The Bicycle Battle - Part 1

When Kipper took his new job at Cook Children's last year, he quickly became very interested in cycling since many of his co-workers rode. So after saving up he got his first rode bike and has started riding a few times a week.

We have been talking about getting me a bike so that we can ride together, which was great since I had wanted a bike for a long time.  But Kipper's idea of a bike is not even close to Allie's idea of a bike. 

This is what I had been dreaming of.....

Kipper...not so much. He had found a bike on Craigslist that he thought would be a great deal for me, so he wanted to chat about it last night before he went to look at it today. 

The conversation went something like this. 

     Kipper: Honey, I found the perfect bike for you and I want you to tell me what you think before I drive to Garland to look at it. 

     Me: Is it pink?

     Kipper:  no.

     Me: Does it have fenders? 

     Kipper:  um, no. 

     Me: But it has a basket, right? 

     Kipper:  nope. Just look at it. It is teal. 

     Me: Fine. I could live with teal...after I add fenders and a basket.

     Kipper: (mumbles something to himself...) 

     Me: (looking at the bike) Yea....this is nice and all, but I was thinking    something more like this! (pulling up pictures of this FAB Kate Spade Bike I had found earlier that day) 

    

     Kipper:  Honey..look, that is very cute but not at all practical! If you want to ride with Me, Travis and Becky you need a bike that is functional. 

     Me: That bike is TOTALLY functional! Look at all the stuff you can carry and it even has a chain guard to protect the hem of your skirt from getting caught up in it! 

     Kipper: Really? Honey I love you, but we ride for conditioning. We ride for distance. We ride to train ourselves to become better athletes. If you are going to ride with us, you have to have a real bike. It won't be a Mary freaking Poppins ride through the park.

     Me: Mary Poppins never rode a bike. 

     Kipper:  What? 

     Me: Mary. Poppins. never. rode. a. bike. (opens google)

     Kipper: Yes she did! When she floated up in the sky.  

     Me:  Um, no...she used an umbrella. you are thinking of ET. Mary Poppins did ride a Carousal Horse though. 

     Kipper:  Whatever. It doesn't really matter, you know what I mean. 

     Me: Then why did you say it? 

     Kipper: (mumbles something to himself...)  

     Me:  Now, Julie Andrews did ride a bike in the Sound of Music when she played Maria. 

     Kipper:  See! I told you, Mary Poppins rode a bike! 

     Me: How do you figure that?  

     Kipper: Julie Andrews rode a bike when she played Maria in the Sound of Music. And then Julie Andrews played Mary Poppins. SO Mary freaking Poppins rode a bike! 

     Me: Yea and your Lance Armstrong cause you wear yellow and black when you ride. :)

To be continued...

Little Miss Aubrey

Blast from the Past Post!

Through JWC I have met most of my dearest friends. While we share both the joys and sorrows in our lives, it is always a blessing to get to be apart of celebrating the joyous times in their lives. 

When our sweet friend, Kristen, became engaged to Bridget's brother, Brandon, in the Fall of 2008 it was certainly cause for celebration!!  One that carried straight through from the engagement party, to showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, right to the wedding. 

Just a year later there was news for celebration again - Kristen and Brandon were expecting!!! (which is code for Allie gets to be crafty!!) 

I got lucky, because Kristen sent me a picture of the nursery so I was really able to base my gift off of it!

I knew I wanted to do a picture frame, but I also decided to do a trinket box to match. (the words/designs in the picture frame are just for presentation...it is an actual picture frame!)

This was my first diaper cake....it was a little more challenging than I expected. While I loved how it turned out, I haven't made one since then! lol.

 Kipper and I loving on Miss Aubrey at JWC's 2011 Holiday Open House. 

We haven't seen Miss Aubrey in a while since her momma isn't in JWC anymore and we all have crazy schedules. But she will be turning 2 in June and is adorable as ever!

Allie Facts: Run From Hell Edition

During my run today I started thinking about all the random things that I think about or tend to discover about myself while doing various things. All of a sudden "Allie Facts" was born...

And while I am sure this will only be amusing to me (and maybe to Kipper)....welcome to the first edition of Allie Facts. :)


- I am 30 years old and I still coordinate by hair bow with my shirt when I go run/workout

- When your best friend texts you a picture of a cupcake right before you go run, all you think about during said run is how much you want a cupcake.

- I  think that I would run faster and further if someone dangled a cupcake in front of me the entire time. 

- Those last two thoughts make me realize that you can make a Polish girl run, the Polish girl can lose weight and get skinny, but deep down inside she will always Polish girl who loves her bread and sweets! 

- When I am running outside and trying to push myself to go a little further, I randomly yell out things like, "Keep going!! No really, don't stop!" for motivation. (even though I have my ipod on full blast and I can't actually hear myself very well)

- Running up a hill, into the wind, 25 minutes into a hard workout do NOT mix well for me.

- I really do feel bad for throwing up in that sweet families yard after getting up said hill.

- The building we run by that I always call the "Moose Lodge" is actually a Knights of Columbus Lodge...on Columbus Trail. (I find that very ironic) 

- Apparently when I sing along to my ipod, I sing much louder than I realize because people sometimes give me very odd looks. 

- I almost asked one guy working in his yard why he was looking at me so oddly? I mean was I off key? (hey it is hard to run and sing at the same time!) 

