Cincinnati 2013

We have been blessed with GREAT friends over our married years.  Well, this year we decided to go on a Memorial Day Weekend Trip with the Depoisters.  You may remember reading about them from my past posts.

We had a full and fun-filled weekend...and had a blast!

Friday: 

We left after work and stopped in Louisville at the Cheesecake Factory.  Then we checked-in to our hotel and played some euchre.

My thoughts on the Cheesecake Factory:  over-rated and VERY over-priced...their cheesecake wasn't even as good as the hype...Sweet Stuff Bakery & Cafe in Petersburg, Indiana is WAAAAAYY better, in my opinion...and much more affordable...here is the Sweet Stuff Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Stuff-Bakery-Cafe/115441976407?fref=ts

Saturday: 

Our main plan for our first full day in Cincinnati was to go to the Creation Museum.  The Creation Museum is actually in Kentucky, but super close to Cincinnati.  It wasn't as interactive for children as I thought it was going to be...there was A LOT of reading to do throughout the museum.  There are a few different theaters/presenters throughout the day.  They also have a petting zoo (I even fed a duck out of my hand...it was such a weird and frightening experience), camel rides, and a really cute outdoor walking trail.  New this year they will have a zip-line course, but it wasn't open yet when we were there.  I really enjoyed our trip to the Creation Museum.

Next year they are supposed to have completed a FULL-SIZE replica of Noah's Arc.  Oh, wow!  I can't wait to see this!

My husband and I, as well as the Depoisters, like to be frugal so rather than eat at the museum we decided to drive a couple minutes down the road to eat at Skyline Chili, a staple in the Cincinnati area.  It was really good!  I LOVED how much cheese they piled on top of everything we ordered...it was heavenly.

Saturday evening, we went to Taste of Cincinnati...it was a street festival in downtown Cincinnati where we were able to try more awesome Cincinnati food.  Some of my favorites were:  Fried Cheesecake, Bread Pudding (it was different than every other bread pudding I've ever tried before), and my favorite...Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich!  It. Was. So. Good.

Sunday: 

Sunday we went to the Reds/Cubs Game!  We were there cheering on the Cubs!  When we first began our planning for our trip, we thought about visiting Chicago and going to Wrigley...but remember, I mentioned being frugal?  It was MUCH cheaper to watch the Cubs play at Great American Ball Park...and our seats were really great!  That ball park was really nice!  They even let you bring in your own snacks AND drinks!  I took half of my leftover lunch in the game with me!  Also, they have a $1 stand where you can get child-sized hotdogs, sodas, and peanuts. 

Oh, and before you assume they didn't...the Cubs DID win!

Monday: 

This was our travel-home day.  We stopped to have lunch first at Tom & Chee.  Oh. My. Goodness.  This was BY FAR, my favorite place we ate the entire trip!  We definitely saved the best for last.  It is a grilled cheese place.  It has even been featured on Man V. Food!  Their specialty is a grilled cheese glazed donut!  Hey!  Don't knock-it 'til you've tried-it!  It was surprisingly delicious.

After Tom & Chee we got ice cream from Graeters, which is an ice cream shop in the Cincinnati area...I got Mango Sorbet...it was fabulous.

We had such a great time getting away from the OC area, and really enjoyed spending time with our besties!  < Am I too old to use that term??  Oh well. 

As I most often do, I will leave you with some pictures from our trip...I took tons, so I will try to pick only my favorites!

 

Office Fun

I am SO very blessed and thankful to work at Oakland City University, my Alma Mater.  I work in the Campus Life Office as the Administrative Assistant.  I LOVE my job, and especially love my co-workers.  It seems weird calling them co-workers though, because most of the time they seem like family.  David and I actually just returned from a vacation with my office mate David D. and his wife Megan D. (Megan is a blogger too!  Her page can be found here:  thedepoisters.blogspot.com Over the past few years, Megan has become one of my dearest and best friends!)  A big reason I love our office, is because it is such a fun and most of the time a very pleasant place to work.

Last week, our boss (the Director of Campus Life) was in Honduras leading a group of OCU students on a mission trip.  Well, we...being the loving office people we are...decided to pull a little BIG office prank on him while he was gone.  He goes on this trip every year, and last year we really wanted to do something but chickened out/ran out of time...SO this year, we decided early-on we would be dedicated! 

We decided to wrap his office in newspaper...



Panoramic of the whole office!



SEE no evil, HEAR no evil, SPEAK no evil...

Dropbox, Viggle, Poshmark, Groupon, & Netflix

Today, I just want to share a few of my favorite apps...

Dropbox:  I LOVE Dropbox.  I have it linked to my phone and iPad so my pictures will save to Dropbox, then I can delete them from my phone to save on storage!  Dropbox (like many other of my favorite apps) works on a referral system that gives you 500MB free storage for every friend referred!  It is a great way to store files, photos, eBooks, etc. without using your phone storage. 

