Happy New Year

The new year did not start out how we hoped Steve, my brother in law, grandma passed away this morning. Scott and I are keeping the Turner family in our prayers. Well the New Year officially starts in 5 hours. We did our celebrating last night with a dinner at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse with The Bonds and the Duricks and it was so much fun!! Scott is working tonight and I am still battling bronchitis or something like it. Last year was great for Scott and I. We are looking forward for the of arrival Baby Scherle Ratcliff. Which means a trip to Phoenix in April and Vegas in February. Scott and I will also be celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary this year. We will also hopefully have our brand new house by the end of the year. Scott and I have had no offers on the house but we are hoping some offers come this Spring. We wish all of you great things this New Year and welcome to 2008. Can you believe it!!!

Just Relax

Well I am updating this blog by using my new laptop. Yes my laptop. Jordan,Steve and my Parents go me this for Christmas. I am now offically addicted to online scrabble. Any way those who know me know that I hate being home by myself and not on the go. Well today was different. I got up this morning as Scotty left for work, went to Target and worked out. I came home and havent left my house since. I am enjoying every minute it. It is nice to just relax. Not how I would normally want to spend my Saturday night but this is great. Tomorrow Scott is going to try and shoot a deer and then we head to dinner with The Bonds and Duricks. We are celebrating New Years Eve considering we all have to work over the Holidays. Happy New Year!!!

Christmas in Red Oak!!

Today we celebrated Christmas in Red Oak. We head to my parents tomorrow. Scotty is working Christmas Day so we celebrated a little early. We had a great day. Lunch was nice and everything we received we loved. We loved the look of happiness on Larry, Sally and the Grandma's faces when they opened their gifts. The best part is giving and not receiving. Jeter and Torre also received a few gifts. Jeter loves his new tennis balls. He will not stop playing with them. Jeremy and Rachel were unable to make it back. Rachel cannot travel since she is due in less than a month. We missed them today and again it was not the same with them. We also had Scott's Offutt Fire Department on Saturday night. It was a great time. It was nice to get out and celebrate Christmas with co workers and friends. Happy Holidays to all!!!

Weekly Update

Well with the Holidays approaching Scott and I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday. We know the new year will bring exciting new things to everyone. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Scherle Ratcliff, thanks to Jeremy and Rachel. Not alot has been going on in our world. Basically we both have been working and going to school. I can sign on at home to do some work at night so the work days are not as hectic as they have been. I get a week off school which I was not expecting so that was great news to me. Scott is still studying away this week. Scott is hunting today and hoping it is his lucky day. I am working 4 hours this morning and then we head to the Offutt Christmas Party. We celebrate Christmas in Red Oak Tomorrow and Christmas Eve with my parents on Monday. I work Monday so we will head there after I get off. Christmas day will be spent at the Fire Station. Scotty is working. I hope to take some pictures this weekend. Hopefully I will have some pictures to post of a successful hunting day for Scott. Be safe and take care!!!

Clockwork

Every morning like clockwork Jeter will awake at 445am.I guess he is in a routine and knows that it is time for me to wake up. Jeter eats and goes potty. I start getting ready for the work day. This is our Routine everyday. Well every morning I get a little jealous of Jeter. He tucks himself back in bed after we get up.He sleeps until Scott gets home at 8am. That lucky dog:) I snapped some pictures this morning. He is sleepy!!!!

If not your not first your last!!!

This is the line we quoted when Scott and I won second place at the ugly sweater Party. We lost to Kris and Patty Birusingh. Scott and I were pretty disappointed and are going by the motto" If you are not first your last" :).Tonight we attended a party at Colette and Andy Martins. The Martins had a wonderful idea of Adopting a Family for this holiday season. A group of us got together and supported a family. The Oders, Ratcliffs and Turners bought gifts for J'Shaun a 3rd Grader.The Family also consisted of Mom, a 2nd grader and 4 month old. This was great for us and hopefully J'Shaun and his family will have a wonderful Christmas because of it. The Martins also hosted an Ugly Sweater Party. It was great. It is amazing to see what is out there. We had a wonderful time and loved purchasing items for our adopt a family. I think this is something that will become a tradition. I also think the sweaters will get uglier as time goes by.Enjoy the pics!!! and thank you Colette and Andy!!!