- I HATE running.....but I won't quit because I am going to kick butt, while wearing a tutu at Warrior Dash in just a month! GO GLITTER WARRIORS!!

Just Living Up To The Name Of My Blog

Let me set the stage. I am in the bathroom brushing my hair after a shower and I something on the floor catches my eye. Kipper walks in as I bend over to examine what it is.

     Kipper: Honey, what are you doing?

     Me: There is something in the grout of the tile. 

     Kipper:  Ok...what is it?

     Me: A rhinestone. (tries to pick it up) Ugh!

     Kipper:  What?

     Me: I can't pick it up. It is liked it is glued down....oh never mind I got it.  

     Kipper:  Ok...

     Me: That was weird...I have no idea how that ended up there. Strange, Huh?

     Kipper:  (shaking head) Yea....Nothing in this house involving rhinestones and glitter surprises me anymore. 

Hmmm...ok then. I wonder if he would be okay with one of these additions to our house? heehee! :) 

Oooh or maybe a rhinestone wall???  (this wall is from Swarovski Cystal Worlds in Austria!)

Hey I am just.....

Going For The Gold!

After months of preparation and hard work, Spring Show is once again upon us! 

I have to say it feels really good to just be part of the cast and not directing after being the director for two years in a row! :)  And I know poor Kipper is ready for the costume shop that is our house to be boxed up until next year! 

Now here is the big question!! 

Have you ordered your tickets for this year's JWC Spring Show "Going For The Gold" yet? 

Friday, March 2nd or Saturday, March 3rd. Tickets are $15 for general seating (which is first come, first serve) or $20 for reserved seating. 
     All tickets include:
           - A beer, wine, and appetizer reception before the show and at intermission
           - Program book
           - And some great laughs! :)

There are buttons on the home page so it is easy to order your tickets! http://www.jwcfw.com/

You know you are dying to see Eden and MaKenzie in action!!! 

Let me know if you have any questions and I hope to see you there!!!

I Swear We Are Both Medicated :)

If you know us, you know Kipper and I are both crazy in our own ways. If you don't actually know us, but just read my blog, you know Kipper and I are both crazy in our own ways.

Several of our friends tell us all the time if we had a reality TV show they would totally watch it (which of course they would because they are our FRIENDS!) but really I have never thought we were that entertaining.

Yet after hearing this over and over for sometime, I actually started to pay attention to some of the crap that came out of our mouths.  I mean the Usual Suspects always text each other quotes of the day/night and yes several have been compliments of Kipper or I, but that is just the tip of the ice burg compared to some of the random conversations that take place between the two of us. Holy Moly! 

Here are just a few examples of what I mean....

     Me: Is it odd I sort of like Apple Martin's name?

     Kipper: Yes

     Me: So you don't want to name our future child that.  

     Kipper:  Um..NO!

     Me: How about Blueberry Martin?

     Kipper: Again, NO!

...L o n g   P a u s e....

     Kipper: You know if we did name a child Blueberry, I could totally say "You're my boy Blue" That would be so cool!

A few "quotes of the day" compliments of the Martin family. (In true quote of the day fashion, I am not going to tell you who said what...guessing that is half the fun! lol!) 

• "I need to take a Vicodin. I blog well on Vicodin."

• "Babies, puppies, bounce house and naked Barbies Oh My!"

• "We are currently being baked by solar flares...good thing we have a magnetosphere."

• "Some days I feel like walking in a room, throwing glitter and yelling "Here I Am Bitches!"

• "When I was little, I used to practice being a priest. I would make communion wafers out of bread with a shot glass. I even had an alter"

• "That cheese tastes like what I imagine the stock show would taste like"

• "What did he do, suckle a baby calf?"

•  "Remind me to tell you about the sugar fields in Uruguay."

•  "We have fallen down a redneck rabbit hole!"

• (Watching Doomsday Preppers) " Honey, these are my people!!!" 

• "I totally have a  new fundraiser idea for the Catholic church...charge a fee to try on the pope hat, extra to have your photo made in it. Don't laugh, cause you all know you would want to do it."

A Big Moment For The Martin Family

Tomorrow is a big day, that has been long awaited in the Martin household. Kipper and I have an appointment with the high risk OB/GYN to start the necessary steps to grow our little family.

Yet before we can really focus on getting pregnant we have to make some changes to get me in order, with the biggest being, getting me off my Adderall. I can't begin to explain how much the thought of  "detoxing" off a drug I have depended on for the last 9 years terrifies me.

I literally have made myself sick over the anxiety of knowing this was coming. But no matter how hard this might be at first I know the possibilities of the end result are going to be worth more than words can describe.

I went back and forth about even writing this blog tonight, but in the end decided I wanted to share it with everyone. (I am sure our close friends and family are sick of hearing about it) 1) I figure the more people who know what we are about to embark on, the more that can pray for us and 2) It is giving everyone a heads up that there is a good chance I might be a unstable or extra crazy over the next several months as we figure this out.

Every night I thank God for blessing me with an amazing husband, loving family and incredibly supportive friends who have helped me cope with the emotions that have surrounded all aspects of this journey so far. I know tomorrow marks the start to a long road, but for Kipper and I it is a big moment.

Until them I keep reminding myself of my motto: