis tonight, where they are going to visit the zoo with Eli in the morning. Following their time there, they will head to KS and spend the rest of the week with us.

We love when they come to stay! Eli is growing so fast now so it is always great to spend time with him. He is very conversational too so that makes it even more fun! I love talking with him on the phone ... it will be even better in person though. I am going to buy some fun treats for him tonight as I believe bribery is the way to a nephew's heart!

Lots going on this weekend as well. I am running our annual coaching clinic tomorrow. I am expecting around 100 coaches from Kansas and Missouri for the clinic. It will only be in the morning so it should be a fun event to run. On Sunday, we have an inner-squad scrimmage following two hours of practice so we will be in the gym for awhile there too.

Rainy Monday

It is COLD and rainy out here today! Of course, the rain was a great noise to sleep too. It doesn't take much to get me to fall asleep right now, though, as it seems I sleep nearly 10 hours a night right now. They say this will pass with the onset of the second trimester -- we shall see :)

Anyway, a great night's sleep was interrupted early this morning with a "drip, drip." Eric was sound asleep and I knew that I was NOT hearing things. Sure enough ... a tiny hole in our window pane was leaking. Of course, Eric awoke and was mad as our house is brand new. As I investigated, I remember that I left the upstairs window open. I made my way upstairs into the FREEZING bedroom to find water all over the inside of the window (and carpet) ... it had come in and was dripping down the wall. As soon as I got it cleaned up and dried out, the dripping stopped. When I went back downstairs to tell Eric (who was still irked at the fact the window was leaking), he just looked at me as I explained what I had done. He wasn't mad, though, things happen and at least our house is not leaking for real!

My busy weekend turned into a busy week. We have officially made it through our first week of practice. Today is our off day -- we still work in the office though :) The team is looking good. We are still very young, but we have alot of talent. It should be a fun year!

Andy and Jen will be making their way out to KS next weekend ... yeah!! We are excited as they will be staying the ENTIRE week with us. Andy has to work in Kansas City so this has worked out great! They will be here for Halloween so we get to take Eli trick-or-treating. Also, I bought a few pumpkins this year. Having Eli here is a great excuse to carve jack-o-lanterns ... something I have not done in years!

FYI -- we are in week 8 of the pregnancy. So far everything seems to be going well. Besides staying tired and the daily occurrences of nausea, things are great! We head back to the doctor on Oct. 31st for our next check-up!

Busy weekend ahead!

I will say it now, free time as I know it is no longer! Basketball season officially starts tomorrow evening and it will be full throttle until March. Here are Kansas, we kick off basketball season with Late Night in the Phog. It is like a HUGE celebration. KU fans have had countdowns going for this evening since last season ... all in anticipation of chasing the championship. There will be lines of people as early at 8:00 am tomorrow morning. They will trample Eric's flowers and mulch beds as they herd into Allen Fieldhouse tomorrow evening starting at 6:00 pm. People spend ALL DAY outside, waiting to get in when the doors open. The fieldhouse fills to capacity within minutes. It is basketball at its finest!

My parents and brother (along with Alisa) are traveling out today for the weekend. Bobby and Alisa have never been to Late Night so they will be in for a treat. I hope they enjoy the show. After it is all done, we head home so that we can get to bed in anticipation of getting up for 8 am practice on Sunday. We have recruits in town so we will be on the go all day long on Saturday as well.

Have a great weekend! For you basketball fans, October is here, which means it is officially basketball season. Only 3 more weeks until games start!

Living on a Culd-de-Sac

Well, we have discovered that living on a cul-de-sac has a couple "minor" drawbacks. One is parking, which isn't that big of deal as we don't usually have a lot of people over. In addition, we have a pretty good size driveway, which can accommodate almost 6 cars. So, we aren't too upset about this problem. The other issue, though, has irked Eric a few times over the past couple of weeks.

We have discovered that our neighbor boy (who is in HS) likes to have his friends come park in front of his house at night (usually after 11:00 pm) so they can chat without going in the house and being bugged by his mom. The problem you ask -- well, he and his friends don't realize that the angle they park their cars at makes their headlights shine directly on the front of our house! Last night, Eric was soooo annoyed with this. I tried to help the situation by going out and standing on the front porch so they would get the idea that they were causing a distraction. It took a few minutes, but they finally dispersed.

