Gary & Lisa Simpson

Three weeks old!

2009-09-06T08:13:00.004-05:00

Piglet loves her baby sister!

I can't believe that Gracie is already three weeks old! She is such a sweet baby! We are very lucky to have such a wonderful little girl!

As most of you already know, Gracie was born on 8/16/09. Friday 8/14/09 I was having back pain, so I called the Dr. and he sent me to the hospital to do a fetal stress test. I was having contractions, but not dialating. So, he sent me home and told me he would see me the next Friday- Gracie's scheduled c-section. No big deal... I still had LOTS of things to get done before her arrival.

Saturday morning, I got up, took the Nitro to the car wash to wash it and clean out the inside. Came home and installed the car seat, did laundry, cleaned the house. Then went to my nieces' birthday party. Abbie was 4 on the 12th and Madison turned 2 on the 20th. When I was leaving the last thing my Dad said to me was " Don't go into labor tonight, I am fishing a night tournament." LOL Okay, like that was going to happen! I went home, took a nap, and decided we needed burgers from Sonic for dinner.

About 10 til 10 I was laying on the loveseat thinking that I needed to wake Gary up- he was asleep on the couch ( do we know how to have a good time or what!) and go to bed. As I finished that thought, my whole stomach jumped, and I started to pee myself....wait no, I couldn't stop it, MY WATER BROKE!!! OMG!

I ran to the bathroom, and as I was sitting there not able to stop the water, I was wondering how I was going to get back into the living room to wake Gary up. My cell phone was in the living room, so I couldn't call him. And, I yelled a couple of times for him, but that didn't work, and the Dogs were more interested in what I was doing than going to wake him up. So, I ran back into the living room and woke him up. " Wake up, my water just broke!" His reply " Do I have time to take a shower?" Are you kidding me?

I finished packing my bag, got Gracie's bag and car seat ready to go while he was taking his shower..... then where was he? I couldn't find him......he was on the computer updating his facebook status! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!

By this time, I am starting to have contractions... remember Gracie is still breech, so I know that we need to kinda hurry up and get to the hospital! Finally, he gets in the car and we are on our way. But wait, he is driving 40 mph on our road because he is busy calling everyone he knows to tell them that my water broke. Finally I asked him if he would like for me to drive so he can call people! : ) I am sure it was said in a loving way- at this point my contractions were 3 minutes apart and getting stronger.

I called my mom to tell her, and she thought I was joking until she realized that it was after 10! Then I was thinking, oh crap, my dad is going to think I am just messing with him! : )

Needless to say, from 10:30-11:30 went pretty quick. The Dr. came in to see me, that is when they told me that I was going to have to be put out for the c-section. OMG You have got to be kidding me! Since I had eaten dinner, they were afraid the drugs would make me sick and I might... well anyway, I had to be put out. At least Gary would be with my sweet baby when she was born. Then, the bitch nurse came in and told us that Gary COULDN'T go into the OR just in case something happened! WTF?!?!?!?!?? I lost it. Now neither one of us would be there when she was born.

I was in tears when they rolled me into the OR, and the Dr. asked why I was so upset... so I told him because they were not going to let Gary in the OR. What a GREAT Dr! He got mad, told the nurse to go get Gary- the nurse started saying something about hospital policy blah blah blah, and he would have none of it. So, long story short, Gary got to be in the OR! : ) I am so glad that her Daddy was with her when she was born.

Gracie was born at 12:43 a.m. Weighed 6lbs 8 oz and was 19 inches long. I finally got to hold her about 2:00. Of course Gary has decided that when she is older he is going to tell her that he was the first one to hold her because Mommy was wacked out on drugs when she was born! He is so sweet!

Boy, those pain meds they give you are awesome. I don't remember a whole lot about Sunday morning all the way up until Sunday mid afternoon! : ) I do know that my Dad came in off the lake until after Gracie was born. Saw her at 3 and then went back out on the lake! :) He didn't win the tournamant, but I guess loosing 5 hours of fishing makes it kinda hard!

OOPS!

2009-08-13T12:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry, it seems that it has slipped my mind to update our blog! Just a few things to share. Gracie aka Ladybug will be here next FRIDAY!!! Aug. 21st. She is breech so the dr. is going to take her c-section Friday. I can't believe she will be here in a week. That's crazy.
The nursery is pretty much done, just a few more things to do, hope to get it all done this weekend, and then I will post pics.
Hope everyone is doing well.

Gary and Lisa

Bug is a.....

2009-04-06T11:14:00.001-05:00

GIRL! We found out last Wednesday at the dr. appt that Bug is a girl, so now she is "Ladybug". We have not picked a name yet, but are getting closer.
We will be sure to post as soon as we decide.

Wednesday!

2009-03-29T20:46:00.003-05:00

We will hopfully find out what Bug is on Wednesday. I have been feeling lots better, no sickness at all. Except when I went shopping for some maternity clothes today. Why do they want pregnant women to wear such horrible clothes? Every shirt I saw today I swear was made out of a curtain or table cloth, they were UGLY! Guess it is a good thing that I am not in a real big hurry to buy any!

Here are the pics from the u/s the doctor did a couple of weeks ago.

