The Life and Times of Emily Jane

Back from Nebraska

Jared and I got back from Nebraska late last night.  We had a really great weekend with Jared's family and with his fun friends.  I have lots of stories to tell and tons of amazing pictures to share.  However, I am behind on sharing the amazing pictures of my family and friends.  So, stay tuned for stories about this past weekend.

Now on to last weekend with my family in Wisconsin.

 

My dad with Lucy on my first day at home.

 

Luke on the boat later that day.

 

The Schade family: Lucy, Alissa (my big sis), and Luke.

 

Lucy with my parents.

 

One of my favorite photos from the weekend.

 

We stopped and picked up Courtney with Bella and Brodie and then did a run up and down the Fox River.  It is a miracle that i got such a good shot of two 1 year olds and one 3 year old on the first try!

 

And then I tried to get in ... about 15 pictures later and this is the best one.

I ran out of time for the night.  Too much to do in too little time.  I will add the rest tomorrow (hopefully).

Photos

I have a few quick minutes before Lindsey picks me up for the airport, so I thought I would post a few quick pics from Sarah's birthday party.

 

Julie, Sarah, and I.

 

Lou grilling us up some delicious chicken.

 

Jared's 3 whole washers getting some use.  You can also see the 1 whole washer game to the left and a beer pong game going on in the back.

 

Alana, Lindsey, Courtney, and me.

 

 

23 candles on the birthday cake.

 

Me and my hottie.

 

Lou, Liza, Sarah, and Alana playing beer pong.

 

My utmost two favorite New Jersey residents.

Busy Bee

I have been a bad blogger lately, but a busy bee.  I went home last weekend.  I left Thursday night.  Friday was such a fun day.  I went to the fabric store with my mom, Alissa, and Lucy to pick out some fabric and patterns for my mom and Alissa to make Lucy clothes.  Lucy was so stinkin' adorable!  She is at such a fun stage.  The fabric store totally over stimulated her...she was giddy and crazy and lovable.  She would run around the store and ALissa or I would run after her.  When we would show her fabric that we were looking at, she would fall face first into it and rub her face into it and giggle.  Slight crazy but also 100% adorable.  She also had a blast with the buttons!  She would call out any of the animals that she recognized.  "Ducky!" "Puppy!"

That afternoon, we went on a boat trip with my Dad behind the wheel.  We found a great spot to stop and get in the water.  The water was arm and about waste high...perfect!  We picked up Courtney, Bella, and Brodie for a little river run and then dinner at Fratellos.

Saturday I went to Christine and Brent's wedding.  Congratulations Tine!!  She looked absolutely fabulous and those two really seemed like they were really having fun together all day.  Matt went with me to the reception (some may find it weird, I know, its ok though, Jared approved it).  I also got to catch up Amber and Anita (Chem E girls), Laura (European tour travel mate), and Jay (Chem E boy).  It was really great to see everyone and hear about what they have been up with. 

Sunday I spent most of the day with Katee up in Green Bay.  I got to meet Jerod's (her fiance) family; they are super nice and are going to be great in-laws.  I also got to just hang out with Katee, which doesn't happen often.  I went straight from Katee's to Beth's house to get some catch up time with her too. 

Monday I spent the morning at Alissa's playing with my baby girl.  She is seriously so much fun!  And getting so smart!!  She is at the point now where Alissa can say "Lucy, go get Emmy your cards and bring them in here." and she will go into her room, find her flash cards, and bring them to me to practice her words.  I am so proud of her!  I went home that afternoon.

I will add pictures when I get back from being in Nebraska this weekend.  I did want to add a few notes about Lucy for my own personal reflections.

* She is starting to get her big girl face.  She mostly still has a baby face.  But every now and then, you can get glimpses of what her big girl face will look like.

* She is still so fun-loving and silly and easily pleased...such a pleasant baby.

* She says "HereYuGo" and "WhazIt" and other little frases.

