The Nutcracker!

We continued our annual trip to KC to see the Missouri Ballet's version of the Nutcracker. It is a beautiful production. We started the day at Lucy's ordering biscuits and gravy. We drove straight to the Plaza and started shopping at my favorite stores: Pottery Barn, Barnes and Noble, Williams Sonoma and Restoration Hardware. We had a quick lunch and then headed to the Nutcracker. It was in a new location this year. After the performance, we headed back to the Plaza to look at lights. Bob introduced us to Bocca de Beppa, an Italian restaurant. The meatballs were to DIE for!

Christmas!

Christmas is so much fun! Bob and I decorate all over the house, but we absolutely love trees!

Snow Day!

We have had two snow days in a row! This is totally unheard of at this time of the year. I have taken full advantage of them to sleep in, wrap christmas presents, bake some cookies and eat chocolate. And that was just yesterday. Today I am going to scrapbook and work on a project for Ashley's christmas. I am also going to try to keep Bob from shoveling snow since he hurt his back last week.

Are you on the Naughty or Nice List?

I think it is fair to note that I am on Santa's NICE list! See for yourself: The Official "Naughty or Nice" Ranking for Terri: Nice (B+) Dated this Saturday, November 25, 2006 At The North Pole Merry Christmas Terri! Way to go Terri! Your halo may be a little bit crooked but you're definitely on Santa's "Nice List"! Mrs. Claus and the elves sure do look forward to hearing how you're doing! Keep up the great work, Terri! Merry Christmas! Important Notice: A certified copy of this "Naughty or Nice" ranking has been placed in a special high-security vault in the offices of Santa's accounting firm of "Elf, Elf & Galoshes" and cannot be removed until Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas! You can find out for yourself by going to: http://www.christmassantaclaus.com/naughty_nice.asp

What will YOUR obit say?

Just took this cute quiz I learned about on another site! Here's mine: 'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com You, too, can take this cute quiz, just click on the red link above!

Happy Birthday to me!

Bob cooked a wonderful meal for me to celebrate my 48th birthday! Filet mignon, shrimp cocktail, cheesy hashbrowns, sugar snap peas, grilled garlic bread and cheesecake for dessert! We had two really great wines, too. Oh, and a great salad with Jake's walnuts in it. MMmm..

Christmas Survey (to get you in the mood!)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate 2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Sits them under the trea 3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Depends on the tree! 4. Do you hang mistletoe? Absolutely! 5. When do you put your decorations up? Starting November 1. 6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Breakfast casseroles! 7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Accidently catching my dad putting together our bikes. I thought Santa must be really stupid. 8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think it was the night I saw dad putting together our bikes! 9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes...one 10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I have 8 trees, so it is dependent on the tree! 11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it if there is a snow day to go with it! 12. Can you ice skate? Kinda..... 13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Books. I was always excited when I got a book. 14. What's the mos

Happy Saturday!

The weather is dismal and gloomy but today I feel wonderful! I have laundry in the washer and dryer, there are bagels waiting to be toasted and I think it is going to be a hot chocolate day! I am going to a workshop on behavioral management ideas for children with autism and I am hoping to learn a lot of new tricks. It is sponsored by a hospital, so I am a bit worried about it being too "clinical". We'll see. I think I should get a day off next week, don't you?

Happy Halloween!

Doesn't this picture just say it all? These are David's two wee ones!

Ashley is 21!

Ashley and the Steffes family gathered at the University Club to celebrate Ashley's 21st and Jake's 80th birthday!

A Toast to Your Health 2006

We were invited to participate in the 2006 A Toast to Your Health dinner on Thursday. Here is a photo of the menu. We were invited by Linda and Don along with Laura and Bill. We had such a good time, as you will be able to tell from the menu!

Happy Halloween!

We love Halloween in our new neighborhood! It is so fun to have actual trick or treaters come to the house. We lived on a busy street before so we really didn't get the full effect. Now we will have them for hours! It is fun to make special treats for our neighbor kids, too. We always celebrate with a rich chili, cornbread and ice cream sundaes. I will try to stay out of the Halloween candy this year. No Junior Mints or Cherry Mash at our house this year!

My Secret Garden

Ashley works at this posh flower shop in Columbia. They just finished a wedding for the Kroenke family (they own the Rams and part of Walmart) and Ashley brought me some of the leftover roses. They are so lovely. Ashley is always so thoughtful and sharing with the gifts she receives. There were 25 hot pink roses, here are a few of them!

Fall Breakfast

It was time for me to renew my spirit with some time with my girlfriends! I decided to treat my friends to a breakfast featuring fall type food. We had egg blossoms, baked oatmeal with cranberries and pecans, maple walnut scones, and strawberries. Of course, we had mimosas to drink! Ashley, Charlotte, Joey and Tambra were able to come! We had a great time!

Niemeier Reunion!

