Kramer...just Kramer.

David, Kramer, & Heather on January 4, 2015

So, I'm sure you already know, we got a puppy!  I mean, if you are my friend on Facebook or follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you definitely know it (I'm a little a LOT picture crazy!)

Anyway, he joined our household on January 4th, 2015!  He was so young and tiny back then.
 He is now a whopping 14 pounds and a very crazy 5 month old puppy!  He has now finished all of his rounds of puppy shots and recently had surgery so he will never become a father to any puppies of his own.  (He's okay with it, we have talked about it lots, and by the way he wags his tail, I believe he approves!  haha)

It took us a few hours to decide on a name for our puppy and finally came up with...Kramer.  Kramer, like Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld.  My husband has always loved that show, and Kramer is one of my favorite characters from the show, and now that we've had Kramer for a few months now, his name fits his personality perfectly!

Kramer waiting patiently in the hallway
for David to come out of the
bedroom one morning.

Kramer is growing up fast and learning new things daily.  One of my favorite things that we have done with Kramer is never allowing him to come in our bedroom.  He is just the most precious puppy, and patiently (most of the time) waits for us in the hallway in the mornings while we are getting ready. 

I have wanted a puppy for a long time.  After much discussing me begging, and me desperately searching the Facebook Yard Sale sites for free beagle-mixes (because beagle was the only dog David had ever mentioned being open to the idea of getting), I found him and David actually said yes!  He is a great companion for me when David is working late for OCU Sporting Events, and I think secretly, David likes him too!  The only time I slightly wish that we didn't have him is on Pretty Little Liar nights when I am already scared from the show and have to take him outside, in the dark yard, to pee...I mean, can't he just hold it on those nights?  haha...If only it was that easy.  He actually, was fairly easy to potty train.  David and I are very consistent when it came to potty training.  We were both on the same page and as annoying as it was, took him out time after time after time.  Sidebar:  who's idea was it to get a puppy at the coldest, snowiest time of the year?!

Young Kramer laying in his bed with his toys.

Older Kramer laying in bed with his toys.

Side Bar/Rant about Kramer: 

One more bit of information about David and I owning a puppy.  His name is Kramer...just Kramer.  He is not Kramer Hose.  He doesn't have a middle name.  He is just Kramer.  Like Cher is just Cher.  I am NOT his mom and David is NOT his dad.  We our his owners, yes.  He is a part of our household, yes.  But we are NOT his parents.  We are his humans.  He is a part of our house, and I like him a lot...but he will never be considered our child...he is our pet...who has one name...Kramer.  Occasionally, we call him Kramer-dog...But never Kramer Hose and never mom and dad.



Kramer's first tennis match. 
He sat on the bleachers with us and did an excellent job!

I used to be so good...

So, when we were dating, actually even before we were dating...I used to do creative, Pinterest-worthy things for David all the time...and this was BEFORE Pinterest!  I know it may be hard to believe, but I was actually creative on my own!  I used to do such cute things for David!  I used to make cards, write cheesy poems, and do all kinds of other cute things to remind him that I appreciated and cared for him.

I still appreciate him and care for him SO much, but somewhere along the way, I slacked off on doing the cute things.  I don't know exactly why, but I just haven't been able to get myself together and organized enough to continue to do the cute things I used to do.  This makes me extremely sad, and I am actually embarrassed for people to know I have slacked off so much.  I mean, I have still created a few things for him, but nothing like I used to do.

I want to do better.  I want to do what I used to do.  I want to make sure David knows he means just as much to me as the olden days...actually, I love him more and more each day.  I love our journey together and want him to remember the little things along the way.

I will leave you with an example of what I am talking about...things I used to do...

The way I told David, I love you, was one of my all time favorite projects.  I created a puzzle out of cardboard, painted the pieces, and on each piece I wrote something I liked about him.  The next to last piece of the puzzle said, "these are all reasons why..." and the last piece was a heart that fit in the middle that said, "I love you."  I already knew that he was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I knew from the beginning that he was super special, so I wanted to have a cute way to remember this special time for us!

4th of July FUN!

I know I'm late with this post, but I wanted to share some pictures of our 4th of July fun! 

Depoister/Hose Picture

This year we watched the Vincennes Parade with the Depoisters and even got to sit with my sister and her family!  Unfortunately we sat close to the end of the parade so the kids didn't get much candy, but it was still fun to sit and relax with some friends and family. 



Courtney, Addie, and I enjoying
the Vincennes parade!