* She is getting smart and learning how to follow commands that take a few minutes to do.

A Manly Craft

It has been almost a week since my last post.  I just have been busy every night.  Friday night, Lindsey hosted a BBQ party for Sarah's birthday.  We had great food and lots of lawn games.  We all had a lot of fun.  I tried to devote all of Saturday to quality time with Jared.  It was really nice to just get quality "us time"; we also went out to eat at Brick Oven.  Monday night I drove to Paramous (aka driving hell) and Tuesday night I hosted book club.  Busy, busy, busy. 

I did want to hop on real quick and show you these cool lanterns Lindsey, Courtney, and I made last weekend.  Lindsey and I saw them at Pottery Barn and though "We can make those!"  And we did!  And they were really inexpensive! 

We bought 12 mason jars for about $10.  The little candles were 3 for a dollar at Wal-Mart.  We used two bags of sand from Micheal's for $2 each.  And Lindsey bought some metal wire from Home Depot (i don't know how much that cost).  All-in-all, they were probably around $2 a piece. 

They did take some muscles though.  We had to bend the metal wire around the jars and then also twist the handle.  We called it a man craft because it required strength, we got sweaty doing it, we grunted a few times, and it kind of hurt.  They were worth it though.  What do you think?!

 

Lindsey and Courtney cutting wire.

 

One of the lanterns.  They are supposed to be used outside hung from tree branches.

 

It was raining outside the day we made them, so we found a really great alternate location.

SYTYCD Recap

Ooo.  It was a great performance night this week on So You Think You Can Dance.  I particularly loved the first dance: the Jive by Randi and Evan.  The last one also made an impact on me (I can't remember the dancer's names though, so it must not have had that big of an impact). 

The results show was on tonight and I was sad to see Maxget eliminated.  He wasn't one of my favorite dancers.  However, I didn't think it was his time to go yet.

Rained Out Fun

This past weekend, Lindsey had a grill out at her place.  The intention was to grill out, play some yard games, and then have a fire in the fire pit.  Unfortunately, the weather has ben atrocious lately.  It rained a majority of the day.  The ground was soggy and gross.  We didn't let that stop us though.  We still had a good time inside and in the basement.  I love that about my friends, they are very fun loving.  There is very few instances where we want to just sit around.  We are more commonly found telling stories, laughing at each other, playing games, and dancing.  And they are great people too.  Here are a few pictures of the night.

 

 

We look pretty ghetto in these pictures because of the background.  We were in a basement, I swear.

 

Our adorable engaged couple, Bridget and Derek.

 

 

Remember how I said we like to have fun?

 

Jared made that 3 whole washer game he and Alana are standing on.  I am really proud of him.  He bought a couple of tools and started a new hobby in our friend Matt's garage.  He is making lawn games.  He made that one in a week.  And he did an awesome job.  Jared grew up on a farm and worked construction throughout college.  Being outdoors and making things with his hands is part of who he is.  The hour and a half  commute each way in and out of Manhattan every day doesn't allow time or energy for being outdoors and playing rec sports.  So, I think this is great new thing for him to do.  And, I am very proud at how handy he is.

Home Goods Shopping

I had a pretty successful day of shopping today.  Lindsey, Alana, and I went to Home Goods and then to the Short Hills Mall to look for some home decor items for our places.  Alana just purchased her first place and needs a new couch to put in it.  Lindsey wanted to look for some new couch pillows and two lamps.  I wanted to get a bed side table.

Every time Lindsey and I go shopping, we take a walk through Crate and Barrel because the stores are just so pretty.  And every time, I stopped and looked at this bed side table that would be just perfect for Jared and my bedroom.  The wood and metal are similar to Jared's really pretty dresser.  The style is classic but has a little twist.  I really just loved it.  Luckily, I was able to get a Crate and Barrel gift card from the rewards points from traveling so much (about the only perk of traveling so much).  I just knew that I had to get that pretty bed side table.  Too bad they had to order it and I won't get it for a week or so.  Isn't it just so pretty?