This is the regular u/s. Bug is looking at the us.

This is the 3-D u/s. The arrow is at Bugs chin. SO, you can see the top of it's head and some of it's face.

Hope we get more 3-D pics on Wednesday. : )

Just a couple of things to tell you...

2009-02-21T18:19:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Gary's 45th Birthday. Yeah, he's old! LOL Ryan came over for a while to visit, then we went out to dinner. Which was really nice, except that Gary ordered escargot, and that made me pretty queasy, so I didn't eat most of my food. He is excited that we brought it home and he now has left over Prime Rib to eat.... maybe he ordered escargot on purpose so he could eat mine also. Hummmmm Gary was excited because he said yesterday was the first time all five of his sisters called him on his birthday.
And, on Wednesday, Ryan finally got his drivers license. We are so excited for him, but nothing like how excited he is. He said he perfectly parallel parked, and that the only reason he got any points taken off was because he forgot to use his blinker at one point in time.
The insulation business is picking up a bit it seems. So, Gary is staying busy. Lets all pray that it continues. We are also noticing an increase in sales at work, so hopefully the real estate market is starting to get better!
I haven't sent out the notice yet, but the family reunion at this time is scheduled for June 6th. Just waiting to hear back from the lake to make sure we can have the pavilion.
Other than that, not a lot going on here. I am starting to feel a lot better. The morning sickness is starting to go away! And, I must be eating more because most of my pants I can't button the top button! YIKES! Thank goodness my belts cover that. I have a guy at work that comes in most mornings and wants to compare belly's. His is still WAY bigger than mine. : )
Our next dr. appt is March 9th, but I don't think we will be able to find out what the baby is until our April appt. Bummer.
Hope all are well.

Gary and Lisa

BUG at 11 weeks

2009-02-09T19:25:00.003-06:00

Gary and I went to the Dr. again today. Dr. Nielson did an ultra sound, so we got to see BUG. I am calling the baby BUG because before I found out I was pregnant, I thought I had a stomach bug. And, I am sure once the baby gets here I will probably call it doodlebug, cuddlebug, stink bug, etc. So, it just seems to fit! Gary says the baby must be a boy because you can't see any horns on it in the pic. ( I guess if it is a girl, it will have horns...) The doctor said everything looks really good, and healthy. YEAH!! People in my office are making bets on what the baby will be..boy or girl. Most people are leaning for a girl. But, I have been on two different chinese calendars, and one says a girl, the other said a boy. SO, I guess we will just have to wait until we can find out. As long as it is healthy, that is all I am worried about.

I have been feeling a lot better. Haven't been taking the anti-nausea meds, but I still feel kinda bad at night. Hopefully that will pass soon!

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!

2009-01-12T20:56:00.002-06:00

Most of you already know that we are pregnant. We went to the doctor today and got to see the baby's heart beat on the sonogram. It was really cool. And the nurse is my new best friend. She gave me a script for anti-nausea medicine. I have been sick 24/7 since last Monday. Right now the due date is 9/1/09 but like most pregnancies will probably change in the upcoming months!
Gary and I feel very blessed, and are super excited for our new bundle of joy!
Hope all are well. And, we will be sure to keep you posted on the events going on here!

Love you all!

Gary & Lisa

Another year has come and gone....

2008-12-29T21:42:00.004-06:00

can you believe it? This year has been fun, lots of new adventures in our lives. Lots of big steps! The year started off REALLY bad for me, I woke up at 12:10 on 1/1/08 and was sick with the stomach flu. YUCK! While I was sitting at our back door wrapped up in a blanket with all three dogs sitting with me, trying NOT to get sick, I made my new years resolution. I think this is the first time I have ever kept a resolution. But, I vowed to ALWAYS have Sprite and Chicken noodle soup in the house. And, I did! : )
In February, Gary got his new bike. He was so excited! So was I, but I didn't realize how much other stuff had to go on the bike to make it the way he wanted it! But, I think he got it there. I am so glad he got it, he really enjoys riding!
We finally agreed and bought a new car! I LOVE IT! I think Gary really likes it too, he hated to drive my old car. He says that I finally have a grown up car!
In September we celebrated our 1 year anniversary in Branson with Gary's parents. That was a lot of fun. We rented a condo and were down there for three days. Got to do lots of fun stuff. Not including Starvin Marvins!
The beginning of November we bought the Insulation company. WOW! Things are going well, and I think we learned a lot when we bought it. Gary is very happy to go to work now, but I think he works for a real jerk! LOL Especially since the first time I worked for him he fired me! Things are a little slow right now, but we think most of it is the holidays, building is slow here, but there are still new homes and commercial buildings going up. So, we keep our fingers crossed that he gets the winning bid.
The holidays were great, got to visit both families for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and celebrated Gary's dad's 70th birthday on Sunday.
Seems like all we did this year was buy things! Guess we will have to work on paying them all off next year! We would love to get the shop built at our house next year, so that Gary can bring the insulation rig home at night, instead of leaving it in town where he has the shop now. It would be more secure at our house. So, hopefully we can get that done, if not, there is always 2010!
New Years will be quiet around our house. Gary will be leaving on the 31st to go to Texas with some friends to ride motorcycles. And, I will ringing in the new year with our puppies! Everyone says Gary can't go, because I won't have anyone to kiss at midnight, but I will, I will have my three babies! If we make it to midnight! ; ) It gets to be 10 or so, and my eyes automatically close.
We are looking to 2009 to be a productive year. Hoping that the economic problems start to get solved, and the economy starts to pick up.
We hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season, and wish you all the best in 2009. Always remember the wonderful times of 2008 and look to 2009 as a new beginning. Love to all, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-25T09:43:00.001-06:00

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! Gary and I will be heading to my grandmothers house around noon today, then to my parents later tonight. We will be in Illinois on Saturday and heading back on Sunday!