Farewell!!!!

On Thursday we said Goodbye to Zach and Amanda VanGorden. We had a going away party for them at Varsity in Bellevue. Friends from the Fire Staion and Amanda's school joined us. They are heading back to Wisconsin. Amanda graduated from Nursing school and Zach has served his time in the United States Air Force. We have become great friends with the VanGorden's and we are going to miss them so much. We have already started planning our trip to Wisconsin. Our Sunday nights will not be the same without them.

What a Day!!

Yesterday after work I sat in front of the Television watching the events unfold at the Westroads mall. This is a horrilbe event and It is kind of a shock that it happened in Omaha. Friends and Family from far away have called to check on us to make sure we are okay. We are and Thanks goodness for that. I just wanted to send my prayers out to all the families that are involved and also for the police and medical personal that responded. God Bless you all!!!

Oh Deer!!

No I am not quoting Luca!! :) I figured Larry would get a kick out this picture considering he is the Master Deer hunter of Mills County!! and I have been telling him about these deer. This is what Scott and I wake up to on daily basis. I like to call them our pet deer. The other day we had at least a 10 pointer buck in our drive way hanging out. I wasnt fast enough to snap a picture (Sorry Larry)!! Although they can be a annoying considering we have had to replace our trees in back at least 5 times. It is nice to wake up to this every morning. Jeter has even has gotten quite use to them. He gives them a bark to let them know he is here and then heads on his merry little way. 13 is the most I have counted at one time. Enjoy!!!!

Christmas Carol

Mom, Jordan and I all headed to the Christmas Carol last night. I was great. Mom had always wanted to take us when we were little but she could never tickets in time before they were sold out. Jordan was able to get tickets so we treated my mom to this for her Birthday which was on Thanksgiving day!! We went to dinner beforehand with Dad and Steve. Scott had to miss out on the fun because he was working at the fire station:( We had fun and the production was amazing. It is amazing how they pull it off every single night. We are going to make it a family tradition and start going every year. Next year we are going to drag the guys along. I am sure they will appreciate that very much (insert sarcasm here):). I hope everyone had a marvelous weekend. I can officially say today is the last day of my weekend. I start working Monday thru Friday tomorrow. I am so excited to be able to enjoy my Friday and Saturday nights again!!!

Update!!

Well I followed the theme of my fellow bloggers and changed the background of our blog. I thought our blog needed a new look. I went with this one considering it is cold and has officially become winter. We are in the middle of an ice storm right now and I made it to work. Of course without driving. Scotty dropped me off this morning. Tonight is a Girls Night and The Oder women are heading to dinner and the Christmas Carol. I am quite excited. Mom had always talked about going but we never did. Well now is our chance.

WAHOOOO!!!

WAHOOO is what Lauren said when I emailed her and told her I no longer had to work Saturdays. As of December 1st this will be my last Saturday to be up at 4am. Next week will be a long week considering I have to work Monday but It is well worth it. It has been a long wait. Just about 4 months since I got the news that I would be off weekends soon. Although I enjoyed having Mondays off especially when it was Scott's Kelly Day weekend but I no longer need to be in bed by 7pm on Friday night. Chelsey and I are already planning Happy Hour for next week. You are all welcome to join us:)

Update-Not Really?

Well as you all know I try to post something every week. About something new and exciting that has happened or going to happen in our life. Well this week things were a little boring. This isn't boring but Scott started officially as a crew chief on November 11th. He has been teaching the EMT class at work. He is a certified EMT instructor if you guys did not know. I have been battling strep throat and and a nasty head cold. It has finally gone away. I finished up my 4th class and start my 5th right away on Sunday. Scott starts Bellevue University on November 21st just in time for the holidays. Scott and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year. It is my Mom's Birthday so we wanted to take the load off of her. We wanted her to relax on her birthday. It is crazy to think that Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas will be here before we know it. Also Martha and John will be in town this week. I just saw Martha at the end of October but I can never get enough of her. I havent seen John since June so I am excited to him as well. No offense John I am more excited to see Martha:) A little update on the house- We have not sold yet and doubt things will happen this winter but we have decided to keep the house on the market. I guess you never know. We are hoping things pick up in the Spring and we sell. I buried a statue of St. Joesph in our yard. Cross your fingers that it works. Scott and I are anticipating the big move and building a brand new house. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I am a little bitter because I dont get a Thanksgiving break. I am off work Thursday but have to work Friday and Saturday. Hopefully Christmas will be different.