This weekend was Bob's Niemeier Family Reunion. This is Bob's mom's family. Irene is the oldest sibling in the group. We had 102 people there out of a possible 150 (or so!) The food was awesome, David and Jeanne` brought their wonderful sloppy joes. Susan made these wonderful chicken dippers that were wonderful. I think Karen made the fried chicken but I forgot to ask her! Irene made ham, lasagne, meatloaf and Bob and Jake grilled hot dogs. The desserts and side dishes were to die for. Someone made a caramel apple pie, wonderful peach cobblers, moist brownies, chocolate cake, and so much more! Bob said he ate some macaroni and cheese that was awesome. I loved all the potato dishes and salads. We should print a family cookbook! In one photo you will see Irene (the oldest sibling) Gary (the oldest grandchild) Karen (the oldest great grandchild and Janie (the oldest great, great grandchild) Another photo is of our family.

Mizzou Football!

Bob and I love Missour Football! We are big fans and love to tailgate with our buddies. We tailgate every game if possible! We started tailgating in 1980 when we first moved to Columbia. We have seen coaches come and go but the fans are constant! The Tigers won their season opener 40-7 yesterday with a record breaking 5 touchdown passes! The band looked great!

Missouri State Fair

The State Fair is our last big summer event. It signals us to get ready for fall. We love going to the Fair and have very specific things that we do there. I always head directly to the Varied Industries Building and the Commercial Buildiing. We look around and dream of owning a SoftTub, which always has a vendor there. We then usually split up, I head for the Women's Building to look at quilts, cakes and canned goods. Bob will head to the Missouri Wine Tent to taste the newest wines. We will meet up again and head to the 4-H building to see if any of our students have entered any items for competition. We will always go to the Agriculture Building to buy elk, venison, and buffalo sticks and Ashley will usually get Tiger Stripe Ice Cream there. I look at all the products that are made in Missouri. I also love looking at the butter sculptures and the biggest pumpkin prize! Bob will want to wander the strip, so I go to the Children's Zoo to look at the baby animals an

Getting Ready for Fall!

Fall is my favorite season. I love how the weather cools at night and how when you walk outside during the day the air is crisp and clean. I love the changing colors of the leaves and how the fields look after harvest. I enjoy driving to work with my sunroof open and the windows down, enjoying sunshine that doesn't hurt! I love Halloween and Thanksgiving and my birthday! Getting ready for the changing season, updating sweaters, planning for Mizzou tailgating, buying school supplies, are some of my favorite activities. Woo Hoo, it is almost here!

Men of the Club

Tonight was the annual fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson City. The event consists of men from the community who help raise money for kids in our community. There is food (always!) and drink, and then the men have three contests: swimsuit, evening wear, and talent, plus an interview. The entertainment was well worthy of the $20 ticket! Charlotte, Shanna, me, Linda and Glenda went together to cheer Glenda's son, Larone, to victory. We also cheered for one of the public school employees who won the talent contest with a song he wrote and played on the guitar and harmonica. It was a great time with friends!

The Wien Picnic

The Wien Picnic celebrated its 117th anniversary this weekend with its annual bash. The picnic consists of Bingo, a dunking booth, turtle races, a beer garden, a huge dinner, hamburgers on the grill, a jumping house, a merry go round, a country store and probably other things I have forgotten to mention. We have never failed to make it to the Wien Picnic, it would be like missing Christmas. Bob's childhood memories are wrapped up in the events of the church, with this being the candles on the cake! Ashley introduced Eric to the Picnic, who promptly won at Bingo and collected a fine set of BBQ tools as his prize. The dinner always consists of home grown foods: cucumbers and onion salad, fresh tomatoes, cole slaw, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, roast beef and fried chicken. There were over 40 different kinds of dessert to chose from. Quite the yummy feast! As usual, it was sweltering hot in the afternoon and we found ourselves in our usual positi

Victory over Obesity!

I have struggled with obesity since my mid 20s. I recently tackled losing this weight, once and for all. With the guidance of Jefferson City Medical Group Weight Treatment Center, I lost 80 pounds. I am struggling with body image, as I cannot "see" the weight loss on me but I am assured by friends and family that its there! I feel like I am accepting an Oscar, so I would like to thank so many people who supported me: Bob and Ashley who put up with me trying everything they ordered so I wouldn't feel left out, Gary for the jump start, girls from GLU, JUG and GF who put up with a weekly report on the amount of weight I lost, Ashley A, Darla, Paul, Diana and Dana who supported me fully at school, my mom who encouraged me by reminding me that health was a person's number one asset and last but not least, I'd like to thank myself for doing this terribly hard thing.

Boston!

I was eager to go to Boston to see the sites I have so often read about as a kid and taught as a fourth grade teacher. Nothing though was as powerful as seeing the Old North Church made famous by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the poem Paul Revere's Ride. Bob and I visited Paul Revere's home, Boston Commons, site of the Boston Massacre, saw clothing belonging to John Hancock, sat in the same room where the Constitution was read to the people of Boston. We went to Boston Harbor to see where the Tea Party was held. You can also see that we did not forget that Boston is famous for a few other things, Cheers, lobster and Robert McClosky's Make Way for Ducklings (one of my favorite books!)