I really never noticed this as we have blinds and all up, but I could see where Eric was getting annoyed as the headlights were illuminating our house :( The boys are just having a good ol time and didn't pay any attention to their lights. The simple solution would be to turn off the headlights. I could care less if they sit out there and talk (or whatever they do).

The solution you ask? Eric wanted me to call my dad and ask him to bring out his 1 million watt spotlight (that Bobby had to have) so that when they do this again, he can walk out and shine the light back in their eyes. I would die of laughter if he did this!!!! I guess they would get the idea though :)

The secret is out!

Ok, so I think almost everyone knows by now ... if not ... Eric and I are EXPECTING!!! We are just over the 6 week mark in the pregnancy so there is still a LONG way to go. We are very excited though and are set for a due date of May 29th.

For those of you who have been calling to check in on me ... Thank you! I will tell you this ... I am pretty good during the day. I yawn alot, but really I can get through my work with little distraction or discomfort. As soon as I get home in the evening, well that is a different story. Last night I fell asleep at 5:30 pm!!! I woke up about 8 pm (just enough time for a bowl of cereal and to revise John's paper) and then it was back to bed again till about 6:30 am. No morning sickness, but alot of nausea in the evenings. That is when it seems to be the worst so far.

So, anyway, I will keep you updated on the progress. But, I wanted to let everyone know that the cat is out of the bag so feel free to share the good news :)

Happy Birthday!

I almost forgot! Happy Birthday Theresa :) My little sister is getting old!

Weekend at Home

John and I returned to BLM for a weekend home. I haven't been there since David and Angie's wedding in June and that was a BUSY weekend so we took some time and headed home for a few days. We had a great time at home as the whole family (minus Eric, who had to stay behind in KS to work) was back in BLM. We didn't really "do" much, but it was fun to spend time chit-chatting and catching up in person!

John and I got home late Thursday night. Theresa and I decided to head over to Washington then on Friday and spend some time with mom at school. It was Homecoming and she was able to get out of school early so we shopped around Washington and then headed home to BLM for the evening. A few of us went out to dinner at Grady's Pizza on Friday and then just rested at home on Friday night.

Saturday brought Teddy and Lindsay's arrival from Chicago. The girls all headed over to Angie and David's house where there was a Pampered Chef party going on. I, of course, bought a few things. Alisa is now a PC rep and is willing to host parties for anyone who wants to have one!

We just jetted around town then with the girls shopping and having a good time before heading home for a home cooked meal. Lindsay, Alisa and Angie treated the family to spaghetti night! I think it is safe to say that Lindsay "drank" most of her dinner! Thanks to John, poor Lindsay drank more Vodka than she thought! She fell asleep a bit earlier than the rest of us ....

Following breakfast on Sunday morning, John and I hit the road for home back to KS. It wasn't too bad of a drive and I am glad that we got the new tires on John's truck as we hit some good rain on the way home. It would have slowed us down quite a bit, but we were able to truck on through. Poor kid, though .... as we pulled into KC, a loud noise started to happen. It appears that a pipe has broke loose from his exhaust and now it sounds like a monster truck! He will have to get that fixed this week sometime :(

It was a fun weekend, though, and I am glad that I got to see everyone. I wish that Eric could have made the trip with us, but I know all weekends count when weather plays a large factor around your job. He will have more chances :)

It seems like only yesterday ....

So, my birthday was yesterday ... yes, I am now 28! I know it doesn't sound old, but it seems like just yesterday I was 21-22 and enjoying all the perks of college at WKU. We would stay out late at night and waste the weekends away (out of bball season, of course). Now, it is all I can do to stay up past 10:30 pm and I find myself doing chores on the weekends (cleaning, yard work, errands, etc). I have officially hit adulthood!

My birthday weekend was fun. Not too crazy, but it was enjoyable. Eric's mom, Eva, came to visit so I was able to spend some time with her. I took her for her first mani/pedi and got her make-up done professionally. I think that she had a great time and we were glad to have her come visit. It was the first time we have had anyone come stay at the new house! I also got a few phone calls from family wishing me happy birthday ... I think that they award for the cutest message goes to my nephew, Eli. I am going to save that one for awhile!

