Belated Anniversary date

Such a fun night! John and I hit the Maroon 5 concert...anniversary date/present that was just  a few weeks  late! I love stretching anniversaries, holidays, birthdays out...making them last a tad bit longer.

The weather could not have been better. I think I am in love with outdoor Fall concerts in Northern California! My date was perfect :)... 17 years later and he still makes me smile.  Dinner was easy...our favorite sandwiches from Bel Air...the Santa Cruz sandwich. The opening act Rozzi Crane was great...minus one song. Kelly Clarkson was amazing! I have always  liked her songs but she is not someone I would have been dying to see. She surprised me. She sounded amazing, had lots of energy and was really down to earth and funny.

 

 Maroon 5 did not disappoint. I have loved them since their very first album and even more with their come back a few years ago. Their energy was insane and they too, sounded amazing. I think they are better LIVE! The lighting and graphics were awesome and the ton of confetti that came streaming down towards the end was FUN!

 I was getting worried because they had left the stage, the concert was over and they had not sung/performed my favorite Maroon 5 song. Not gonna lie, there was a little bit of panic! Now we all now that most bands will come out for an encore, which they did! The 1st song they came back and sang was still not my all time fave but the 2nd one was. YAY! Adam Levine and  (on guitar) did an acoustic version of  SHE WILL BE LOVED and they had the audience participate! one word, okay two...Incredible and Happy!

 

* photos from my friend Brenda H. and Kylie R.. Thank you!

17 years... and counting

I am pretty sure I have my happily ever after. No, I DO NOT live in la-la land.  I am fully aware that marriage, like life, is filled with the ups and downs, curve balls, happy and sads, love and  joy! Our marriage is not perfect but we try and are constantly working at it. We know how to laugh. We know how and when to pitch in and help. We have learned when to say we are sorry. We 

have learned how to forgive and move on. I am beyond thankful for our marriage and for the life we have created.

To mark our 17th year, we went to dinner at Pluto's. I love the salads and John  loves the draft root beer and sandwiches. After dinner, we did some shopping. I scored a new pair of Saucony running shoes and John scored some new shorts...happy anniversary to each other. We love those type of gifts, the ones we pick out and get to try on  before leaving the store :).  To end our evening, we went and saw The Butler. We hit the last showing and were 1 of the 3 couples in the theater. The Butler is a must see movie, if you haven't seem it yet.

 

 

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Looking forward to the next 17 (plus) eternity years that we have to spend together!

22 hour Anniversary escape

Yes. You read that right. 22 hours was all it took to enjoy some serious quality time with my one and only. For our anniversary get away, John had some fun things planned. He surprised me with concert tickets to see TRAIN in Reno.  This is the 2nd year in a row that we escaped to Reno for our anniversary! Some people might assume that Reno is our spot. Rest assured, it's not. There just  happened to be two concerts, two years in a row that we wanted to attend. We saw Maroon 5 last year!

We hit the road and enjoyed listening to the TRAIN set list that I downloaded from a previous concert over the Summer. It got us pumped up for our show!  A beautiful car ride over the Sierra's with my love, no kiddos and some good tunes. What's not to love??? We checked into our hotel, The Alantis. While it was a really nice place to stay, I still can't EVER get over the smoking in the hotels. We had a non-smoking room which was fabulous, it is just the getting in and out of places with all of the smoke. Blah! I am just not a fan of my hair and clothes smelling like smoke. The state of California did something right when they banned that years ago.

After checking into our hotel, we headed out for some lunch. Nothing fancy. We had sandwiches. I was trying to be good while away and I was. I ended up losing 2 lbs. this week :-). After lunch, we headed back to our hotel. We took a nap and watched the end of the Giants game. We agreed that is was just nice to be together without our brood in tow :-).

For dinner, we tried (again for the 2nd year in a  row) to eat at the Steak House in Reno. I had eaten there a while back while on a road trip to and from Utah with my Mom and Grandma and Grandpa Shore. I am not a big red meat eater but the steak dinner I had was soooooo good. John, on the other hand, loves red meat. I knew he would love this place. We showed up at 4:45 right when it opened. There was already an hour and half- 2 hour wait. We would be seated around the time our concert should be starting. We had to come to figure out a back up plan. We decided on The Outback Steak House that we had passed going to and from our hotel. Dinner was yummy and then we were off to the concert.