GLU Girls!

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with the girls from Girls Like Us. We had such a good time going to York Beach, Kittery, Maine and to Newicks for lunch. We shopped at a Pottery Barn Outlet (a first for me) and a Stonewall Kitchen (another first for me!) It was my distinct pleasure to be with Robyn, Marion, Kristen and her mom and Jodi. We ate wonderful seafood, and had ice cream and salt water taffy on the beach. It was an incredible day!

Our New England Trip

Bob was asked to be a lead presenter for an educational conference in New Hampshire. I was thrilled to be able to go along! I have never spent time on the East Coast and was ready for the experience. I absolutely loved it. We ate a lot of wonderful seafood, especially in Portsmouth, where we stayed. Two restaurants have been reviewed by Rachel Ray and another restaurant has one of America's Top Ten Chefs cooking there. Excellent food. I got to go on my first whale watching trip. It was so fun and we saw plenty of whales! What wonderful creatures they are! I visited many historic homes and fell in love with the colonial style.

Texas Vacation

We had a great time in Texas. We saw a lot of beautiful architecture, missions, mansions and even a palace! We spent some time at the beach in Galveston and ate a lot of Tex Mex food. We were gone 10 days and were ready to come home. We were blessed with fairly cool weather, that is, for Texas!

Cooking School!

I had the recent opportunity to go to a Viking Culinary Class with two friends from work: Ashley and Darla. This was a gift for Darla from Ashley and me for her retirement. We went to a Girls Night Out cooking class that featured Hawaiian foods. We made a AhiAhi salad, Macadamia nut crusted Mahi Mahi, sweet potato casserole, a pineapple tomato salsa and coconut ice cream. It was WONDERFUL! We had the best time. We learned new cooking techniques and knife skills. We learned the proper way to peel a pineapple. SO much fun we will be doing this again!

Karen's Wedding

Karen's wedding to Tim was beautiful. The girls were stunning in their red gowns. Karen and Tim certainly know how to throw a party! The food, cake, decorations and flowers were magnificient.

Our 29th anniversary

We celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary by eating dinner at our favorite local restaurant, the University Club. Ashley and Eric sent us the flowers in the middle of the table. It was lobster night so Bob enjoyed lobster bisque, a whole lobster and a special dessert. The chef made a huge dessert tray for Bob and I that had 5 different desserts: 2 bombes, a cheesecake with strawberries marinated in grand marnier, and a key lime pie that was scrumptious!

Father's Day Fun!

We had a blast doing a lobster boil for Bob on Father's Day. It was the first time we have done one. We bought that special pot to cook everything in. We created the "boil" of quartered lemons, white wine, water, a crab boil seasoning bag, fresh parsley from our herb garden, salt, pepper, whole crushed garlic and onion. We added new potatoes and corn. Then we put in lobsters and cooked them for awhile. Lastly we added shrimp, sausage and king crab legs. We had a wonderful table setting of lobster gear and to top it all off: We had fabulous company, Ashley and Eric!

St Louis Cardinals Game

A fun adventure to the new Cardinal's stadium during their Inaugural season. Both Bob and Eric have been to see if previously but Ashley and I enjoyed exploring the shops and restaurants. The Cards beat the Cubs 9-6. We were worried about this game when we learned that Pujols was out with an injury. To save the day Jim Edmonds came back after a 7 game absence. He did very well! We had a great time!

MHS 1976-2006 Reunion

Here we are ready to go to the MHS reunion. My aunt and uncle from Texas, my mom and Bob and me! Here I am looking 55 pounds lighter after 14 weeks on a diet! Bob's new ride is behind us!

Ashley and boyfriend Eric.

Susan's Wedding

Susan's wedding was beautiful. Ashley was one of the bridesmaids, and as you can see, the dresses and flowers are lovely. There was a lot of love at this wedding, it was evident in the parents, relatives, and friends at this wedding. The food was excellent!

Women's National Skating Finals

We were fortunate to be able to attend the National Women's Skating Finals in the year when they are determining the Olympic Team. Bob, Ashley, Cassie, and I attended. During an intermission, ALL the living Olympic gold medal winners from the past were there! It was an awesome sight!

Beautiful kid

Bob and I are so lucky! We created this beautiful child, who is growing into this incredible young woman. We have so many hopes for her! She went back to college today and we miss her bright face and endless energy. She was a model for the bridal show this weekend. This photo shows her in one of the bridesmaids dresses surrounded by the dresses that were modeled. Last year at this time I picked my word of the year as Family. She's one of the reasons why!  This year I am choosing Organize, which if you could see my home, would certainly explain the word!

Parties