Rachel and Jeremy's Baby Shower

This weekend Jeremy and Rachel were in town to celebrate thier baby shower. It was a great time. Scott, Jeremy and Larry hunted Sunday and I helped Sally out with coffee at church and set up for the shower. It was so nice to see Rachel. She is glowing and looks wonderful. It was nice to see Scott's Family as well. Rachel and Jeremy recieved so many gifts. They had alot to take back with them on the plane to Phoenix. We are all excited for the arrival of Baby Scherle-Ratcliff. Scott most of all. He cannot wait!! This gives us plenty of excuses to head to Phoenix more than once a year!!! We head back to Red Oak again next weekend for a wedding. Sally and Larry are going to get sick of us!!

Mr. Crew Chief

Well some more exciting news in our world. Scott has been promoted at work. He is now a Crew Chief. We are excited and Scott is so happy. He has worked so hard to get this position. He is also pretty young to already reach this step in his career. His hours stay the same but he has alot more responsibility and his shirt turns from Blue to Grey. I am so happy for him. Just call him Crew Chief Ratcliff. I took this picture of him the other day at the fire station. I guess it worked out perfectly- He was promoted the next day!!

Garth Brooks Live!!

Well yesterday was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, Garth Brooks performed live in Kansas City and I was there. It was unbelievable. Garth is a legend in country music and watching him on stage was surreal. As soon as he opened the show I leaned over to Jordan and said to her "can you believe we are here ". 20,000 people sang to every song and sometimes he didn't even need to sing. I was amazing. Trisha Yearwood was amazing as well. It was just a wonderful sight to see. It was also a great family trip. My parents got to come along. Enjoy the pictures, Scott was quite the photographer last night. This weekend Scott and I head back to Red Oak. Jeremy and Rachel are in town and we get to attend Rachel's baby shower. It will be a nice weekend with family once again.

Concert Week!!

Saturday began a really fun week for the Ratcliff,Turner and Oder families. On Saturday Jordan and I headed to the Whiskey Roadhouse to watch Eric Church play. Jordan and I became huge fans of his when he opened for Brad Paisley a year ago. He is next big thing in country music. My ears are still ringing from the concert. On Wednesday we head to KC to see Garth Brooks Live!! My mom and dad, Jordan and Steve and Scott and I are all going. It should be a night to remember. I will keep you posted.

Happy Halloween from the Ratcliffs!!!

What a Trip!!!

Well I am back and so is Scott. Unfortunately we only have one camera and I was luckily enough to be the one to take it. Sedona was great. Everything about the trip was fabulous. The spa day, the hikes, the intense game of Scrabble and most importantly the hospitality. Mrs. Chaput's house is incredible and so are Rosie's and Joannes. We had three house between all of us. It was great. We also shopped but most importantly we relaxed. My favorite part of the trip was Sunday. We hiked, went a jeep tour of the mountains and ate Mexican. We also saw a Havalina. Kumari had been waiting all trip to see on. Unfortunately we saw it when she wasn't with us. I posted a picture of it. It was an all around great time. Luca was a trooper. She put up with every single one us. I think she enjoyed herself:) I am already ready next year!!!Enjoy the Pictures!!!!

Jersey here Scott Comes!!

Scott is headed off to New Jersey tomorrow. He leaves at 900am in the morning. He is heading there for Jill Mayne's wedding. He is pretty excited. He is meeting Ben Davis, Ryan Flanagan and Justin Black there. They are going to have alot of fun. He returns on Saturday and then pheasant hunting season begins. He plans on hunting on Sunday and Monday. I return Monday night from Sedona. I have been anticipating this trip for awhile. It is going to be great.