 

I had also recently decided to bring in some yellow accents into the navy blue and brown bedroom.  I saw this cool candle at Crate and Barrel.  I got it and a little white square plate to put it on.  The candle and plate were really pretty inexpensive and would make a big impact in the room.  It was definitely a good purchase.  Too bad I lost the bag!!  Three stores after Crate and Barrel, I turned to Lindsey with mouth dropped open and said "Uh, wheres my bag!?"  I am so unobservant sometimes.  I didn't even remember the last time I had the bag.  We back tracked to each of the stores, asked the employees if they had seen it, and left my name an number with each.  I was so sad and had pretty much accepted that the candle was lost.  At the end of the shopping trip, we returned to Crate and Barrel for Alana to inquire about a couch she fell in love with that was on sample sale.  While waiting, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask the people there about my bag.  However, I thought it was extremely doubtful that I would have left the bag there because I had walked pretty much straight out after making the purchase.  Well, they had my bag!!!  I am so ridiculous!  After leaving the sales counter, I looked at one bowl really briefly and then left.  I must have put the bag down to look at the bowl and forgot all about it.  Sometimes, my flightiness surprises me.

 

I also found a really great yellow picture frame at Pottery Barn on extreme sale...it was less than $10!  You can't even get frames that cheap at Target!  I think that I am going to put it on my bedside table once it comes in.  I couldn't find a picture of the frame online.  They must not have any more on inventory.  I will take a picture of it on the new table once I get a lamp as well.

I love it when you have successful shopping days and get really great stuff for reasonable prices.

Neighboorhood House

I had a fun and physical day yesterday.  I got to do some community service with the Planters group.  We painted two rooms in the Morristown Neighborhood House, a day care for families with economic and social challenges.  It was a touch day physically; I was exhausted by the end!  However it was really rewarding.  And, we got to spend some time with the little ones over lunch.  I got to hang out with some 2-3 year olds.  They were so stinking cute!  I had to really restrain myself from giving them kisses.  Because, you know, it is inappropriate to kiss little kids you don't know.  But they were just so cute!!

So You Think You Can Dance

 

I absolutely love the show So You Think You Can Dance.  There are many reasons for me to love it.

1. It is pure entertainment.  I can be moved in so many different directions in one show. I love that feeling. The dancers and the choreography is so powerful. 

2. It makes me want to dance.  I have always loved to dance; I danced some in high school.  I was never the greatest dancer.  I wasn't the worst either.  Just somewhere in the middle.  But I don't think that is really even all that important.  Because the reason I dance isn't about being good, it is about the way I feel when doing it.  The show makes me dance around my apartment and makes me want to sign up for some local dance classes!

3. So You Think You Can Dance exposes me and the rest of the country to so many different forms of dance and choreography.  It opens my eyes to different ways of expressing yourself through movements.  And, I feel like I am a more cultured person because of it.  Yes, I did say that a show on prime time made me more cultured! That doesn't' happen too often.

4. There is never any good TV on in the summer.  It is fun to have a show to look forward to in the summer.
   
   The new season started last night and the first round of eliminations was tonight.  I don't have any real favorites yet; however, I was sad to see Tony and Paris leave tonight. A few of the contestants that I am favoring right away are: Phillip, Jeanine, Caitlin, Melissa, Evan, Randi, and Brandon.

2009 Tony Awards

The 2009 Tony Awards are on right now.  I love Broadway.  Something that combines singing, dancing, and drama...has my name written all over it. 

The first number has just ended and I am already inspired to see more shows this year.  Good thing Jared and I bought tickets to see Wicked last week!  However, that isn't going to be until August.  So maybe I can convince someone to go see something else with me.  Perhaps I could go see West Side Story.  Or Billy Elliot.  Or Guys and Dolls.  Or Hair. Or South Pacific. Too many choices.  I want to see them all!