If you are traveling, be safe and hope to see everyone soon!

Gary and Lisa

Holidays....

2008-12-02T21:48:00.003-06:00

Most of you know we spent Thanksgiving day with my family here at home. Friday we traveled to Decatur to visit Gary's family. It was wonderful to see all his family. Kim out did herself on the food, it was wonderful. It was nice to sit and catch up with so many of his family members. Saturday we headed back to Litchfield and stayed with our friends Rod & Jamie, but we also got to visit with Brian and Lisa for a while. We attended the Litchfield girls basketball game and got to see Micki and her family while we were there.
Sunday Gary raced in the Toys for Tots race. IT WAS COLD! And muddy! I told Gary that was the worst race that I have ever been too. I don't think my feet have thawed out yet! But, Gary and his partner got first in their class! So, that was pretty cool.
The drive home took us over 7 HOURS!!!!! Interstate I-70 was bumper to bumper from St. Louis until we got off in Kingdom City. I thought I was going to climb the walls of the car. Ryan was about as irritated as I was, and bless Gary's heart, he sat there and listened to me bitch and whine the whole way and never once got mad. See why I love him so! He is such a good counter balance to me. The things that drive me crazy, really don't bother him. And the things that drive him crazy usually drive me crazy as well! LOL
Gary was back to work on Monday, and I started decorating for Christmas. I have decided that decorating for Christmas is a pain in the butt. I love Christmas, but getting all that crap out that we store all year long, just to decorate with for a few weeks!?!?! Anyway, the tree is up, the house is decorated, all I have left is putting the lights up outside. I am hoping that Gary will do that. :)
The insulation company is doing well, Gary has several jobs lined up and the phone is ringing more. Pray that it continues! I love it that Gary now enjoys going to work. I know he still has a lot on his mind, but he is doing very well with it. I knew he would, he is really good with people, and above all else, he is honest. He even told one customer that they really didn't need any more insulation in their attic, and the guy had him put more in anyway. Then told Gary that he would have him back in a couple years to add more!
I don't know what our plans are for Christmas yet. Hopefully not spending 7 HOURS on the interstate! But hopefully we will get to visit lots of family! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know we did!

Love to all,
Gary and Lisa

P.S. Did I mention that we were on the interstate for 7 HOURS!!!!

I got fired!

2008-11-15T17:27:00.003-06:00

The first offical week of owning the insulation company is over. Today Gary and I went to insulate an attic, and HE FIRED ME! Can you believe that? How can you fire someone that you are not even paying to work?!?! LOL Guess I don't have to worry about giving up my weekends to work with him! Those bales of insulation are HEAVY!! And it is dusty and dirty. Yuck! And, while we were there, it was sprinkling and spitting snow...so I guess getting fired was a blessing for me! :-)
Things are going REALLY well so far with the company. Since I work in real estate, I think that will help with some of the jobs. In face an old family friend was in my office on Friday, I told him about the company, and Gary is going to shoot an attic for him on Monday. I think I should get at least 25% of the profit from the job. I gotta make money some how!
We have been working on flyers and bus. cards and such all week. He has been getting several calls a day to place bids, so it is looking very good for us. The market is still slow, new construction has pretty much come to a stand still in this area, but is starting to pick back up. He will keep busy with attics for a while, especially with winter so close.
I am so proud of him. And, I can tell that he is enjoying reaping the rewards of his labor. Right now it feels like we are on the go from the time we get up until the time we go to bed, but hopefully we will soon be caught up on paperwork and get use to the extra "work" owning your own company is. Then things will settle down and feel normal.
Hope all are well! And hope to see most of you over Thanksgiving!

So far, so good!

2008-11-09T20:24:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is Gary's first official day of owning the insulation company, and I think he has a pretty full week. He is going to Columbia to add some insulation to one of his friends attics. Columbia is about a 2 hour drive, and normally he won't be working that far from home, but he can pick up the insulation in Columbia and not have to have it delivered. Then he has a fiberglass job that will take him a day to so.... so, at least we will already have money coming in!!! YEAH!!!! And, I know he has some other contracts but I don't know what they are. I am trying to not be "nosey". But, it is REALLY hard! Hopefully as time goes on, we will both relax! Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know what was going on with the company!

SURPRISE!!!!

