I'm in mourning

Last night, the great state of Kentucky (the blue parts, at least) were all in mourning together. It's true, our Wildcats lost to WV in the elite eight. It really happened. I still can't believe it! But, it happened.

I know UK fans can be a bit extreme. We just love our Cats! Some people may come out pointing fingers and blame, but this UK fan is here to say that I am proud of our boys. They gave us a hell of a year! I mean, last year we were in the NIT and this year we not only made the NCAA tourney, but we were a #1 seed and in the Elite Eight! And don't forget about that little thing called "SEC Champions!" That is a turn-around if I've ever seen one!

Thanks guys for an incredible season!

Shannon's Seven

Ashley from The Happily Ever Afters of the Lancasters tagged everyone to follow her foot steps and share 7 things about themselves. I have been in a major blogging slump lately so I figured I'd join in!

1. I've got this dog, and I'm kinda in love with her. I've always had a dog growing up. I think it's so neat to see their different personalities. Laney is very calm (maybe too calm)! She gets excited when we go on walks and when she is given food. She is in love with her daddy so much that I get a little jealous from time to time. Regardless of who she loves more, we are both smitten with this little girl!

2. I love watching sports. College basketball is my favorite, but I also have found that I like pro football and pro baseball. Baseball is much better in person. I can hardly stand it on tv!


3. My job is not what I pictured myself doing and it isn't really what I picture myself doing forever, but it is just a job. At first I stressed about finding 'the' job that I would never mind getting up for. After nearly 2 years I've realized that I work to live, not live to work. Those are wise words from my husband! My job is just that, a job. Now, I don't hate my job by any means, but it isn't all fun and games either.

4. I like to always be in the middle of a good book. Starting books is something I put off, but I'm always excited to finish the story. If anyone can recommend a good read, I'm always looking for suggestions! I just finished the 3rd Harry Potter and I started Dear John by Nicholas Sparks this weekend. I would recommend Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin. They are good, quick reads that you won't want to put down!

5. I have no idea how to style my hair! It is pretty much the same everyday. I have two faithfuls: pony tail and straightened. It's really sad, but I don't know what to do! I am currently in need of a hair cut more than I can express in words. Sad. Just sad!

6. Shopping is something that I l-o-v-e to do. I don't have to buy a thing. Just going shopping is enough to keep me happy for a while. When I do buy things, I feel so excited when I find a deal! This goes for everything; vacations, cars, houses. I just love a good deal! It doesn't hurt my feelings if I do find something not on sale, but I have to really really like it to get it!

7. I never thought I'd say this, but I would like to go back to school to get my masters. I haven't really decided what I will get it in or how I will finance this journey, but lately the idea doesn't disgust me like it once did! ha! Now, if the state would pay for it as they have in the past for state workers, I'd already be enrolled! I have checked and they aren't paying now and they don't know when they will again. If I had to guess it will be a while!

So there's my seven! I hope they were entertaining enough... I feel like they weren't. I'll throw in an 8th!

8. GO BIG BLUE! They may have given us a tough road in the NCAA tourney, but to be the best you have to beat the best!! (I'm a Kentucky Wildcat fan, in case you missed the memo)

The Oscars

Last night I watched The Academy Awards. I don't remember the last time I've watched them... but I had a good time none the less! It's amazing what I'll watch when Desperate Housewives isn't on. Sad! I don't really have anything to say about the show itself, but oh goodness the dresses! First, the worst in my opinion.

Oh no, Kate Winslet. This dress looks like two mismatched pieces of a prom ensemble gone wrong. Not a fan.
Miley, is that a bra with a shimmery skirt? I hope she didn't pay too much for that!

And here is my favorite:
That dress is so beautiful! Also, I believe that Demi is magic. How do you look that good at her age? I can say that she looks better than me... and most other twenty somethings I know!! What were your votes for best/worst dressed?

Go... vols?