Lights and Sounds of the Big City

Alot of you know from my previous post things have been pretty stressful in my world. So that means Scott's world as well:) Well this weekend we are getting away from the lights and sounds of the big city and heading to Red Oak for Saturday night. We are packing up the dog and going to spend the night there. Scott said I needed this after all I have been experiencing with work and school. I am actually really excited. It will be really relaxing and enjoyable. Larry and Sally are camping so we are going to met them for dinner on Saturday night. Other than that we have nothing planned. After this weekend, Scott and I will be heading in different directions of the country. On Thursday, Scott heads to New Jersey to see Jill Maynes get married and I head to Sedona, AZ for a Girl's Trip. I am so excited. We have all been counting the days.

Rough Draft

Well today started out great. I got up early and made Halloween cupcakes for my dad and Scott to take to work. We picked up the house and headed out the door to run errands. One of our errands included heading to Offutt to get my ID renewed. Well as soon as we pull up to the gate they start and exercise. So we cannot get onto the base...so we wait. Then once we get to our location..we wait again. Scott and I were stuck at the ID building for 2 hours. The military was perfecting there skills and no one could leave the building they were in. I thought to myself that this is not how I planned on spending my Monday but after further thinking it over I thought.. Thank God they practice this stuff. Without them we would not be safe. Once that was over I came home and started writing my paper. My rough draft is due. The Final paper I will need for graduation. Granite Graduation is a year away but I guess it good to get started early. Wish me luck. Right now I feel as though I could pull my hair out.

Pictures!!

Here is some of the pictures we took this summer during the Barr Family Camping trip. I was so excited to get them back. They turned out great. When I first met Scott I hated camping but I have grown to like it. We both look forward to the Annual Camping Trip over Memorial Day Weekend. It is so enjoyable and relaxing. The campground is beautiful as you can see from the background .Terry and Deb have done a great job making it a special place for all of us over Memorial Day weekend. I wanted to post them so everyone can see them. There were a lot more than this but I only wanted to post a few. Thanks Niki for taking the great pictures. We appreciate it!!!

Relax!!

Well this is my weekend to Relax. There has been a lot of stress in my life lately between work and school and this weekend I plan on taking that all in stride. For once I have weekend of relaxing at home. It seems like time has flown by and we have been extremely busy. Don't get me wrong I like it at times but this weekend couldn't of come at a better time. Last night I hung out at the Martins and saw Luca walk. I cant believe how big she is getting. Today I am working while Scott heads to Ames with Chip and watches the Cyclones play and Finally tomorrow, Amanda and I are going for Pedicures. I cannot wait. There is nothing stressful about this weekend. I am looking forward to it considering once Tuesday hits and the work week begins I don't have much time to relax. I posted this in Cardinal Red in honor of the Cyclones. Since I cant be at the game I wanted to support them this way:) Go Cyclones Go!!!!

The Return Of an Icon

Well today was the day that Garth Brooks tickets went on sale. Jordan and I thought it would be a long shot that we would get tickets so we didn't even try. Well halfway through my morning at work as I was listening to the KAT 103 I heard the announcement of additional show after show. I tried to get tickets for the 5th and 6th show. Jordan was getting her oil changed at Edward Archer and they let her use the Internet to look for tickets and nothing. No tickets available. Well Finally after the 7th show was announced we got tickets. I was able to get two tickets and Jordan was able to get four. Garth Brooks is a country music icon and for those who know me I love country music. Jordan introduced to me Garth Brooks when I was little. He is the man. I never thought I would be able to be at one of his concerts after he retired. Well he is back. November 7th we will be Kansas City watching Garth Brooks perform. I am getting chills thinking about it. I know it will be a day we never forget. The Yankees are currently down 0-2 in the playoffs so it has been a rough week. This has made my week way better.