2008-11-08T22:39:00.002-06:00

Some of you already know, but for those of you who don't...... Gary is buying the insulation company! I am very proud, excited, nervous..... but I know that he will be very successful with it! I know it is going to be lots of hard work, long hours, lots of stress, and I won't even be the one doing the labor! I am so proud of him, and I know he is proud as well. We had talked about it before, but nothing serious, then he took me to lunch on Tuesday and said that he wanted to do it! Of course, as soon as he told me, I had a million questions, but I REALLY tried to not let them all fly. He gets ticked at me when I ask to many questions!
Hope all are doing well, and hope to see everyone soon!!!

Blah, blah, blah!

2008-10-22T13:18:00.003-05:00

Since I haven't posted in a while, I figured I better do so. Not a lot of excitement going on right now around our house. Gary has two races left for the year; one is this weekend, but we will not be going to it.
We have successfully re-financed our house in the past month. And, are hoping to be able to build a garage for Gary. He needs someplace to go tinker with his toys. Especially since the grass has pretty much quit growing, so he doesn't have to mow every other day. And, we could use some extra storage. I don't think we will start the garage until next spring, but it is something to look forward to.
Right now our plans for Thanksgiving are a little up in the air. At this point in time, I believe we will be in Missouri on Thanksgiving, and heading to Illinois on Friday. We will be in Decatur Friday night to Saturday mid-afternoon. We will them be traveling to Litchfield, and Gary will be racing in the Toys for Tots race on Sunday.
And, Christmas, I have no idea. I haven't even began shopping for Christmas, I feel like I am REALLY behind since I am normally almost finished shopping by now. Oh well.....
Other than that, nothing new. The dogs are doing good, except Jasmin found some pumpkin seeds somewhere in our neighborhood and decided to eat them. And, she didn't digest them, they came up in the living room. But she seems fine now. Dewy and Piglet are still rotten, and enjoy annoying each other as much as possible.
I will try harder to keep up with this blog, sometimes I feel like I don't have time to breath let alone update this, but I promise I will try! Hope you are all doing well and hope to see everyone soon!
Oh, and Fran if you are reading this, I will have your glow box with me when we come up for Thanksgiving. Hopefully we will see you, if not I will leave it with Mom.

Vacation Pics

2008-09-25T12:29:00.004-05:00

Okay, here are some more pics from our vacation. I think these were all taken at Silver Dollar City!

Branson Day 2

2008-09-16T15:36:00.004-05:00

Hello all! We are half way done with our second day here in Branson. We have been having LOTS of fun. When we got into town on Sunday, we found our condo and waited for Gary's parents to get into town. Went out to dinner to "Starvin Marvin's" which was really bad! So, Dad is no longer allowed to pick out the places that we eat! LOL Yesterday we went to the IMAX and saw Deep Sea. Dad, Mom and I all enjoyed it, Gary fell asleep! Then, we went to the Titanic, which was really cool! If you are ever in Branson, it is well worth the money to see. We went down to the Landing and walked around, and I found a massage chair that I really need. We didn't have enought time for dinner before going to see Shoji, so we had pie for dinner. Again, Dads choice!

This morning, Gary and I saw a cute little ground hog in the parking lot below our condo, so I named him Harry.

Today, we went to the iHop for breakfast/lunch, which was an experience. While we were there, a guy was promoting his new music show so he was singing Dean Martin along with his boom box. Then Mom and I went to a scrapbooking store and some quilting stores. Dad and Gary went to see 57th Heaven where they had a whole bunch of vehicles from 1957. They really enjoyed it. Tonight we are going to eat, then to the Jim Stafford show. We will be leaving the condo around 10 in the morning, and heading to Silver Dollar City. Then home! We are having a wonderful time, I will post more pics later! Hope all are well.

Gary & Lisa

All Birthday Partied out!

2008-08-25T09:14:00.002-05:00

I have attended 3 birthday parties in the past week! I am all partied out! Last Sunday we attended my niece Abbie and Maddie's birthday party. Abbie turned 3 on Aug. 12 and Maddie turned 1 on Aug. 20th. SO, Amie- their mom- decided to combine the party, which went over very well.
Then, this past Saturday, Gary and I went to Decatur, IL. to his grandma's birthday party. It was really great to see everyone! We got to see Matt and Addison- Kristi's (Gary's cousin) kiddos that she adopted from Guatemala. They are absolutely adorable! I don't know how Kristi keeps up with the two of them, they are very busy! And, we also got to see Morgan- Gary's Cousin Mike's little girl. She is a doll baby. It was great seeing everyone, we hope to start making more trips up to Illinois.
Then, Sunday, I attended my other "niece's" birthday party in Springfield, MO. Kaelyn is my best friend Tara's baby girl. She turned 1 on Sunday. For only having a 30 minute nap all day long, she was in a very good mood.
So, I spent over 13 hrs in the car this past weekend. Being back at work is a blessing just because I can stand up and walk around when I want to!
Next weekend is the last "big" weekend of the year here at the lake, Labor Day weekend! And, I am planning on spending it at HOME! Actually, I will be painting the living room. I know how to have a good time. Gary always says that I am loads of fun! LOL
Anyway, then in a few weeks, we will be taking our vacation!!! I am so ready! We have rented a condo in Branson, MO for a couple of nights, and Gary's parents are going to be coming down with us for a few days. I am so excited!!!! I will be sure to take my camera and post more pics of our vacation.

Hope all are well.

He sure is brave!