Let me preface this post by stating that I bleed blue. I always have, and always will! My husband on the other hand, bleed orange? Pretty sure they don't use that catch phrase, but he is a UT Vols fan. Don't ask me why, I'll never know :) For Christmas I surprised him with tickets to the UT vs FL game in Tennessee. The UK vs UT tickets at UK are ridiculous to try to get, and they don't go on sale until 2/10. Plus, I thought we could make a weekend of it in Knoxville and Billy would get to see the Vols play at home in an SEC game. All the good intentions I had were ruined by the snow storm! This game was on January 31 aka the Sunday after a huge snow storm hit Knoxville. It turned out to be not as bad as they were predicting, but we stayed home on Saturday just in case. So that meant Sunday we drove down and back... lot of quality time in the car! lol

I had only ever been to UK games in Rupp, and let me tell you, the Vols arena was as big as Rupp but no where near as loud! There were a lot of times it was completely silent during play. It felt very strange to this Kentucky girl! The guy sitting beside me provided endless entertainment, however. If I heard "That's MONEY!" once, I heard it a million times! His other faves were "Get it to Prince and let him DO WORK!" along with "GIVE IT TO HIM!" and "This is my favorite line-up." If you were to tell me I was on candid camera, I would believe you! I was cracking up!!

All in all, we had a good time. The Vols won by ONE point! It was a pretty great game... although quiet. Billy was like a kid in a candy store! We have decided to make the trip down once a year to see the Vols play. Sadly, the UK game was only available for season ticket holders. I'm guessing they don't want all of us crazy UK fans buying up all their tickets. You know it would happen! Here are some pics of our TN day.
And here is the picture that will accompany my entry form for wife of the year 2010.
I know, I can't believe it either!! This is Billy's hoodie, I do not own any UT orange. I do cheer for TN now when they aren't playing UK. They're an SEC team, right?! At least it's not Louisville :)

Hello, lover.

What am I in love with? (Well, other than my husband, of course.) My brand new dishwasher! I'm not sure if you all are aware, but the Duncan household has been without a dishwasher for a full year! Luckily, I finally convinced Billy that his life would be much happier if we had a dishwasher. Mostly because I'll have one less thing to complain about! HA! Without further ado, I'd like you to meet my new love :)

That's her!

Or one very similar. It's a Whirlpool with some buttons and an Energy Star rating. I mean, shouldn't we all try to buy Energy Star at this point? I was surprised to discover while shopping that not all appliances are Energy Star! Anyway.

Sunday the hubs and I traveled to Lowe's to pick out my new baby. We had shopped around and Lowe's seemed to have the best prices. We picked her out and paid and scheduled a delivery for Monday! I was so excited! Who knew I could get so pumped about an appliance?? We then came home and unhooked the old dishwasher/bane of my existence. We got pretty far, but eventually had to call for help! Once help arrived it was unhooked in minutes. I'd like to think it was because of all our hard prep work, but probably not!

Monday arrived and I was anxiously awaiting the delivery. (Doesn't it sound like I'm talking about a baby?? lol) The guy called and said he'd be by within 20 minutes. COUNT DOWN! He arrived as promised and delivered the new guy and took the old one. I mentioned on twitter or facebook that I almost hugged him I was so happy! He may or may not have approved, we'll never know! Billy's uncle Bryan, aka life-saver, came over and hooked it up (after a run by yours truly to Home Depot for a part that wasn't included.) We're still having some small leaking issues, but hopefully we've fixed it with our last try! So sorry this post is so long about a dishwasher! I guess you'd have to understand how very much I despise washing dishes by hand to understand my excitement. :D

On a side note, I'm watching the Texas (1) vs Kansas St (9) game right now and Kansas St is up! I hope they hold out for the win! I'm SO glad college basketball is exciting again! It's all thanks to my CATS! Let's all say a little cheer for Kansas St!