I will be heading to IL this weekend for this first time since June. Eric will not be able to go with me because of work, but John and I will be heading back to BN on Thursday night. I am looking forward to a nice weekend at home in IL with my family! It should be fun ... I just wish Eric could go :( I know that he needs to make these weekends count as Fall has now arrived and there is no telling how long the weather will cooperate.

Happy Friday!

It is pretty quiet here today. Many of the coaches are out of the office and I have been able to get a great deal of work done already today. I feel like I have caught up and got ahead on several things, which is a great feeling!

Eric's mom, Eva, will be coming to visit this evening. She is going to be staying for the weekend. She is our 1st official overnight visitor in the new house. I have threatened John that he MUST clean his bathroom -- toilet and all (you are WELCOME Eva!) He said he would get it done so we will see ;)

No big plans for the weekend. We will be hanging out with Eva and then probably head to the FB game on Saturday night. Not sure what else the weekend will hold, but it is sure to be fun. I will make sure to update you!

Wet Tuesday!

Man, is it pouring here!!! We have not really had a "storm" in a few months so this rain is definitely needed. Hopefully we can get some green grass again and it will stay cooler like last week. We are back up in the high 80s, low 90s, so I am ready for it to get cool and stay cool.

Not too much going on in the world of the Capps'. We are anticipating the arrival of Eric's mom on Friday night. She will be here for the weekend to help celebrate my birthday :) Eric already got me my gift ... a rocking chair for the front porch! I think that we have the perfect porch for rocking chairs. We will add to the collection ... probably another single and then a double rocker as well.

Basketball season is just around the corner (kicks off on Oct. 12th). We already have lots of reservations for the weekend of "Late Night." It will be a fun (and busy) weekend as there is always lots going on. We are finally getting people to come visit us so we are excited.

I've Got Mail!

Alright ... this post is mainly for Bumpy! I got home yesterday and found a large envelope on the counter from KU. It was my diploma for my master's degree. I thought dad would enjoy seeing it as they won't see me for a few more weeks ... here ya go!

TGIF!!

It's Friday! It has been a great day ... nothing really has happened, but it is Friday, which means no work tomorrow and it is chilly out here today, which means Fall is just around the corner. I love the fall months!

I guess today is also a great day because our friend, McKenzie Rave, turns 21! She will be celebrating with her friends and family tonight (after class & work). She is bound and determined to get in 21 shots, but I don't see that happening. I can only imagine if it did ;(

Anyway, Eric (John) and I are continuing to settle into the new house. We got all the water softener stuff straightened out and our fence is up. Huey was let loose in the yard for the first time this morning to check it out and it looked like a horse racing around the track. He just took off around the perimeter like he was chasing a rabbit. He would come to a "gallop" every once in awhile, but for the most part he just ran. There are lots of sticks out there from the older trees so he has enjoyed "eating" them all....guess he is getting his fiber!

Not much going on this weekend ... we will celebrate with the Rave's tonight and then go to the football game tomorrow and then enjoy the calmness that Sundays usually bring (when there is nothing going on).

Here is a recent picture of Eric and I. It is our "family" shot for the media guide this year. Dogs were banned from the pics (they got hair in the studio last year) so Huey did not make it :(

OK, last thing. No one ever leaves comments on here, so I am trying to figure out if anyone ever looks at this thing?? You can comment at the bottom of each post .... you don't have to sign up or anything ... just post a response ... you'll show up anonymously :) You don't have to comment, I would just like to get an idea if anyone reads!

Thinking of you, Wayne!

Many of you were privileged to know Eric's dad, Wayne Capps. As we all know, we lost him much too soon and he is missed very much. Not a day goes by without a thought of him and today we celebrate his should-have-been 57th birthday.

Please make sure to say a prayer....both for Wayne and for the family he left behind. Wayne, we know you are watching over us now and we miss you very much! Happy Birthday ....

Cairns, Australia

Ok, so it has been nearly a month and I have yet to make the last entry regarding my trip to Australia ... sorry :) So, here goes the last of 3 entries regarding my AWESOME trip!

We left Brisbane and flew farther up the coast to the small town of Cairns (pronounced CANS). We landed at the airport and immediately loaded the charted bus and headed to A.J. Hackett Bungee! We went deep into the rain forest to get to this place. It was very cool and we were surprised at how warm it had gotten (considering it was winter). So we get to Hackett's and everyone is in awe at the view and the surroundings of the area. It is beautiful!

I will say that I am not a fan of high places, but I would not consider myself scared of heights. I have never jumped before and I probably would not have done it anywhere but Australia. Myself and a few other brave soles from the staff signed our lives away and headed up the tower to the top where we would jump! The players were not allowed to jump b/c our KU administration feared someone would get injured ... you think ?!? So, most of the players (and Bonnie, our head coach) opted for the Minjin Swing. It was neat ... 2-3 people could go at one time. You are strapped in and basically lay down and get pulled to the top of the trees and then just swing like Superman. So, they enjoyed that and then really loved watching us all scream like girls. I was one of the last to go ... not a great thing for the confidence, but I could get some pointers from watching the others go. When it finally became my turn, they called me over and strapped me in to a safety harness. Now, this harness went around our stomach and rear end. I thought this would keep me safe should the ankles straps break, so I had that sucker as tight as it would go. Probably too tight looking at some of the pictures ;( I get to the seat where they start strapping you in and these guys are going through all of the directions. Basically, they strap you in by your ankles ... you penguin walk out to the plank ... smile for the camera and swan dive 160 ft into the lagoon below. So, I have watched the others go and I get ready to go our to the end of the plank. Just as I get out there, I feel something loosen around my ankles. I look back to the guy and tell him and he proceeds to tell me that it was my backup strap and that I will be fine so just go. Uh, hello? I need all the backup I can get. So, I waddle my way back in and tell him to fix it!!!

KT swinging in the clouds!

He does and I proceed to try again. This time all works fine and I dive quickly as I know that if I wait I will start to freak out because of the height. I can honestly say that it was the biggest high dive ever! I hit the water and got dunked about to my hips and then came flying back up. It was a rush and I am so glad that I did it!

Once everyone had bungeed or minjined, we headed back to the hotel. It was beautiful and very unexpected in this tiny little town. I was pooped ... so I took a shower and fell asleep. I woke in time for dinner and had a meal of kangaroo (tastes like steak), crocodile (tastes like chicken) and barimundo (fish). It was very good! We hit the bed early that night as Monday was going to be a big day!

We got up early on Monday so that we could get a good breakfast before boarding the bus to Port Douglas. We traveled about an hour from Cairns to Port Douglas where we boarded the Quicksilver Wavepiercer. This boat took us 90 mins out into the ocean and we landed at the Great Barrier Reef. I can tell you that it doesn't look like much from the boat. But Quicksilver is a company that specializes in tours of the Reef so upon arrival, the boat docked against a platform and we were able to spend the day there on the water. The first thing we all did was get our snorkel and fins on and head to the edge of the platform. I put my face in the water and lost my breath ... one because the water was a tad bit cold and two because the underwater was gorgeous! We were able to snorkel for nearly four hours out at the Reef and enjoy the day. The fish and the coral were amazing! Later in the afternoon we headed back to Port and called it a day. We were all very tired from the water and the sun. Overall, it was a great day ;)

Can't see much of the Reef from the surface!

Tuesday was our last full day in Australia. We had the day free and we were able to do last minute shopping and just enjoy the area. Cairns does not have much to do ... other than the Reef and Hackett's so I ended up at the hotel pool and finished my book. I got a great tan that day too :) That evening we all met up so that we could play our last game of the tour. We won easily.

On Wednesday, we had 2:3o am wake-up calls and were out of the hotel by 3:00 am. We headed home to the states and it was a LONG trip! We traveled from Cairns to Sydney (2 hour flight), Sydney to Los Angeles (13 hours), LAX to Dallas (1.5 hours) and then Dallas to KC (2 hours). We left Cairns at 3 am on Wednesday and arrived into Lawrence at 7 pm Wednesday night ... we lost an entire day in there because of the int'l dateline so needless to say, it was a long trip. It was an amazing experience though ... and I am so thankful that I got to go. I am looking forward to our next trip ... four years from now .... Italy has come up a few times in talk :)

As they say in Australia ... No Worries!

You're Invited!

Ok, if I talk to one more family member or friend about visiting our home out here in Kansas and they respond, "We haven't been invited," I am going to scream! For the last time ... we have an OPEN invitation at our home :) No need to wait for us to call and BEG (some of you) to come visit ... JUST COME! We love having people for the weekend (or however long) and can't wait for you all to come see our new house. Granted, it is a little empty, but we have lots more room!