To sign up for Dropbox go here to use my referral code > http://db.tt/TgrQPM7y

Viggle:  This is definitely one of my most used apps.  Viggle is an app that rewards you for watching TV!  Needless to say this app is right up my alley! :)  You check-in to whatever show you are watching, you get a point for every minute you are checked-in, and then you can redeem your points for gift cards, coupons, products like water bottles, kindles, discounts on Groupon, etc.  Viggle also picks random shows to give you a point per minute, PLUS bonus points.  To get the bonus points you must be checked-in to each show for at least 10 minutes.  This is a great way to earn some extra points!  You can also earn points for doing things like buying a Groupon through the Viggle app...this will get you 800 points.  You don't get anything extra for referring your friends, it just makes it more fun, right Ellen!?!

Poshmark:  Currently, this app is only available for iPhone, iPod, iPad users...basically, if you have something Apple, you can get it!  This is a place where you can sell stuff from your closet that you no longer wear.  Especially if they are name brand, you won't have any problem selling your stuff.  There are rules, so make sure you read their FAQs...they are VERY helpful!  I have sold some shoes and a dress and made $90.  It is so nice, because Poshmark makes everything SO EASY!  I just list my product, set my price, sell it, they send me a shipping label, I package the product and drop it off at the post office.  The best part is, the buyer pays the shipping straight to Poshmark. 

Poshmark does give referral points...BOTH parties receive $5 to spend on Poshmark!  Here is my code > HTOCU (Type this in when you are creating your account and we both get $5 to spend!)

Groupon:  Groupon is a great way to get discounts at local restaurants and buy products for 50% off or sometimes more!  We have purchased Groupons for a couple of new restaurants that we may not have tried had we not purchased a Groupon to get food for over half off!  This is a great way to save money on dates too...we have purchased cheaper tickets for Eville Otters games and other great products! :)

Groupon works on referrals also, but there isn't a code...you have to invite via email, text message, Facebook, or Twitter.

Netflix:  I love TV and I love movies!  This is just a great app if you are like me!  This is especially a good option if you do not pay for cable...this is a very affordable way to watch your TV Series and many movies on instant streaming for $7.99 a month.  You can use Viggle points to sign up for Netflix for free for a month.  Or just sign up to earn a free week!

I would love to hear what you think about my favorite apps...ALSO what your favorite apps are!  If you try one of these for the first time, please let me know what you think! :)

Mother's Day Weekend

This year for Mother's Day, my sister - Courtney, her daughter Addie, and I went to Poplar Bluff to make a surprise visit to my mom!  We are sweet daughters aren't we!?! :)  Well, our mom thinks we are anyway! 

Our weekend was filled with relaxing, visiting with our family and friends, and of course most of our weekend was spent playing with sweet Addie Mae! 

It was so nice to get away from Indiana and spend some much needed time with my parents, grandparents, and Court and Addie!  The only thing that would have made the weekend a bit more enjoyable is if David and Jason would have been able to go with us.  Man-o-man, I miss that guy when we are separated overnight. 

The weather was perfect while we were in Missouri, so we tried to get some good family photos outside.  Addie was so adorable, as always so we had the brilliant idea to take pictures of her in the grass with the pretty flowers weeds all around her...we found out quickly she does NOT like to touch the grass!  It was so funny!

I want to leave you with a reminder to be appreciative and love your mom all year round...and not just on Mother's Day.  I fail at this all the time...but I try to do more things throughout the year too...even if it is just a phone call or a Skype date. :)

Here are a FEW of the MANY pictures we took:

 

Happy Mother's Day to 2 of the BEST Moms I know!

A Blast From the Past!

Recently I was looking at my past Notes I posted to Facebook...Today, I thought I would share this one with you.  Don't judge me too harshly, because I wrote this in October of 2006...Hope you enjoy the thoughts of my 20 year old brain!

 

i've been thinkin............

by Heather Hose on Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 9:06am

 

so, basically, I've been thinking. And if you know me all that well, you know i do that a lot...even if you can't really tell it. ANYWAY, this is what happened...
When I got to work yesterday, the school aged kids were already there because they got out of school at 11 (irrelevant part of the story, but oh well). Well, they had been wanting to go outside the whole time before I got there, but were told no by the other teacher. Well, when I got there they were SO excited because they knew I would take them out! (yay for outside!...and Ms. Heather!) when we got outside...the fun lasted oh, maybe 10 minutes...then they wanted to go back in. (boo outside! but still yay for Ms. Heather! hahaha!)

That got me thinking about the people around me and, of course, myself. I just got to thinking about how I don't want to be like that...never satisfied and always wanting more than what I already have. I'm not sure if I do a good job at this or not. If i don't do a good job...then I am going to start trying to do better. (oh yes, by the way...I do know that my school kids are a lot different than people my age, because their attention span isn't really all that long...but you know where I am coming from....right?!)

