Good friends...good times...

White Elephant Extravaganza...

Although I do not have any photos documenting our time together, our small group's white elephant extravaganza took place on Saturday night. After the Christmas service at church, we all headed to the Brennan's house for Monical's, a gift exchange, and fun, fun, fun!
Russ and I walked away with The Office trivia game and a golf ball set. Other items received were toilet paper, mouse droppings, and Russ' contribution, a calendar entitled 'Goats in Trees.' Apparently goats climb, and this calendar is a tribute to our climbing friends, each month portraying a new tree with multiple goats in, on, and around the tree. I personally wanted to take that gift home, but I couldn't pass up The Office game. I guess I could always buy myself a 'Goats in Trees' calendar.
Anyway, we had a great time with many laughs!

The Annual Christmas Get-together...

On Sunday I got together with Rebecca, Steffany, and JMarch Gillespie for our annual Christmas gift exchange. I set the camera on the table to make sure that pictures would be taken. We had a good ole time catching up, and we hopefully will continue this longstanding tradition...hooray Bible study girls from...TEN YEARS AGO. Yikes. We miss Karen!

Steffany and Rebecca...


Annie and JMarch...


Apparently we thought the wall behind us was more important than standing up for the picture...


Oh yah! I scored a copy of The Glee soundtrack during our exchange...so excited!! Thanks JMarch.

Gantz family Christmas

We celebrated a good ole Gantz family Christmas this weekend since some are heading south (Mom, Dad, Amy, Ali, and Carson) and some are heading north (Russell and Annie)...some are staying put (sorry Chris and Dan)...for Christmas.

Here are a few photos from the festivities...how did Mom and Amy escape the camera??

Icin' cookies...



Johnny Unitas and Reggie Wayne stopped by to ice some cookies...


Ali and Dan...very proud of their cookies...



Russell won the snowman dice game...



Merry Christmas, Gantz style...aka two weeks early

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

...our "mantle"...I made my stocking first...it's a little small...Russell's on the other hand...yikes! I need to find a happy medium with my sewing of stockings.


...our Christmas tree...little full...lot of sap...

Boiler Up!

Russell and I received tickets for the Purdue basketball game with Ty on Saturday night. I was pumped because I had never been to Mackey before. I also thought it would be a good time to get a picture for our Christmas card. Therefore I told Russell that we could either get our picture with Purdue Pete or Robbie Hummell, to which he replied, "Ummm...that would be a little weird if Robbie showed up in our Christmas card, so Purdue Pete it is."

As soon as we walked in, Purdue Pete was walking up the stairs almost as if the picture had been planned. I chased him down; Ty took the picture; the rest is history. Here's a sneak peak at the picture on our 2009 Christmas card...BOILER UP!

Wow..What a Book!

I recently started reading The Blind Side by Michael Lewis...by started reading I mean I read and read and read and finished the book with barely enough time left for Russell to tell me that I was being anti-social again. Apparently, that's what I do when I read...I become anti-social.

I love books, and this is one that I would definitely recommend!

Halloween...

ENgLiSh AiN't sO NeRDy...oR is iT?


Donning our best "nerd-alert" outfits at school, we stuffed Toole in a locker, and the rest was history. We definitely fit the bill for stereotypical English teachers that day. :-) Someone even called me Dwight from the office...haha.

Hey, monkey boy!

I hit up Amy and Chris' neighborhood for a little trick or treating action on Halloween....actually I just sat outside with the Bush family for a whole half hour. (It was a little too chilly for Aunt Annie to sit outside). We had fun while we were out there though.

A Camping We Will Go...A Camping We Will Go...

Over fall break Russell and I decided to head down to Brown County for a little camping trip. We had a great time, and we stayed relatively dry. Even though at times I thought the rain was going to bust through the tent, we had a really good time.

So It's Been a Little While...or three months...

BUTLER HOMECOMING
Yay for good friends and good times! Even if it's at 8:00 AM on a chilly October morning, a good time will always be had when the ole Butler APhi crew gets together. The fun started at the chariot race, continued to the registration tent, and furthered at Alpha Phi, giving us many reasons to take pictures (before I dropped my camera).

This fine picture was taken by a trash can that was thirty feet away...sweet quality.

Sherry being Sherry...me being Mo...we didn't fool anyone.

PURDUE FOOTBALL

Russ and I attended a Purdue football game a few weeks ago. It was my first time at a big-time football game...a little different than Butler's football games I must say (except for watching Steffany). We had a great time even though Purdue lost to Notre Dame. Tailgating, catching a Matt Painter sighting (me: "It's Matt Painter! It's Matt Painter! He's really tall!" Russ: "Hey Coach!"...I state the obvious while Russ makes conversation), and seeing some great friends, we had quite a day!

BOILER UP!

Let's see if I can post before the next three month mark. :-)

Annie Got a Haircut....

You can kind of see the new 'do. Bye bye long-ish hair.

Russell's 26th...and Minnesota vacay...

THE BIG 2-6

Happy Birthday to Russell!

Russell will turn 26 on Sunday; however, we had to celebrate early because we will be on our way to Minnesota on his actual birthday. We are taking my parents with us, so it will be a reunion for everyone!

Say Hello to the New Mr. and Mrs. Everhart...

Hooray! Renee and Adam tied the knot this weekend! Good times. More info to follow...

Summer Tennis Revival

Well, looky here...a second post...I am on a roll. :-)

This week started the summer tennis season, which for many, many, many years meant all tennis all the time, leaving me little time to actually enjoy the sport, ridiculously drained from the sun, and a little grumpy at times (haha).

Three years ago I decided it was time to see what a summer was like without teaching tennis. That summer was glorious and much-needed. Not to say that I did not like tennis, but I knew that I was approaching a point where I would never pick up a racquet again if I could help it, and I did not want to be that person. Therefore...the summer sans tennis lessons began...

This year I started getting the itch back...I wanted to teach tennis again! Therefore, I am back on the court (not the whole day...but enough to already possess some sweet tan lines), and I am actually enjoying myself. Some of you may think, 'It's just tennis...come on now...," but for someone who over-analyzes every move and puts more pressure on herself than necessary, it was never 'just tennis.'

I was inspired at church on Sunday when Danny used the Colossians verse that I have always had underlined in my Bible, but I could never really apply it to the tennis area of my life...."Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord..." Colossians 3:23. I think God has an ironic sense of humor, seeing how I started tennis the next day after hearing this sermon. I took this verse to heart this time, and I am enjoying tennis again.

It's good to be back! :-) Also on a rainy day like this I am reminded of the good ole times when we prayed and rain-danced for the rain to come, and we always ended up playing left-handed/barefoot tennis whenever clinic was actually canceled.

School's Out for Summ-ah...

It's official...school's out...summer has begun. The start of summer always pushes me into starting something new.

For example...three summers ago I started a blog, in which I wrote a whopping one post entitled 'Once a Bridesmaid...Always a Bridesmaid," an article in which I expressed my views on how singlehood seemed to suit me and that I was fine without a boyfriend. Within two weeks (and I am not kidding) I met THE Russell Schneider, fell in love, got hitched, and the rest is history. So much for a life of solitude. Ironic, eh?

Anyway, I think it's time that the inner blogger re-emerge...so here goes nothing.

Now the pressure is on...will I be able to surpass the one and done, or will this be the last time I write...eh?