Eric and I are starting to boycott those who have not been out (within the last year). If you don't come see us, we are not coming to see you! You know who you are ;)

So, in conclusion, no need to wait for an invitation ... just call and let us know when you want to come out. Most everyone knows that my schedule is hectic (especially during bball season), but we will make it work. All we ask is for 24 hours notice (especially at New Years!)

Happy Wednesday!

Year #2

Tomorrow will make our second wedding anniversary .. crazy, huh? It seems like yesterday that we were all in Bloomington getting ready for the Big Day. I loved our wedding and would do it all over again if Eric would let me spend the $$ :) I have often told him that if I make a career change, I am going to go into event planning. I love doing things like that ... especially weddings as they are always very sentimental.

Anyway, we don't have any big plans for tomorrow. We are going to have a low-key day at home and then head into KC for dinner. We got a "gift" for one another already ... it arrived yesterday afternoon. We got a king-size bed!! It is great and we joked when it was delivered that it has only taken two years for us to need a bigger bed so that we don't have to touch when we sleep (Bumpy will like that :) We were able to move our bed upstairs so we have a bed once again for guests (come one, come all!)

I will end by saying that I am a very lucky girl! I have a GREAT husband who loves me very much and would do anything in the world for me! We have had a wonderful two years of marriage and I am so looking forward to what God has in store for our future. I can honestly say that I married my best friend and I am blessed that he has put up with me for these past few years.

Brisbane, Australia

Ok, back for round two of the Australia trip! After we left Sydney, we flew to Brisbane. I will say that I am glad that we did not end our trip here. While it was fun and the weather was nice, there just wasn't as much to do and see in Brisbane. We stayed right in the heart of the town ... we were able to walk to alot of shops and the pier. It wasn't the ocean you were looking at so for me it was just more water.

I will say the highlight of our stay in Brisbane was the daytrip we took to the Australia Zoo. This is the zoo that is owned and operated by the Irwin Family ... yes, that is right ... Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter!" It took us about an hour to get from the hotel to the zoo, but well worth it. It is unlike American zoos because they want you to really "experience" the animals up close. None of the animals are in cages, rather they are in spaces that look like natural habitats. If they are dangerous animals (tigers, lions, etc) they are put behind glass so that you can still have a great view. While at the zoo, I got to hold (and pet) a couple of koala bears (yes, they are super soft!) I also got to hand feed an elephant (they snot on your hand when the feed) and we also got to walk through 'Roo Heaven! This is an area where the kangaroos are able to roam free with the visitors in the park. We got to pet and take pics with the kangaroos. (Check out my earlier blog for these pics). It was really cool!!

I was a little nervous here ... can you tell???

We also saw some very OLD tortoises that were HUGE. These guys (and gals) live to be over 200 years old and are gigantic! One of the last things we did while at the zoo was attend the show at the crocoseaum. This was a large outside theatre with a large pool in the middle. During the show, they brought out birds, elephants and crocs! These crocs were huge and they explained all about their habits and how to avoid being eaten :) Believe it or not, it is a huge problem in Australia. After we left Brisbane and got to Cairnes, the people in town all told us to stay away from the ponds and lagoons as they were croc havens and many people have been bitten.

Not quite your teenage mutant ninja turtle!

Anyway, back to the zoo. It was one of my favorite things in Australia. Steve Irwin is very much a part of the zoo even though he was killed by a stingray last year. There are pictures and displays of he and his family (and their adventures) throughout the zoo area.

We did some other things while in Brisbane (Surfer's Paradise, etc) but the zoo was the highlight of the stay. We were there only a few days before we headed on to our last stop ... CAIRNES!!

More to come ....

Morning on ya!

Just thought I would check in to make sure everyone has had a good weekend thus far. Eric and I spent the better part of yesterday running errands and cleaning house. It was a productive day, which means we can spend today relaxing. I think that I am going to head to the Eudora Aquatic Center for awhile this afternoon. There won't be too many weekends left this summer so I am going to take advantage of this nice day and head to the pool to catch some sun.