2009 in review

January 2009: We got hard wood flooring in our dining room after owning the house for a full year! Embarrassing that we waited so long, but it was necessary! Also, the ice storm. OH THE ICE STORM. Most of Billy's family was without power for 3-5 days or longer. Luckily we didn't lose power, but our backyard looked like an ice forest.

February 2009: We celebrated Valentine's Day I'm sure. I think I remember driving around Louisville trying to find a restaurant with a wait under 2 hours. We failed! We ate ice cream for dinner instead and drove to Frankfort to pick up my car! I also bought my car this month, a 2005 Volkswagen Passat. She is a beauty!

March 2009: I don't remember anything from this month. I'm sure it was just great! haha

April 2009: I turned 23! We celebrated with friends and family.

May 2009: High school five year class reunion. OMG do I feel old! This was maybe in June, I can't remember!

June 2009: Billy turned 29. Our one year anniversary was also in June. We spent a day at Huber's Orchard and Winery, complete with a wine tasting! We bought a gas grill together as our gift. So worth it! Our air conditioner also broke this month. Possibly the hottest week of the year. What a bummer! Here we are at Huber's.

July 2009: Alex and I hosted a paintball wedding party for Lacey and John. It was quite possibly the best wedding shower ever! If you missed it, you truly missed out!

August 2009: Flooding in Louisville!! Luckily our house and the houses of our family members were spared. Downtown where we work, not so lucky! This month I also became an official state employee since my one year probation was up. We took a short trip to Gatlinburg, TN with Crystal and Jordon.

September 2009: Lacey and John were wed on 9/19/09. Before the wedding, there was the bachelorette party!!

October 2009: I went on a girl's vacation to Panama City Beach, FL with some women in my family. We lounged on the beach in 80 degree weather while Billy froze at home with weather in the 50's! Billy and I also ventured to Florence, KY to visit with Crystal and Jordon and attend their Halloween party. We went dressed as an old man and woman. On Halloween night my car was egged and our pumpkins were smashed. GREAT!

November 2009: New Moon was released and I went to a midnight showing with my SIL and a couple of her friends! I hadn't laughed as hard as we did at dinner in a good minute! Thanksgiving was also this month and it felt like our celebrations lasted for 3 days!

December 2009: During Christmas we opened too many presents and ate too much good food, but got the most enjoyment out of giving to others. I got a digital camera (Kodak MD81) that I am in love with, along with money to get my windows tinted and a start on my very own Mustang fund! Billy got TN basketball tickets, clothes, and money as well. New Year's Eve Lacey and John came over for a game night complete with Twilight Scene It that I got for Christmas :)

Our 2009 was busy, but blessed for sure! We are so lucky to be surrounded with our friends and family. My new year's resolution is to lose weight. I know it's cliche, but it needs to happen! I'm doing it healthy by exercising and eating right. I'm setting goals that I haven't set in stone yet, but I am excited to get started! Here's to making each moment count in 2010!

What would I do with $128.6 million?

Funny you should ask, because I'm going to tell you! Evidently someone in Georgetown, KY won this life changing amount of money. Whoever it is, they aren't talking! If it's John and Lacey, I'm hoping they'll let us in on their secret sooner or later... and maybe share just one million of their 128.6! Oh, a girl can dream, right?? So here's just a few things I would do with the money. Keep in mind I would do these things RIGHT AWAY. The more charitable things would come later. Those aren't as much fun to talk about though.

First, I would quit my job. I might not even tell them I was quitting. It would just be understood.
I would buy a beach house with a view like this:

And a couple of these babies...

And this, because I've been drooling over one for a few months now.
Also, season tickets to UK basketball would be awesome!

I would also give my family and close friends enough money to be comfortable. I mean, I can't even imagine how you could spend that much in a lifetime! Billy and I would spend the rest of our days traveling and living STRESS-FREE!

But, in reality, I can't quit my job, won't ever own a beach house or a Mustang Shelby. Possibly I'll have an iPhone soon, but we're still trying to work that out! What would you do with $128.6 million?