2008-08-11T14:23:00.003-05:00

I honestly have to say that Gary is the bravest person I know. Why do I think this? Because he is teaching me to play golf! So, he must be brave.
We have been going to the driving range a couple of times a week, and I have gotten to where I hit almost every ball I swing at. And, Gary told me that I no longer look like I am swinging a baseball bat!
SO, after a couple of weeks of going to the driving range and "practicing" hitting a golf ball, Gary decided that it was time to take me golfing. Yesterday we went out to a local golf course around 4:30 to miss most of the traffic. Well..... I think I need to start sleeping at the driving range. I SUCK!!!!! At least I am a big enough person to admit it, but I really suck at golf.
Gary was laughing at me because I was SUPER- DUPER impressed with myself that I hit a ball over the water and didn't hit it into the water. As the day went on, I think I was getting better, but I still suck!
So, if anyone has any "pointers" for me on how to become a better golfer, please share. Gary says that I am improving.... glad he thinks so!

We FINALLY did it...

2008-07-28T08:57:00.003-05:00

We finally agreed on and bought a new vehicle. We got a 2008 Dodge Nitro SLT 4x4... and I LOVE it! I know I am really going to miss my little car, but our next door neighbor is buying it, so he told me if I ever wanted to drive it, I could. I am so spoiled!

I told Gary that this is the first vehicle I have owned that has not been black or white, and it is the first one to have 4 doors. He said he was glad that his little girl is "growing up". So, I stuck my tongue out at him. ; )

Here is a picture of the new car... hope all are well!

What the heck?

2008-07-15T12:25:00.004-05:00

They are moving a house in across the street from us. A HOUSE! They are MOVING a house! Not a trailer, not a double wide, a HOUSE... Now, some of you might have seen this done before or on tv, but let me tell you, it is the strangest thing in the world to look out your front window and see a house sitting up on a trailer being moved.
They actually started moving the house last week. It took them 4 hours to move it 17 miles. Then it sat on our gravel road from Thursday morning until Monday morning. What a pain in the butt! So, they moved it down to the lot that they are putting it on on Monday... but it is still sitting in the middle of the road. People are having to drive in part of our yard in order to get around it.... needless to say Gary and I are not happy about that. Here are a few pics of the house once they got it moved across the street. The guy moving it says they have to turn it 180* to put it on the foundation....what the??? Glad I don't have his job.

Here is what we look at when we walk out of our front door...

Here is a little closer pic, see how UGLY the house is?
And, here is the view from the road, our property is on the left side of the pic...
There is just enough room for about 3/4 of a car to pass the house without getting into our grass. But, you can see our neighbors cute little wiener dogs.
So, hopefully when I get home tonight there will no longer be a house in the middle of the road.

Rolling, rolling, rolling

2008-07-10T14:58:00.003-05:00

Haven't posted anything in a while, not a lot going on right now. Here are a few pics Ryan took of a storm that went over a couple of weeks ago. There were micro burst tornado activity with this storm, we were in the front yard and watched the clouds rolling.

And here is a cool pic he got of a hummingbird at one of our 6 feeders. Gary is obsessed with the birds this year. 6 hummingbird feeders, 3 finch feeders, and a suit block. We have birds EVERYWHERE!!!
We have been doing LOTS of yard work, I put in 11 box woods this past weekend around the house, and hope to get the other side done this weekend. We have also been dropping lots of trees in the "woods" next to our house. Gary wants to get it thinned out enough to plant grass and mow.... I don't think we need to cut all those trees down, but it does look nice all thinned out.

Our garden and tomato plants are going NUTS! But, we only have 1 red tomato and 1 zucchini ready to be picked. All the rain this spring is really messing with the tomato plants, but hopefully they will continue to ripen. I will try to post again soon.

And the storm moves on...

2008-06-04T12:00:00.003-05:00

We had some pretty scary weather last night, but nothing bad happened. Our phones started ringing about 12:30, and there were a couple of tornado's spotted around the lake. So, we loaded up the dogs and went to my parents house. We finally got home about 2:30 this morning.

Things are great here, the flowers are blooming, the grass is growing- like crazy! I think Gary mows 2 or 3 times a week!

He has also been racing, here are a few pics from one of the races.

Here he is sitting on the starting line,

And, they are OFF!!!

Hope all are well.

I've been slacking!

2008-05-20T10:54:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I last posted. Not a lot has been changing. Gary has started his races. We have been busy around the house, cleaning up the woods and burning, washing decks and getting ready to stain them.
We did have a bad week last week. Wednesday night we discovered that half of Ryan's Adderall were missing. I had the script filled on Tuesday, then, all of our quarters out of our change jars were also missing. There are only a few people who know where we keep the key to the house and that would feel safe enough walking into our house with the dogs in there, so we knew who had taken them. Needless to say, the neighbor girl who house/dog sits when we are gone was put in cuffs and into the back of the cop car. It was a long, stressfull night, but hopefully it will all be straightened out soon.
Still car shopping, we sold the van, so now we just have to find the vehicle we want, don't know if we will ever agree on one though.
We are still hoping to get up to Illinois soon, but it seems like every weekend that we might be able to go, something comes up.
Ryan will be out of school next Tuesday, I turn 29 on Monday! Boy, next year will be tough! The dogs are doing great, constant entertainment.
Hope all are well, and hope to see you all soon.