I am sure that Eric and Huey will hang out here at the house. Huey is busy destroying his toys!!! We got him a few new things to play with, but he doesn't "play," he destroys. In the last week, he has chewed all of the rubber off of one of his new toys ... I found it under our bed in about 1000 pieces and today he is working to ruin the basketball I gave him. It started out as a nice mini-basketball, but already he has popped it and put a large hole in it. It is a matter of time till I start finding pieces. Oh well, whatever keeps him busy!






Enjoy your weekend (what is left of it!)

Sydney, Australia

Ok, I have been meaning to update you all on my recent trip to Australia. It would be a very LONG read if I try and do it all at one time, so I am going to break it up into 3 as we visited 3 cities on our tour.

We left Kansas City around noon on Saturday, August 4th. We flew from KC to Dallas, Dallas to LA and then LA to Sydney. Because of the time change (and international dateline), we arrived in Sydney on Monday, August 6th at 7:30 am. It was a long trip getting there and when we did arrive, it was morning so our guide, Jason, told us that we HAD to try and stay awake until 8:00 pm that night. I didn't think that would be much of a problem as we were all very excited to finally be in Australia and there was so much to do. By 5:00 pm that night, we were all starting to look a bit cross-eyed and delirious.

Once we made it out of customs and the airport, Jason had arranged for us to take a short bus tour of the city. It was very cool to see so much at one time. It was funny watching people drive on the wrong side of the road .. yes, Americans drive on the correct side! We stopped at a few different places to take some pictures and then made our way to Bondi Beach. This beach is a HUGE tourist attraction and it is also where a great deal of Baywatch was filmed. We walked along the beach for awhile and then had lunch in a small cafe. By the end of Monday, we were all quite tired and ready for bed so it was an early night.

I slept pretty good all night that first night, but was up at about 4:30 am the next morning. I got up and went with Bonnie (our head coach) on a walk around the area. We were staying right near the harbour so we had great views of the Sydney Opera house, the famous bridge and the water. It was great!! Later that day, we toured the opera house and spent time seeing the various theatres. It was much more plain that I thought it would be, but still very neat. Following the tour, we took a cab over to the Sydney Aquarium and toured it for awhile. It was your standard aquarium, but still very neat. We had our first game later that night ... it was a semi-pro team show up (much better than expected) and we were still very jet-lagged so we did not play well.

We spent time Tuesday doing more sightseeing and went out to Manley Beach. To get to the beach, we took a ferry across the harbour. It was still located in Sydney, but outside of the harbour (connected to the ocean). Manley Beach is alot like Miami Beach .. the shops just aren't as high end as down in Miami. Lots of little stores, though, to browse through. It was winter in Australia as well while we were there so we didn't have to fight the summer beach traffic. We saw lots of bikinis and speedos, though, as winter was still 70+ degrees there.

We got up early on Wednesday, then, so that we could catch a flight to Brisbane ... more details to follow.

Wednesdays!

I will say that today I am not a fan of Wednesdays! With the start of school, I find myself in the office all week. It hasn't been this way in awhile with the trip to Australia, summer camps and grad class. This week has been really long already and it is only Wednesday!! Because of our trip, we have had to do alot of meetings and such this week to get everyone ready for the year. I think that we are just about there, though, and I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend ... in 3 more days :(

Anyway, I have gotten alot of calls and emails regarding our newest student at KU, John! I promise, you all, he is doing great! He is enrolled in 12 hours ... COMS, Western Civ, Sociology and English. He goes to class in the mornings and then heads to work. He is still working with Eric's company, he has just reduced his hours now that school is in session. Since our move, he has gotten a bigger bedroom and bathroom so that has been good. He seems to be fine, though, just looking to make some new friends out this way. I am sure that he is sick and tired of Eric and I ... we are old farts in his eyes ;)

Happy Wednesday!

Free Day!

Today was the first day this month that I had entirely free. With the "fast" move and the trip to Australia, it has been a crazy month. Eric and I spent the entire day today working on the house. We finally have it in pretty good shape. We got most everything put away today and have caught up on laundry. Eric did a great job while I was gone, but I came in on Wednesday night (exhausted) and just dropped everything. So, our new house has been somewhat of a disaster zone. We made alot of progress today though, and can finally relax. We even got the materials ordered for our fence so hopefully we can get that started this week. I didn't realize how BIG our yard is, but it is great ... the fence will take awhile though, but it will be well worth it.