Win-D

Okay So I copied the Headline in the Omaha World Herald Yesterday but it was true it was windy!! This weekend we headed to Lincoln to watch the Huskers and the Iowa State Cyclones play. Too quote Scotty this is" the only reason we get season tickets." Although the Cyclones played hard and scored the first points of the game. The Huskers dominated with the Offense lead by cutie Sam Kellar and Bo Rudd intercepted a ball and my dream of seeing the Cyclones upset the Huskers went down in smoke. Although we lost, Scotty was happier than can be. He is always happy if the huskers win. We had a great time tailgating. I enjoyed it considering it is my last tailgate of the season. I only have so much vacation and since the big promotion I only have until November 1st and I will be off Saturdays. I am counting down the days. In two weeks, Scotty will head to Ames with Jordan,Steve, Rob and Missy and watch them take on the Texas Longhorns. I will be there in spirit. I took some pictures of the day. Bo Rudd was at the tailgate next door after the game. I told him he shattered by dream once he ran back the interception for a touchdown and the I got my picture taken with him. He was a pretty good sport considering we had NEBRASUCKS t-shirts on. Enjoy!!!

Bullseye

Yesterday we attended the 1st Annual Steele Sportsman Expo. It was to prepare the fellas for the upcoming hunting season. There were three rounds of events and they included Trap Shooting, Hatchet Throw and Archery. Scott came in second to last in the overall competition but did dominate the trap shoot event and won. I actually thought it would be fun to try the hatchet throw and on my first try threw a bulls eye. Might I brag and say I was the only one that day to throw a bulls eye. That is impressive I know. It was a great day all around. We hung out with friends and had a wonderful time eating and hanging by the bonfire that Matt created. We are already anticipating nexts year Challenge and Scotty is geared up for the hunting season. I have posted some pictures. Scott enjoyed seeing Luca and Colin is getting so big. He was dressed in camouflage the whole day to be totally committed to the hunting theme:) I also took a picture of my bulls eye. I am so proud.

Poor Dog!!

I wanted to update everyone on the wonderful weekend we had. The Cyclones won. It was great tailgating with Friends and Family. Scott made it through the Husker lost. We saw Jeremy and Rachel for a few hours on Sunday. Although Jeremy was under the weather, Rachel was glowing at 5 1/2 months along. We stayed the night in Red Oak and celebrated Sally's birthday. We had cake and ice cream and even got to see Grandma Barr and Grandma Ratcliff. We also have Jeter back for good now. I picked him up a Halloween costume and had it already for Scotty when he came home from painting on Monday. Scott's exact words to me when he saw him were "that poor dog". Jeter is going to be a hot dog this year. As you can tell from the pictures he loves the two outfits I bought him. I had to stop by Bass Pro Shop and pick him up a cool duck toy to soften the blow a little. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Everyone be ready to see Jeter on your door step on Halloween night:)The sweater is my favorite.

Its been a while

Well I haven't blogged in awhile. Not alot has been going on.Scott has been working and so have I. School has become pretty challenging and I am already anticipating graduation. Our house has yet to sell we have had people interested but no offers. It does get frustrating at times but Scott and I are hanging in there. We have decided to pass on the lot in Crescent. We have come to the conclusion that we should wait to until our house has sold before we commit to anything. Once the house is sold we will decide. Last weekend Scott and I headed to Kansas City with my Dad to watch the New York Yankees play. They are fighting for the wild card and pulled out the sweep on the Royals. However Derek Jeter did not play. He was hurt and I was really disappointed. This weekend we head to Ames for our first ISU football gme. They play the Hawkeyes in the Cyhawk game. We are really excited. Although it is going to be a long season we still enjoy hanging out with friends. Scott is anticipating the Nebraska/USC game and we have promised him we will stop by a bar and watch it. After all he is a true Husker fan. Scott's brother Jeremy and his wife Rachel are in town as well this weekend. We are so excited to see them. We have not seen them since they announced the pregnancy. We will be staying in Red Oak on Sunday night to hang out with family and bring Jeter back home with us. We miss him so much! Here is a picture with my dad. We both love the Yankees and it was so nice to hangout together.