Row Row Row your boat...

2008-04-01T15:46:00.002-05:00

Holy moly! We have been getting LOTS of rain lately, and more is on the way Wednesday, Thursday and Friday! So, Gary and I have started to build an arc! Just kidding. But, Ryan and I did walk down to the creek the other day to see if the water fall was still flowing, and it is! I took my shoes and socks off, crossed the creek and had to climb up the hill to see the top of the fall. It is so pretty!
You don't get the full effect of the fall, but it is probably 15-18 feet from where the water comes out of the rock to the creek below.

Gary has a new love in his life...

2008-03-08T14:02:00.004-06:00

He just bought a brand new 08 KTM 300 motorcycle. Rode it for an hour and it already has a dent in the pipe! Can you believe it? That is like buying a new car and running into a pole before you even get it home!!! He is just like a little kid with his new toy. He picked it up last weekend while Ryan and I were in Springfield, I was shocked that it wasn't sitting in our living room when we got home!

Other than the new bike, not a lot going on. We will be making a very quick trip to Litchfield tomorrow to deliver Gary's old bike to the guy who is buying it. But, we will pretty much have to just get there and turn right around and come home.

We are hoping to make a trip to Illinois to visit everyone soon. But, we are getting ready to start car shopping also, so our weekends will kinda be tied up until we get a new vehicle. Plus Gary's races have started so every other weekend we are off to the races. CRAZY! It seems just like yesterday was the end of his races and they are starting up already again!

It's your BIRTHDAY, Happy Happy Birthday!

2008-02-20T08:20:00.003-06:00

Today is Gary's 44th birthday! I told him this morning that he is better than 2 22 yr. olds anyday! So, if you read this, give him a call to wish him a Happy Birthday!

I've been tagged!

2008-02-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

I have been tagged by Kristy! Kristy is now part of my family. She is Gary's cousin, and I think she is truly one of the strongest women I have ever met, she is such a sweet and caring person, I am very glad that she is a part of my life.

The rules are:

link the person who sent this and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours
Post the rules on your blog
Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link their blog
Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Humm, 7 strange/weird facts about me? This is going to be kinda hard!

1. I am about 70% deaf in my left ear. One of the interior bones in my ear never developed correctly when I was a baby.

2. I hate to be in a car. I am getting better at this, since I have been with Gary and we take road trips so much, but I could literally climb the walls when I am cooped up for very long in a car.

3. When riding in a car, as the passenger, I am always applying the breaks or trying to hit the gas to speed up. I really think I need those petals installed on the passenger side of the car!

4. When I start cleaning, I have a hard time stopping. It just seems like one thing leads to another. I start dusting the furniture, then I see the trim and tops of the doors, and then I need to wipe the doors down, and then the door handles need to be cleaned and sanitized, and while I am sanitizing the door handles, I might as well hit the light switches on the walls and the lamps. Oh, the light bulbs are kinds dusty, so I better wipe those off, and the light fixtures are a little dusty, so I better put them in the sink and wash them, then the sink is yucky so I better clean it before I put something else in it, but when I open the cabinet to get the sink cleaner out, the cabinet is all dirty and everything is just shoved in there, so I better straighten that out, and on and on and on. But, I never finish dusting!

5. I have a tendency to go on and on about things. See #4 for an example!

6. I have a very hard time asking other people for help. I think this comes from my first marriage and living on my own, in my mind, if I can't do it, then it doesn't need to be done. Gary gets kinda mad at me sometimes over things things that I "don't need help with", but he is really happy that I "don't need help" when it is time to put the Christmas lights on the house. I don't even ask him, I just climb up there and do it.

7. I don't think this is weird or strange, but some people do. My husband it 15 years older than I. But, he acts about 10 years younger so I guess it all just about evens out! And, he is my very best friend!

I am tagging.

Steve

And the following are MySpace or Facebook

Ben
Meghan
Toree
Anna
Julie

Not much going on...

2008-01-16T08:37:00.000-06:00

Not a whole lot going on here, been a pretty quiet year so far. Ryan is doing much better in school, and Gary and I are just working and playing as much as we can. I think our friends Brian and Lisa from Illinois are coming down this weekend. And, Tara might be coming up and bringing the baby. I haven't seen her since before Christmas so I am sure she has grown a ton!!!
Gary and I are starting to plan our trip to Colorado for this year. I can't wait to get back there, it is so pretty. But, I don't think we will be going over our anniversary. We would like to take Ryan with us this time, and I know Gary wants to take his bike to ride in the mountains. I think some of his other friends will also be going to ride. We think Ryan will get a real kick out of the mountains, and he is excited to go.
Hope all are well!

Where did the year go???