Andy Grammer and Matt Kearny were the opening acts for TRAIN. While we didn't think we knew who either of them were, we were happy to discover that we had heard one of Andy's songs. He sings Keep Your Head Up. I actually ended up really liking him and his music. So much so that I downloaded a few of his songs in between acts. Gotta love modern day technology AND new music. Check out his songs Fine By Me and a cover of Rhianna's We Found Love.

TRAIN was amazing. I have always loved them. They have some fun music. Some  of my all time favorite songs EVER are by TRAIN! The lead singer, Pat Monahan was awesome! Very charming and funny! We had 10th row seats on the floor, so the view wasn't too shabby. Some of my favorite songs that were performed were Meet Virginia, Bruises, Marry Me  and California 37. All of the songs were awesome! It was a fantastic concert and an even better evening spent with my sweetie!

 (see Pat signing autographs right behind me :-)? So close!)

On our way out of Reno, we decided to drive up to the Reno Temple. Neither of us had ever seen it in person! Like all LDS Temples, it was beautiful and very peaceful. It is definitely one of the smaller Temples but still gorgeous.

Happy 16 years of wedded bliss. Thank you for making me happy!

16 years and counting!

Today, John and I  celebrate 16 years of marriage!
I say this often and I will say it again, I am so happy to have John by my side as we enjoy this roller coaster ride we know as OUR LIFE. I feel very lucky and blessed to be able to spend each day with him. We are a good match. He tends to be the calm to my craziness(crazy in a good. productive way). He is the Ying to my Yang. The Peanut Butter to my Jelly. He is the sunshine on a cloudy day. He is my ONE and ONLY!He works so hard to provide for our family. He is a great Dad and a fabulous husband. I had a friend who would tell her husband about the nice, kind, wonderful, fun things that John would do for me and for our family. When she would relay them to her husband, his response was "Well, you should have married John Krupp!" That comment would make me laugh every time and and make me realize how lucky I was/am. How did I get so lucky??? Our actual anniversary day(today) was filled with shuffling kids around town. We attended Tanner's Flag Foot ball game, Carter's Cross Country meet and Garrett's soccer practice. We have plans for next weekend, already penciled in on our calendars. We can't wait to celebrate then!

Fifteen

Fifteen years ago, marks one of the happiest days of my life. I married my best friend, my everything. We were sealed in the Oakland (LDS) Temple for time and eternity. We were surrounded by family and friends. As I often think about the word eternity, it can sometimes feel very overwhelming. When I really stop and think about it, I am so thankful that I get to spend my life beyond this earthly life with John and the family we have created. What a blessing! Since that day, fifteen years ago, we have: laughed, cried, felt joy, mourned the loss of loved ones, witnessed the miracle of life(four times over), strengthened our marriage, grown(physically and spiritually),learned to be patient, tried to let go of those things that are just not that important, cheered each other on, made new friends, lost friends, tried new things, moved away from home, focused on careers while balancing home life, and have giggled ourselves silly with the inside jokes we share. Most of all(and most important), we have really enjoyed each other. I am looking forward to the next fifteen years + eternity. Happy Anniversary, my love!

spoiled rotten...

is exactly how I feel. John was away on business, all week. I missed him. The boys missed him. The overgrown grass in our front yard missed him-ha(more on that later). John got home late on Thursday night. I was so happy to have him home. When I woke up on Friday morning, he said, "I am not sure what you have going on today but just make sure you are home, packed and ready to go by 2 pm." He tried to leave it at that. I convinced him otherwise. A girl needs to know what to pack so she can be dressed appropriately, right? He caved and then told me that we were headed to Reno to see Maroon5 and that we would be spending the night in Lake Tahoe. What?????? Really?????? It was an early anniversary surprise. I was so excited. We don't get to get away very often, just the two of us. It is hard to ask family/friends to watch our children and then once they say "Yes" hand over the laundry list of places that they need to be. My sister in law Heidi told John she would watch them and get them all to their various destinations. SCORE! She is a saint.

I have always loved Maroon5, especially Adam Lavine. It wasn't until we were on the road that John asked, "do you want to know where our seats are?". He found tickets for the 8th row, on the floor. Our seats were amazing! Honestly, at that point, I did not care where we were sitting! I was sold at Maroon5 and a night in Tahoe with my one and only.



























We were close enough to see that one of his tattoo's read Mom-awwwwww :-)!