A not-so-pleasant surprise was that a rotten egg fell from the building and splattered all over the sidewalk right in front of some of our group...oh my word!  It smelled SO bad.  Yuck!  (It was definitely a smell we will all remember!)  Jason (my bro-in-law) sprayed some Lysol on the sidewalk where the egg was, and that helped tremendously!  Yay!  Jason, our hero!

David and the Swanks waiting for the
Vincennes fireworks to begin!

Next, we went to a new pizza place in Vincennes and met up with our friends, the Swanks!  This was the first time we have gotten together with the Depoisters and the Swanks!  It was so nice to hang out with both sets of friends at the same time!  Isn't it great that God sends us so many good friendships in life.  I am super thankful for the time David and I get to spend with friends.  I think it is important for young married couples to have good friends.

David and his little buddy, enjoying
the fireworks...she kept saying, "wow!"

After supper we all went to the river-front to watch the fireworks!  David's family met us there so we could all watch the fireworks together, like we try to do every year!  It was so nice getting to hang out with so many people this 4th of July!

I know it doesn't sound like our day was very glamorous, but we really enjoyed the day (minus the stinky egg) with our friends and family!

5 Years.

So, here it is...Our 5 year Anniversary Date!  Normally, we don't get to do anything on our anniversary because it usually falls during the week of Bible Quiz Nationals. This is the first year, since the year we got married that our wedding date wasn't during nationals.

What David did for me:

My Choose Your Own Adventure
Story envelopes!

After work, on our way towards Evansville, David pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. It was labeled, "The Choice is Yours." The paper inside was titled, "A Choose Your Own Adventure Story" (You know?  Like those story books where you choose your own adventure?  Well, it is that concept.) and it was a history of our five years together and the decisions we have made along the way (we hate making decisions like where to eat, what to do, etc...it's too much pressure)...the note said that I was a good choice...and almost made me happy cry (David has always been a good writer, he always knows just what to say!)...the end asked if I wanted to continue and of course, I said yes!
 

Baklava...DELISH!

The next envelope was labeled , "Choice of Empire." It included a short history of Greek food and a short history of Italian food. Followed by my options: Acropolis or Angelo's. I decided to be different than normal and chose Acropolis! It was such a nice change from the normal places we go, we tried a couple of new things, and fell in love with baklava...yum!  Plus, I had a Groupon (read more about Groupons > here<)  so our bill was very small and we got a ton of food, including leftovers! Win-win!

Miniature Golf!

The next envelope was titled, "Choice of Sport."  This one included a short history of golf and walking in the Olympics.  Then my two options were:  Miniature Golf or River Walk.  So, because I didn't choose the restaurant that was down town, near the river, I chose mini-golf.  I threatened to beat David at mini-golf, but of course I didn't come close (he IS a golfer, you know?), although I did get a hole-in-one and he didn't...that should count for something, right?!

Us with our Starbucks drinks!

My last envelope was "Choice of Dessert."  It included history of ice cream and a history of iced coffee.  My choices were:  Cold Stone Creamery or Starbucks.  This was a tough decision, because I had a gift card for both places...yay for free dessert!  I chose Starbucks and we both got a delicious Frappuccino!

 What I did for David:

It was so fun to watch him find my face all over our apartment!
PS...that is ALE8 in the fridge!

I took a picture of myself with a sign that said, "Happy, Happy, Happy Anniversary!"  I printed it (four to a page), cut them out, and hid them around our apartment for David to find throughout the day! 

Also, I created a replica of something I found on Pinterest...it is a timeline of years, months, days, hours, etc. that we have been together.  I framed it and it is now in our apartment...I don't think I'm going to remake one each year, but maybe I'll make a new one in a few years...who knows. 

You probably saw our anniversary picture that I posted <here>.  Well, I discovered Pinterest after we had already been married a couple years.  One of the first things I found there was a picture of a couple holding a framed picture of them holding a framed picture of them.  Did you follow that?  I was so sad, because I thought this was a great anniversary idea, but I didn't want to start it randomly at year three.  SO, we both decided we could start it at year five and instead of taking a new picture every year, we would take one every 5 years instead!

We had a great anniversary,  I am so thankful for David.  He is such a kind, caring, fun, & loving husband.  I am so glad he married me five years ago...I am so excited for what God has in store for year six!


   

Happy Anniversary

Today, we celebrate!

David and I have been married for 5 years!

I will post later about our day...but for now I will leave you with our 5 year Anniversary picture!

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!

 

♫♪ Hello, Seattle! ♪♫

 I am a LOT late getting this out, but I think that is okay and I will be easily forgiven seeing as I only have 5 readers anyway (and that is being generous I'm sure!)...