2007-12-27T08:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it is almost over! 2007 seems like the shortest year in history!!! Maybe it is because we were SO busy all year! The year started off great! Gary popped the question last Christmas at his parents house. Boy was I surprised!!! I had NO idea! So, we started the year out in high spirits. Unfortunately it didn't last long. The end of January we had to put our little man, Jack, to sleep. Oh the heartache. Now there was this huge hole in our daily lives. Shortly after that, we decided we needed to get another dog, not to replace Jack- there will never be another Jack- but a playmate for Jasmin. So, Dewy came into our home. OH BOY!! Do you know how much work a puppy is? And Jasmin was NOT happy with him or us. But, we adjusted, he was such a sweet little thing. Then in April we got another surprise. We were on our way home from a dirt bike hare scramble when we saw a dog hit on the side of the road about 2 miles from our house. We had to stop to check for tags, and that is when Gary saw something across the street. I swear it was a bag of trash. But, nope, it was Piglet! What a sweet little thing she is. We tried to find her home, or a new home, we already had 2 dogs, but it was just fate that she would be with us. So Dewy got a new playmate, and Jasmin had someone to keep Dewy away from her, all was right in the world again.
We had the Simpson family reunion in July. Boy was it hot! But we had a wonderful turn out, and a wonderful time. Hope to have another one next year.
Wedding plans were in the works, but come August, I spent two nights in one week at the hospital. Once when my niece Madison was born, and a few nights later, my "niece" Kaelyn was born. My brother and sister now have two little girls, Abbie and Maddie, and my best friend Tara welcomed her first bundle of joy Kaelyn into the world.
Our big day was September 15th, and I would have swore it was going to rain, but about 3:00 the clouds broke up and it was beautiful!! Besides me almost loosing it at the wedding, it was perfect. To have so many family members and friends around us really meant a lot! What a great day!
We honeymooned in Colorado, I can't wait to go back. We rented a small one bedroom cabin that had a unbelievable view of Pikes Peak from the hot tub. I would really like to go back there and maybe spend Christmas in the cabin. It was so awesome! We hope to maybe go back next year and take Ryan. I think he would get a kick out of the mountains! Every view is breathtaking.
Ryan turned 16 in September also. You know how strange it is for me to be 28 and tell people I have a 16 yr old step son. I have gotten some strange looks over that one. But, what is age only a number. Ryan is awesome. He is such a good kid, and I am so glad that he is more of a friend than a step son.
We traveled to Illinois for Thanksgiving, and stayed at Gary's sister Kim's house. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed spending time with all his family.
We had planned to spend Christmas with my family, but that didn't happen. My whole family had the flu. They still have it, so we are staying as far away from my parents house as we can. Hopefully we will get to have Christmas with them this weekend. So, Christmas was kinda a bummer this year. But, we did get Ryan a new guitar. He is really excited about it. Ryan spent Christmas in Illinois with Kim and came back to our house on Christmas day. Gary and I had a pretty quiet Christmas, but is was nice to have some quiet time.
Now, New Years is next week. Where did the time go? There have been so many wonderful moments in 2007 and a few very sad ones. As we say goodbye to 2007, it will always be a very special year in my life. We lost one of our best friends in January, and we still miss him very much everyday, he will forever be in our hearts. I also gained a whole new family!(And boy is it a BIG family!) Gary and I are very thankful for all the blessings in our life, and look to 2008 to be an even better year. So, goodbye 2007!
We hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Years. And, here is to hoping 2008 is a wonderful year!
From our house to yours, Happy New Year!
Love to all,
Gary, Lisa & Ryan

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-18T10:06:00.000-06:00

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and very safe new year! We will be spending Christmas at home this year! Both Gary and I are looking forward to a quiet weekend. We will be going to my grandmothers on Christmas eve, then to the church service. Christmas day we will be at home with our babies, and then off to my mothers house for dinner. Ryan is suppose to be back from Illinois with Kim sometime on Christmas day.

Sending lots of love!

The Simpson's

Ready for Christmas???

2007-11-28T08:07:00.000-06:00

Well, I decorated for Christmas, but am far from ready for Christmas!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! As most of you know Gary, Ryan and I traveled to Illinois to spend the holiday with Gary's family. We had a wonderful time. Kim, Gary's sister, really out did herself on all the wonderful food! It was really nice to spend time up there with his family. And, his cousin Steve came over Thanksgiving night so we got to spend time with him also.
We headed home on Friday, and on Saturday I began decorating for Christmas! The puppies thought this was all kinds of fun, they were such a BIG help! NOT! Sunday Ryan was back at the house, and he helped me put all the lights up on the house. I think he just wanted to get on the roof! Here are a few pics of the dogs helping, and a few I got of them with their Christmas hats on. They just love it when I put hats on them!!!!

Dewy & Piglet "helping"!

Dewy & Mommy with our Santa hats!

Thanksgiving!

2007-11-16T08:17:00.000-06:00

We have had several calls from friends and family about the Thanksgiving holiday. So, I thought I would publish our plans! We will be traveling to Illinois to spend the holiday with Gary's family. We will be back in town for the weekend, so let us know if you will be in town, we would love to get together. I am sure we will have lots of pics when we get back, so I will be sure to post some next week. If we don't get to see you, we hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday!

What's next????