New York New York

This blog is not about Scott and I. However it is about the experience my dad and my brother in law Steve are experiencing today. My dad and Steve headed to New York today to see watch the Yankees play the Boston Red Sox. Thanks to my sister and my mother, Dad and Steve received this wonderful gift from them for Christmas, one day in New York to watch the Yankees play the Red Sox. My dad has been a Yankee fan his whole life. I am a Yankee Fan. It is pretty obvious with the name of our animals Jeter and Torre. Today my dad spent all day at Yankee stadium and his exact words were " I am Heaven." This is an experience I am so grateful my dad got to experience along with Steve, the second biggest Yankee fan I know next to my father. My dad has fulfilled his dream of going Yankee Stadium, touching Babe Ruth and most of all watching them play their biggest rival. I wish I could see the excitement in my fathers eyes however when I talked to him on the phone today about 6 times I could hear the excitement in his voice and that means the world to me. Scott has promised to take me to Yankee Stadium next year and I am hoping my dad can relive his dream twice. Although Yankees may miss the playoffs this year it is worth it. My dad got to live his dream.

Weekend Update

Scott and I headed to Vegas over the weekend. It was so nice to get away from everything and just have some Quality time. On the way to the airport I told Scott this was the first time when going to the airport in a year that we have left together. I thought that was crazy. We have been traveling but not with each other. In Vegas, we laid by the pool, shopped and went the Toby Keith Bar in Harrahs. It was great. I start classes on Thursday so this vacation couldn't of happened at a better time. Scott is going to go back to classes as well. However he does not start on Thursday:) I will post pictures soon. I have been extremely busy and trying to catch up on as much sleep as possible. We are still recovering. It was long, fun, and tiring two days. We plan on going back in February with family. That will be a great anniversary present to us. We also get Jeter back today after the weekend in Red Oak. Sally said he is feeling alot better. His pulled muscle in neck is healing nicely and he is getting back to his old self.

The Iowa State Fair

Well yesterday was a fun and exciting day for me and Scott. We went to Des Monies for the State Fair. Rated the top fair in the country and I know why. It was so much fun. We walked around, ate a Fried Snickers, saw the biggest bull and biggest pig in the world and rode many rides. I was a total tourist. The weather was not all that bad. We did have to take some breaks inside but other than that we spent 5 nice hours at the fair. We also met up with out friends Jennie and Jim they were there visiting as well. After the fair we stopped by our friends house the Herricks who live in Urbandale and had dinner. We gave Addison her first birthday present early and I think she liked it.Which I hope she did considering we spent two hours in Toys R US trying to find the perfect gift. We will head back up to Urbandale on September 9th for her birthday party. Although on the way home we hit a nasty Thunderstorm it was a great day. I took many pictures. This was the first picture we took as soon as we got to the fair and this is me eating my Fried Snickers. It was delicious.

Ready to Go

I am writing today in anticipation of what I have been looking forward to for the last month. That is the Iowa State Fair. I was born and raised in Iowa and have never ventured to the State Fair so I have convinced Scotty to take me. The last time he claims he was there was about 15 years ago ( I feel he dated himself by saying that). Anyway, tonight I head to Barley's for the Impact CB comedy night while Scott is working and tomorrow morning when Scott gets home we will head to Des Monies. I heard the Fair consists of everything fried and everything on a stick. That right there brings a smile to my face. While we are in Des Monies we are going to stop by and see Nick, Sarah and Addison Herrick. Scott grew up with Nick in Red Oak and they went to high school together and they were also in each others wedding. It is always nice to the Herrick's since we don't get to see them very often. Larry and Sally are also camping at the Fairgrounds so we plan on paying them a visit as well. We might want to hangout in the air conditioner for a little bit. I hope the 100 degree heat does not put a damper on the day.

Back to his old self

Well I am going to provide everyone with a Jeter update. He is finally starting to feel better and act like himself. It took a couple days but he is starting to act like normal. The doctor gave us a anti-inflammatory and he is feeling great. Today I did not give it to him and he actually jumped on the couch. In most cases we would be upset considering he shouldn't be on the couch but I now know he is actually not in pain. Scott and I have spent the last 3 nights sleeping on the floor with Jeter considering he could not jump into bed with us. I am so glad he is turning into his old playful self and I can sleep in the comfort of my own bed. Thank you everyone for the phone calls. Jeter is loved and so are we!!! Here are a couple pictures of him on the couch. I have never been so excited to have him on the couch.