For those of you who don't know, David has been involved with the Free Methodist Bible Quizzing program for 12 years now!  It has now turned into a ministry for the whole Hose family...David and Jonathan go as quizmasters and this year Wendell did too, and Lynette goes as the nurse each year.  I go as a tag along and joke that I am David's "official" score keeper...I have to admit...I am a PRETTY GOOD scorekeeper! ha!

Bible Quizzing has really meant a lot to David over the years, and if you have ever been involved with quizzing, I'm sure you understand why.  Watching these young kids and teenagers memorize God's Word almost sends chills down my spine.  It is wonderful to watch them quiz over the words and know those words are in their heart for their lifetime.  Even if they don't remember it word for word, they still are full of so much Scripture that will come in at just the right moments throughout their journey.

We had so many good times while we were in Washington...this was our journey...

This is the great group of people we spent a week and a half with! :)

We left on a Sunday, and it was before church time so we met at the Vincennes Free Methodist Church, and had a devotion and communion together before heading towards St. Louis.

We had a direct flight out of St. Louis into Seattle...we flew Southwest!  My friends, Southwest is the way to go!  I REALLY enjoyed our flying experience with them, they really do their best to make it "the best flying experience you've ever had" as our pilot kept announcing!  I sat between David and Jonathan both the way there and the way back...we had a good time!

Monday we didn't have any Bible Quizzing plans until the opening program later in the day, so we went to the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, and EMP (Experience Music Project)  It was a good day! David even got to spend some extra time with his dad while they viewed the King Tut exhibit!

Then the week of Bible Quizzing got started!  This year, the school that hosted BQ Nationals was Seattle Pacific University!  It is a really nice campus and the Admissions Staff did a great job with events for us for the week.  (I would never want to live there though, becuase you would ALWAYS have to park on a giant slanting road!)  The worship leader and speaker for the week did a GREAT job!  I think they were the best team we have ever had at Nationals!  OH, and did I mention my husband and two other guys he quizzed with got inducted into the Free Methodist Bible Quizzing Hall of Fame!  One day we took a walk to Gas Works Park!  It is a park that has a great view of the city...it was a lot of fun to visit!  We even went back with our whole group to get a group picture!  It was on someone else's camera, so I don't have it to attach it here. :(

We had a great week getting to hang out with friends that we only see a couple times each year!  This is one of the many things I look forward to about Nationals each year! :)

After Nationals, we went to Jason and Laura Colberg's house (they housed us and the Bedford team at the same time...there were 40 extra people sleeping in one house!)  They had a tent set up in their adorable yard, right next to a babbling brook!  We had a great time, and the Colberg's were SO kind to us, they were excellent hosts!

We went to see the locks, and watch salmon swim upstream, we ate at some fish place (I ordered a chicken sandwich with peppered bacon on it and it was DELISH!)  One day we went to see the Freemont Troll which is actually under a bridge!  It was neat!  We ate at a neat ice cream place called Molly Moon's...earl grey tea was the best! (good pick, Jonathan!)

Some of our group went on a hike at Mt. Rainier National Park!  I think it was my favorite day!  It was soooo pretty, and I know my pictures don't do it justice!  I felt like I was in a Twilight movie! ha!  When we reached the top of our hike, we fed birds cherries out of our hands!  It was so neat!  We even learned how to trick them to make them stay on our hands longer for pictures! :)  Sneaky, I know!  It was a bit cloudy when we were up there so we didn't get a really good look at Mt. Rainier...or great pictures, but that is okay...the experience was still great!

We spent a day at Pike Place Market, went to the Aquarium, and went on an Argosy Harbor Cruise!  That was a great day!  I loved the market (except for how crowded it was at times!)!  While we were at Pike Place, we visited the Famous Gum Wall and the original Starbucks...the line was WAY long, so we didn't go in.  :(

The aquarium was fun, but definitely not my favorite...Once you've seen one aquarium, you've seen them all, right?! (Am I the only one that feels this way)

The argosy cruise was fun, except for a guy that sat close to us who was training to be a guide...he would say things and then get so excited when the guide said the exact same thing he said a few minutes earlier.  Oh, and did I mention he was drinking and drinking (which made him much more annoying in my opinion!)  The cruise was a neat way to see the city and learn some fun facts!