With a new house comes a laundry list of things we want/need. We have more than doubled our size, so we have alot of EMPTY house right now. In due time, we will get it filled up, but right now we are just getting some things that are much needed (rugs, blinds, etc ...). It has been really fun shopping for new things. I am not much of a decorator, but it is fun to try and make it all look nice.

It is about time for me to head to bed ... before I go, I wanted to ask for everyone's prayers for my friend, Brooke. Brooke and I work together for KU. While our team was gone to Australia, Brooke lost her father. He was only 60 years old. I am not sure of all the details, but I was able to see Brooke on Thursday as a few of us from the team went to pay our respects at the visitation. Brooke is doing as well as expected, but her father's death was very unexpected so she is dealing with a variety of emotions. Thoughts and prayers are needed for she and her family at this time.

Back From Down Under!

Hey All -- I know it has been a few weeks since I have lasted posted, but it has been with good reason. After moving into the new house, I left for Australia and just got back this evening. It was a blast!!! I had the opportunity to see a performance in the famous Sydney Opera House, bungy jump in the rainforest, snorkle at the Great Barrier Reef and get up close and personal with kangaroos, kaolas, elephants and crocs! It was an amazing experience. I plan to write more for you all about the trip, but right now I am ready for bed. We left Cairnes and 3:30 am YESTERDAY and got home to Kansas this evening about 7 pm. Needless to say, it was a LONG trek home!! Here are a few pics to tide you over until I can expand on my travels ... Enjoy!

Crazy Week!

Since my last entry, Eric and I have been on a whirlwind. We went to Chicago last weekend and while we were there, we sold our house! We got to the Windy City on Friday and by Sunday the documents were all signed that was it. We got home to Lawrence on Monday and started looking for a new place to live immediately. Couple house searching with the last week of my graduate class and it was a LONG week (to say the least). We got a great deal from the buyer of our current house, but the condition was that we had to be out last night by 5:00 pm. Eric, John and I worked pretty much all weekend and made it by about 1 hr.

We have found a new house in Eudora, Kansas, and will move in on Thursday. We actually have had our eye on this house for about a month, but never got serious with it as we had to sell our current house. Well, it sold so quickly that we were able to jump on it and get a great deal as it is a buyer's market. We looked at several houses here in Lawrence, but we just kept coming back to this place in Eudora. My commute to work with have an extra 4-5 minutes each day, but I am not worried as I really like the new place. It is brand new ... 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and an unfinished basement. We are really excited =)

We will close on the new house on Thursday. We are staying with our friend, Joe, this week until we can get in the new place. Poor Huey has been so confused with the move. I finally called our vet's office today and took him over there to be boarded for the rest of the week. He hasn't eaten in over 2 days. I hated having to do it, but he is just so anxious right now and would not just calm down and relax. Eric and I will go see him daily while so that we can walk and play with him. He will get to come to the new house then on Thursday!!

House for Sale!

Ok, we had our first call from the realtor today telling us that we need to get the house all cleaned up as someone wanted to come take a look. Of course, we haven't been very tidy over the past week with the boys out working and myself wrapped up in camp. But, alas, calls went out to Eric and John to rush home and help get the place cleaned up by 6:00 pm so that we could disappear for the realtor to show our house. I must say that we did really well in the short time we had. John wasn't too interested in helping, but as soon as I explained that he will get his own area (even when company comes) he was all on board to help out. The house looked great so we will just have to wait and see.

My weeks of craziness have come to an end finally. I wrapped up the last of my summer camps this afternoon. As those little bodies headed out the doors to their parents for the last time, I could not help by smile. I didn't get to do it very much though as I was headed off to class. This time next week I should be finished with my master's degree. It has been about 4 years in the making so I am VERY excited. On top of that, I defended my comp exams this afternoon (after camp and after class). Looks like I passed so that is one more thing down!

Eric and I are headed off to Chicago tomorrow afternoon. We have not had a "vacation" this summer so we are going to spend the weekend with Teddy and Lindsay. We have not seen their new house yet either, so we are excited to be getting away. It should be alot of fun (as long as Teddy is nice to me and does not go into Big Brother Mood!)

Long week ...