Another thing I have been thinking about lately is how many people walk around our school either upset or angry at something everyday. It makes me sad to see these people. I know I am guilty of it, too, sometimes. However, I don't want to be like this. I like to smile, be happy, and make other people smile throughout my day. I like to have good days, great days, and "fantabulous" days! (fantabulous...one of my favorite words ever!) I don't want to give people the impression that I am stuck up or rude or fake or angry/upset all the time, by frowning all the time, and never saying hi to anyone. Speaking of fake...someone told me that I was the other day, just because I am nice to people!!...I would like to say to that person...thank you for noticing me being nice...try it sometime!! :)

I think everyone needs to practice smiling at everyone (not just their "group" of friends) and saying hi to people...and getting those frowns off of your face! I know sometimes things get tough, but come on...there will always be someone worse off than you so be thankful for what you have! I know that God has blessed everyone's life, daily!, with something good...so open your eyes, see the good things...and forget about the bad things, you will be a lot better off.

One of my fav. quotes: "you cry because you don't have any shoes, until you see the man with no feet" - Unknown  (remember this always...it is always a reality check when I start to complain...it helps me, maybe it will you too!)
This is another good one: "...being happy isn't having everything in your life be perfect. maybe it is about stringing together all the little things and having those count for more than the bad stuff." -Baily (the sisterhood of the traveling pants)

Okay, so there it was...Heather Bralley rambling on and on about a whole bunch of stuff...that prolly doesn't make sense to anyone but her......

For anyone who reads this...I hope you have a FANTABULOUS day...and a great three day weekend! SMILE!!!

 

♪♫These are a few of my FAVORITE THINGS♫♪

I'm way behind on blogging, but today I wanted to bring back a little bit of Christmas!  This year, I did something completely new and hosted a Favorite Things Party!  (Yes, I got the idea from Pinterest!)  I figured, I like so many things from Pinterest that now (Well, December) was the time to actually begin using some of the ideas I have found!

Anyway, here is is...Favorite Things Party 2012!

The whole idea is, everyone invited thinks of their favorite thing (or group of things) in the $10-$15 price range and ask them to bring three of them!  So everyone brings three of the exact same gifts wrapped and their total spent should be $30-$45.   ALSO, everyone who came was asked to bring one of their favorite desserts or appetizers to share with everyone...we had QUITE the spread!

These are the numbers I chose to set for my party...I have also seen it done where people bring six $5 items, or three $6 items.  Set your cost based on what you think your friends will be able to afford.  I liked the thought of bringing bigger gifts rather than try to figure out a descent gift for $5 or $6. 

The idea is, you bring three of your favorite thing and you take home three friends' favorite things!! Fun, right!?!  Well, let me tell you, IT WAS!  I am already looking forward to planning my next Favorite Things party for December 2013! :)

Here are some pictures of my very first Favorite Things Party!




This isn't the whole group, we are missing a few...because we had to wait for one of our gentlemen to come take a group photo! Aren't our men, so good to us!?!






I LOVED sharing this party with some of my Favorite Friends!



 

This was what I gave as my Favorite ThingS...Watermelon Jolly Ranchers, Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitizer, Bath & Body Works Infused Socks, a TOMS Sticker, a TOMS Bag, a $5 Moe's GiftCard, and it was all packaged in a Birch Box Box (If you don't know what Birch Box is...I may just have to write a post about it)!  Some of them said I went a little overboard, but it was my party, so I could break the rules...right?! :)

 Some of the other items gifted were.......

Scarves, the Hunger Games DVD, candles, Christmas tumblers, homemade cookbooks, seasoning, $5 giftcards, chocolate, cute socks, etc.  We had a good variety of items...and I'm already trying to think of my gift for next time!!

ZUMBA!

WOW!  I have no idea how I let so much time pass since my last post!  I don't even know where to begin!  So much has happened since our Seattle trip.

I guess I will begin with yesterday! :)

Yesterday I went to my VERY FIRST Zumba class!  I had decided last week that I would begin my Zumba journey this week!  I was SO nervous the whole day...wondering:

• what should I wear?
• what shoes should I wear?
• what if I can't do ANY of the moves?
• what if I am the fattest girl there?
• what if I need 20 water breaks?
• what if I can't breathe? or pass out? or throw up? or poop my pants?!

I know, I am a CRAZY worry-wort! Well, let me tell you...IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!

I am not a dancer by ANY stretch of the imagination, but it didn't matter!  Zumba is all about getting up and moving.  You don't have to be a professional dancer or be in shape to begin your Zumba journey! 

I have also heard that one hour of Zumba can burn 800-1000 calories (depending on how much work you put into it)!