Our last day in Washington, Jason and Laura took us a couple hours away for some of our group to go white water rafting!  No, I didn't go. :(  I had been once before in Colorado, and I haven't mentioned that I was sick during the sight seeing days!  (The not being able to breathe, sore throat, gross sneezing kind of sick!  yuck.)  While some of the group was rafting, the rest stayed at a neat park surrounded by beautiful scenery...and others went to a nearby town, Leavenworth!  It was a cute little German town...very touristy.  I went to Leavenworth, and really enjoyed the day!  Probably because most of our time there we were trying to find Natalie Grant!  (You heard me...NATALIE GRANT!)  Unfortunately we didn't find her...it turns out she left that town about 10 minutes before we arrived.  She did tweet one of the girls in our group a few times...and that's how we knew she wasn't there anymore. Sad day.  We bought some tasty cashews and some really good cheese, then headed back to the park.

While we were trying to find Natalie Grant...David and some others were having an adventure!!  Their raft completely flipped and they all floated down the river for a bit...David somehow ended up finding the two young boys (around 8 years old) that were on his raft and floated with them for about a mile-ish.  No one was hurt (Praise the Lord!) but it was definitely a ride they will all remember!  I am so thankful and proud of my husband and all that he did when the raft flipped!  He says he didn't do anything, but I don't think I could have carried two young children down a river! 

After a week and a half, we came back to the awful heat of Indiana...got lots of sleep...and got back to our normal routine!  It was a great trip!! 

                                           I'll leave you with a few pictures from our week!

This is David, David, and Adam with their Hall of Fame Plaques!  I am so proud of these guys!

We visited the famous gum wall!  It was neat to say I've been there, but it was completely gross!

David and I next to a waterfall!  This is one of the times I felt like I was in Twilight!

On our hike at Mt. Rainier National Park.



David and I with the Freemont Troll...that is actually under a bridge!



David, Jonathan, and I on our hike!  I was so thankful for Jonathan while hiking because anytime I stopped to rest (which was very often on the way up, because I was sick most of our trip) he was right there with me so I wouldn't get too far behind the group!  Being sick on a hike is really draining!  David also carried the backpack with ALL of our water the whole time!

                                                     


When we were finished with our hike, we drove up the mountain to see the snow!

The Hose Family at the Space Needle!

So Excited!

I am SuPeR excited right now!  My mom is on her way to visit!  She is really coming to Indiana to help my sister (C) and bro-in-law (J) move and prepare for Miss A's arrival (my sister is 8 months prego right now...more on this to come later!), but I am still excited because a.) she is stopping here first and 2.) she will only be 40ish minutes away instead of 4.5 hours!!!  YAY!  (yes, I did just say a...and 2...this came from an episode of Full House I watched when I was younger.  When Uncle Jesse would make a list he always said it like that...I have done that ever since...weird, I know...but I kinda like it!)

I haven't lived with my parents since I left for OCU in August 2005...I wasn't even really there during the summers because I either worked at our church camp as staff or stayed with C & J.  It is so weird though, because the past year or so I have missed my parents and grandparents (they live very close) SO much more!  David and I got married in June 2008, and we live about 1.5 hours from his parents.  We see them just about every Sunday after church (we meet them in Vincennes).  I LoVe David's family and feel very thankful and blessed we get to see them often...VeRy thankful especially since my parents do live so far away!  However, sometimes I think it makes me miss my parents more.  I have been happy lately that my sister is pregnant because I have seen my family more because they have came to bring her maternity clothes & came for a baby shower (those were two trips that wouldn't have happened otherwise!), and we all (C, J, David and I) went to the bootheel for my Papaw's 80th birthday party!

Isn't he precious!?! :)

                                                            
Another thing I am SO excited about is that my sister is FiNaLly expecting her first baby!  As little girls we always played house and LoVeD being "the mommy" to our baby dolls!  I think something happens inside us when we get married that makes us want to be mommys even more!  C & J decided they were ready after being married a couple of years, but God had a different plan.  My heart ached for them...especially my sister.  I wanted so badly to be able to help her somehow.  It isn't fun watching your sister hurt and long for something for so long...especially when we are constantly surrounded by bad parents and people who get pregnant unexpectedly and don't even want their children.  They are about to celebrate their 8th Anniversary and will be becoming parents very soon to an already spoiled, precious, and beautiful (you can tell that from ultrasounds, you know!) baby girl A. M. W.!  She is going to be named after 2 great grandmas! :)  We have prayed for this for a LONG time! 

They are going to be GrEaT parents!

                                                                 
Before you ask, we are still waiting.  We will soon be celebrating our 4th Anniversary, but I am still enjoying time with just David (and our 60-ish girls that live in our dorm!) for now!

My mom should be here in about an hour!  Now, the big question...where are we going to have lunch?!?!?!