I will admit that I am tired and it is only Tuesday!! We just finished with our second day of basketball camp .. it is our last one of the summer. We have 105 1-5th graders (boys and girls) in this week for camp. They are really cute ... every basket is like celebrating a national championship. Camp runs everyday from 9 am - Noon, which is not too bad.

The part that I have been dreading is the class that I have to go to immediately following camp everyday for 2.5 hours. I am in my final graduate class and should finish up next week with my degree. So, between summer camps, normal work hours, comp exams and class, it has been a LONG summer. I shouldn't complain, though, as I have been given great opportunities with all of this.

I am looking forward to celebrating, though. Our bball team is heading to Australia for 11 days so I will get to really celebrate there with the coaching staff. No more school for KT!!

Birthday!

It feels like we have been celebrating Eric's birthday now for three days (which we have), but the real "day" has finally come. It took Eric awhile to wake up this morning as he, John Wall and John Wulf stayed up till about 3:00 am on the back porch last night. Guys being guys .... this is usually what happens when Eric gets together with the college buddies. Eric and John Wall just left for the airport. They are going to hang out in Kansas City for a little bit before they go to the airport. Eric has been grinning from ear to ear all weekend and John has let loose too, so I would say I was successful with my birthday gift :)

I have included a few pictures of the weekend. These were the best shots I could get of the two as they are always STUPID looking when they see a camera! Happy birthday Eric ... #27!!

Yea! I kept the secret ...

I must say that I am pretty proud of myself....I was able to keep the secret about Eric's birthday gift for nearly two months. For his gift this year, I arranged for one of his best friends, John Wall, to fly in for the weekend. I called John back in May to see if we could make it work and I just KNEW that Eric would figure it out beforehand. But, he didn't! Thanks to some creative help from Lindsay and Johnny Wulf (as well as numerous others who didn't spill the beans), we were able to surprise him last night at the airport! John flew in after work last night and Eric thought we were at the airport to pick up Lindsay. He had been told that she was coming in this weekend to work camp for me, which starts on Monday.

He was very excited as many of our friends have never been out here (to date, Evan is the only one that has graced us with his presence). John and Eric have spent the last 20 some hours "catching up" and driving ALL around town. We stopped at Outback in Kansas City for a late dinner and it was just like "old times" with boys being boys. I think that John has seen nearly every inch of Lawrence and KU thanks to Eric. I am really glad that we were able to make this work ... Eric (and I) are really enjoying John being here.

There is no plan for the rest of the weekend, but Eric's official birthday is tomorrow so I am sure that the celebration will continue. He has requested yellow cake with chocolate icing, so I will be making that tonight or tomorrow. I have also heard plans of a "boys night" out on the town tonight, but I will have NO part of that. I take that back ... I will probably be the driver at about 2:00 am. John Wulf is working a basketball tournament today, but he has requested they don't leave the house until he is home from the tournament!!!

Getting the hang of it...

So today Eric and I met with a mortgage lender to discuss finances for our next new home. We put our current house on the market this week and hope to find a buyer relatively soon. We really like our current house (great open floor plan, nice location and friendly neighbors), but we are starting to feel a bit cramped. I find it overwhelming all of the money plans that exist out there, but I am confident that we will find a house that we LOVE and can live in the next few years. We aren't looking for the dream house yet, but we do need more space!

My youngest brother, John, moved in with us recently as well, so we have added another being and all his belongings. We are happy to have him though and look forward to seeing him attend KU. It has been a dream of his so we are happy to help make it happen. He is just working right now (trying to save $$) and then will start school in mid-August.

John returns from work tonight. Eric got him on a crew through his company, so he leaves on Monday mornings and works out of town all week and then comes back on Friday afternoon. We have to run to the airport later on this evening to pick up a visitor and then we are headed for a pre-birthday dinner at Outback...It is Eric's birthday weekend starting today (birthday is Sunday). Make sure to give him a call if you can remember!

Last thing before I sign off for the day -- I know that some of you may think I am a dork for doing this, but I don't care. My whole goal is to keep you all in the loop since catching one another on the phone seems to get harder and harder. Make sure and check in with me and help me keep this going. I am serious about sending pics and news notes as I would love to keep everyone informed about our lives and our family.

Here goes nothing....

I have always wanted the chance to say what is on my mind and here is my chance. Bear with me as I figure out the kinks of this deal, but hopefully you find it interesting. Stay tuned....