2007-10-29T08:26:00.000-05:00

Not a very positive weekend at our house. We had to take Dewy - our little boy- to the vet on Saturday because we thought he had an ear infection. Well, he does, but along with that, he is going blind in his right eye. He is only 10 months old. WHAT IS THE DEAL??? Can we not have a normal dog? Poor Jack had seizures and probably a brain tumor and we had to have him put to sleep. Piglet chews out her stitches and part of her intestines which resulted in a very long and complicated surgery to put her back together, and now my poor baby won't be able to see out of one of his eyes!!! Jasmin has been doing well, but has been gaining her "winter weight". She is a chubby little girl! Needless to say, Gary and I are a little depressed over the whole thing, but Dewy doesn't seem to really notice. He is just as goofy as ever. Dr. Tom- the vet- said that since it is only one eye, it is probably caused by trauma. If it had been both eyes, he would say that he probably has diabetes. So, we will be watching him closely for the next couple of months to make sure his other eye is okay. Say a little prayer for our baby!!

Happy Birthday Mama!!

2007-10-22T08:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday. We went to my bro & sis in laws house and made her dinner. Dad got her a really cool cake with Otis (their dog) on it. And my niece made her the princess for the day!!!

The cake...
Princess Mom and Abbie...

Abbie being silly...
Abbie in Mom's sweater
And Otis, with his stitches and cone... poor baby!

Weekend in Illinois...

2007-10-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to Litchfield to help Brian and Lisa with their house. I also got to see Little Kevin play his last football game. That was fun! Anyway, here are a few pics of Gary working on the insulation in Brian's shop. He makes me so nervous sometimes!

Gary getting ready to work...

He gets so excited...
Were do we begin...
Finally... Working. PLEASE!! Don't fall!
Oh yeah, then they had to fix my tire... I had 2 nails and 3 rocks in it! Gotta love our gravel road!

More wedding pics..

2007-10-15T09:06:00.000-05:00

We received the photos from the photographer. I am posting some right now, and will try to get more up before the end of the week. Some of them are really great, but most from the reception did not come out, so if anyone has any pics from the wedding or reception, please send them to us, we would love to have them.

Weekend...

2007-10-12T10:39:00.001-05:00

We will be traveling to Litchfield this weekend. Going up to help Brian and Lisa with the house. Had a pretty calm week, spent the evening Tuesday at Sheri's house (One of Gary's sisters). Had a good time, got to know her, Erin and some of their friends a little better.
Hope all is well with everyone.
Oh, we will also be picking up the photographs from the wedding this weekend, so I will try to post more next week!!!

Not a lot to say...

2007-10-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

I just read Kristi's Blog, I swear everytime I read it, I just want to cry!! But, hopefully the babies will be home SOON!!!
So, not a lot going on at our place right now, just work. We are going to try to make it up to Litchfield either this weekend or next.
Wanna see a silly picture???

This is our little boy Dewy! He is so silly.

This is Piglet, someone dumped her and we found her, so now she is our "Little girl"

Here are the two little rug rats, Ryan dressed them up!! They are so rotten!

Here is Dewy all grown up, he is such a pretty little boy!

And, here is MY baby! LOL Jasmin. She is the "Big Girl" at 105 lbs.

Hope all are well!!

Lots of love,
Gary & Lisa

Ryan jamming...

2007-10-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday nights, we sometimes take Ryan to the Ice House so he can play his guitar. Here are a few pics of him playing with James Clay a few weeks ago. Ryan took it upon himself to learn one of James' songs. He is so awesome, I couldn't even begin to play a musical instrument!!!

Blue Moon Golf Tourn.

2007-09-28T14:44:00.000-05:00

The Wednesday before the wedding was the 5th Annual Blue Moon Animal Sanctuary Golf Benefit. This is also the 4th year that I have helped out with the tournament. Blue Moon is ran by 5 ladies that have all the animals at their own personal homes, they take in abandoned and abused animals. We raise money by golfers, hole sponsors, donations, and we also hold a silent auction.
This year has been the best year yet, we raised over $27,000 ! Here are a few pics from the tourn. I am in the "Big Dog" outfit. For some reason, I am the only person short enough to fit in it!

Me with a couple of the agents from my RE/MAX office. Marty Gum, Phil Shafer, Jeff Krantz & Frank Christensen (my boss) I have his cigar and golf club.

Here is Big Dog with Traci (she works at our vets office)

This is Big Dog with Mike and Susie Berra- they are the two realtors who put the whole golf tournament together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!

2007-09-27T09:14:00.001-05:00

Today is Ryan's 16th Birthday!!!!! We love you!!

Dad & Lisa

Mr. & Mrs. Gary Simspon

2007-09-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

Since I am changing my last name, I decided that we needed another change from just e-mail. SO, we decided that a blog is the fastest and easiest way to let everyone know what is going on in our lives. ( We have enjoyed keeping up with Kristi and the babies on her blog !) Here we go...

Most of you were able to make it to the wedding, but for those of you who were unable to attend, here are a few pics that were taken with our camera. We will try to post some of the ones that they photographer took when we get them back.

Aren't we just the cutest couple? LOL

Ryan, Lisa, Gary & Alex

Also, we just got back from our honeymoon to Colorado. It is beautiful there. We really didn't want to come back, but we missed our dogs. Here are a few pics of us in CO, hope you enjoy!

This pic was taken from the back deck of our cabin, it is the sun setting on Pikes Peak.

Hope you enjoy, and we will post more soon!

Gary & Lisa