They opened the show with Moves Like Jagger and they shut it down with Hands All Over and an awesome rendition (with a ton of audience participation) of She Will be Loved. Again, it was an awesome show from start to finish. The entire crowd was on their feet for the entire show. I loved the pace of the show, they went from set to set and the energy was high. I also loved leaving the parking structure after the show, everyone had their windows down with their favorite Maroon5 song blasting from their ster-e-o.

We drove back towards Tahoe and spent the night in a little place right across from the lake.













We found a little cafe and enjoyed breakfast. We then enjoyed a beautiful drive around (part of) the lake. On our drive,we found our next home...until we saw the asking price. It was only 3.3 million-HA!

We spent the rest of the day lounging, reading, lunching and napping on Kings beach. It was a gorgeous Lake Tahoe day and it was just what we needed.













We came home to flowers,cards,a clean house(cleaner than I left it)and a front lawn that had been mowed in our absence. Even Aunt Heidi could tell that the yard had missed John while he was away on business :-).

p.s. I have decided that I am okay with the being spoiled rotten, every once in a while!

by the numbers...anniversary style

14 years ago today, I married my sweetheart...my best friend. In the 14 years that we have been married, we have lived in 2 different apartments. We have moved 3 times. We attended many years of college (mostly night school). There was 1 lost(never found -mine)wedding ring. John graduated from college. I received my AA degree and a communication degree. We have owned 7 different cars(2 Honda's, 2 Tahoe's, 2 Toyota trucks, and 1 Maxima). We won 1 free trip to Hawaii and other countless contests. We moved away from the city that we both grew up in. We purchased our 1st home after 7 years of marriage. We experienced 4 labor and deliveries = 4 handsome boys. There have only been2 ER trips (John and Carter). We have owned 0 pets...not sure how I have steered clear of owning pets but I know I will have to cave one of these days. We have owned many dirt bikes & quads. We moved away from family and friends. John has had 2 different jobs(Coca Cola & Intel). There have been 4 different jobs for me(nanny jobs and scrapbook stores). We experienced the passing of John's Mom in the 6th month of our marriage. We experienced the loss of Grandpa Pung, Grandma Davis and Grandpa Shore. Last but not least, we have made( and still are) making hundreds of memories that will last a life time...we have 31 scrapbooks to prove it :-).

During the last 14 years of marriage, we have experienced great joy and some sadness. I can't even begin to imagine this ride with out John by my side. I am grateful for the man that he is. He works so hard to provide for our little family & for that I am so very grateful. He is wonderful hubby & an even better Father.

Happy 14th anniversary, John boy. I Love you!

12 years ago...

12 years ago today, I married my sweetheart...my best friend. In the 12 years that we have been married, we have lived in two apartments, attended college (mostly night school), we had one lost(never found)wedding ring, graduated from college, owned 4 different cars, won a free trip to Hawaii, moved away from the city that we both grew up in, purchased our first home, had four children, only two ER trips with the four children in 9 years(not bad), steered clear of owning pets (I know I will have to cave one of these days), owned many dirt bikes & quads, moved away from family, 2 different jobs for John, 4 different jobs for Raimi, experienced the passing of John's Mom. Last but not least, we have made(& are still making) hundreds of memories that will last a life time. Through the years we have experienced great joy (and some sadness). I can't even begin to imagine this journey with out John by my side. I am grateful for the man that he is. He works so hard to provide for our family & for that I am so very grateful. He is wonderful hubby & an even better Father. Happy 12th anniversary sweetie. I Love you!

On a side note, it was so much fun reading your "kindness" posts. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful stories. I loved each one! In honor of our 12th anniversary, I will be doing something nice for the friend who left the 12th post. That lucky friend is....Laurie H.. Congrats Laurie. I will see you next week sometime. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

11 years ago today...

I married my best friend, my sweetheart, the man of my dreams, my one & only, the father of my children! Those 11 years have been filled with joy, love, smiles, tears, babies being born, living in different apartments, a new home, a new city, graduating from college, new friends, the loss of your Mom, different jobs, & MANY, MANY blessings. I am so grateful for YOU & for ALL that YOU do for me & for the boys. I am grateful for your support, patience, & unconditional love. . Our wedding day was one of the best days of my life. Happy Anniversary SWEETIE! I am looking forward to many more years of LOVE & HAPPINESS.
I LOVE YOU!