Memories and Scary Moments

Yeah...I haven't been updating lately, so I figured we will be gone this weekend, so I should probably do that. Last weekend the The German and his fiance, Polina, were in town, so we rented a boat on Saturday...it was super fun. Of course we had to go out on Boca Lake again and do some chillin'. The other great thing was that our other good friend from grad school, Danny, and his girlfriend Diane, was also in town so we met up at the beach on Sunday (group shot above). Patrick and Danny probably hadn't seen each other since Danny left Houghton for Peace Corps Panama so the weekend was full of good memories! Notice how Jeff is also representing the Tigers well with his hat!

So...the craziest thing ever happened on Monday when I came home. I went to look out one of the family room windows and turned my head to look at our dead bonsai tree, and there was a snake sitting there in the pot! How does a SNAKE GET IN A POT ON TOP OF A PLANT STAND INSIDE THE HOUSE!!! I was so freaked out. Jeff morphed into the Crocodile Hunter, got a pair of kitchen tongs and a pillow case, and captured the intruder for release in the yard. So of course we got pictures! Florida is getting a little too weird even for me!

And We Hoist Our Zen for Fun

A cute pic of Zen and her Daddy-O. She so rarely looks right at the camera. Notice Jeff's HDR pride.

I also want to give a shoutout to our friend, Kerri, who defended her Master's thesis today! Hooray!

A New Side Garden and a Plug Update

We did some yardwork this past weekend (it's the most exciting thing we've been doing lately), so I thought I would update everyone on the recent gardening...we're especially excited about the new banana tree and the grass plugs almost completely grown in! Also notice the HUGE bare spot in the grass by the new side garden...yeah, that's the ugly spot where there used to be a HUGE pile of rocks, soon to be covered by sod. I am hoping that these flowers on the side like lots of sun (does anyone know? roses, salvida, and hibiscus?) since that's what they get. We have recently learned that cucumbers don't do so good here--too dry, so that plant got replaced with two new pepper plants. Ah, it's a work in progress.

MALLARD DUCK POWER!
Sorry--I'm really taking us living on Mallard Drive WAY too seriously. haha.

I wasn't there, sniff, sniff...but I can feel like it.

Ah, a Tyndell Easter. AT sent me these pics today and I just wanted to post them so I could feel like I was there with the other Tyndells: Paul with Rufus the cute puppy, Drew and Candice, and Mary and George. Missing all you guys!

Another Big One!

This is the biggest gator EVER. Someone from our client's office took this shot down in Everglades National Park. Look how fat its head is! AAAAAAAAAAA!!! Seriously, you see gators all the time here on the side of the road, in canals, etc, but even this one is hard to believe! Amazing.

Spring in the Yard

I'm a gardener! Has anyone ever seen a purple pepper? Me neither, so I decided to grow one so I could. It's very pretty and I have to come to terms with eating it now. The other shots are the mini-veggie garden and the super good - smelling gardenia bush. Gotta love Spring.

Natural Resources Defense Council

I've been meaning to put this link on our blog for a while, but if you guys are interested in a great, balanced, environmental website, www.nrdc.org, is a great one. The NRDC is a great environmental action organization and keep you informed on current news, what issues to write your local politicans about, and not to mention, have great ideas for green living. There's always room for improvement!

Taaaa-Daaaa!

Hooray! We got a new and improved Mallard Duck mailbox! Our other one had a head and foot missing, so this is a HUGE improvement for the yard. Any ideas for good names? I've thought Irving or Herman would be nice.

A Saturday Night Shot

Just a fun group shot with our friend, Loren, who came all the way down from NY to visit.

Lost from the Inbox

I really think that Marlis and Bob and their greatness hasn't been represented well enough on this blog, so here's a super cute picture of them and then another of me, Shelley, and Marlis. Jeff had these fun ones just sitting in his inbox for way too long.

A Boca Lake Sunday

We went out with Marlis, Bob, and Erica yesterday since it was such a gorgeous day and the water couldn't have been clearer on Boca Lake. This place is so interesting...it's in the middle of the intercoastal and is really shallow (see the link I found). We saw a couple of sting rays too. Good times!

Memories

I was reminicing this morning and looking through all these old pictures on the computer and found this one of Drew and I from the very first chicks' trip (and some additional CU pics)! That was a fun one and it's hilarious to think where all the girls are since that trip...weddings, babies, trips, school, work...man, we're all getting old. Here's to good times and good people. I've also been reminicing b/c we're going to celebrate our THIRD anniversary on Wednesday! HOORAY! It's crazy to think of all the things we've done together over the past three years. We just feel so lucky to have gone ahead and gotten married so we could experience everything together.

By the way, Jeff and I have been sprucing up a little this weekend and thinking about getting sod for the backyard...as for the front yard...the PLUGS, mind you...not such an exciting or working idea. There have been no updates, because THERE'S NOTHING to update....blast the hurricane. We do have a working sprinkler system, thanks to Jeff and his amazing father, so hopefully what grass we do have...will live!

Here's another good one from when Jeff first got to Mali after we got married...we look like skinny little kids! I also found this funny one of us when we visited the Biltmore House last Thanksgiving--we're hamming it up while Dad and Brandon are oblivious. Check out when Jeff's parents were visiting and Dad was fixing the wiring under the sink, Karma is like, "What?! You're working...what about ME?" Zen is like, "I feel left out, so I will try to look interested." A couple of these pictures appeared on our computer I think when they were visiting and I didn't even know it until this morning. A nice suprise of pics, including my Reindeer Nephew, Matthew, at Christmas, proof of Jeff playing softball, and Kaitlyn (notice the princess dress!) and Matthew together.

Well, and I had to post one dedication picture to poor Laura and family to make her feel better about my beach picture post the other week....see?! I've been through it too! That one came from the month I spent in Houghton, MI last year finishing my Masters.

Just Another Day at Work

Not much has been going on the past week. I've been a little under the weather since this photo was taken last Friday, 3/24, so I've been crashing into sleep mode when I get home from work everyday. So...last Friday was a groundbreaking ceremony for the project I work on and here's a nice one showing a lot of the people I work with. We feel good standing next to big equipment!
By the way, I got that sign made for the event and it's 8' x 4' and I got the whole thing in the Monty with the back closed! I was proud of Monty-boy--reminded me of the armoir episode.

This Goes Out to Those in the SNOW--HAHA!!

That's right. It's March. Anyone jealous?! Actually, I'm just trying to bribe all of you with vacation possibilities to come down here and visit the beautiful beach of Delray.

Another Panthers Game? We're fans!

St.Patrick's Day Hockey IS EXCITING!!! Beth and I are TRUE Panthers fans! Notice that Brennan is not so much a fan as he "sleeps" through the Panthers beating the Islanders 4-2! Hooray! BTW, Jeff said that we can be Panthers fans as long as they're not playing the Flyers.

Flyers vs. Panthers Game! Woo!

For Jeff's birthday last month, I got him Flyers vs. Panthers tickets and last night was the game. It was my first pro hockey game, so that was pretty exciting. AND...there was a fight! Thankfully, the Flyers won 4-0 no contest, but we might have become Panthers fans when they aren't playing the Flyers (remember Jeff is from the Philly area) just because they're mascot is so cool and wears a Palm Tree on its shoulder. Although, I don't know how intimidating it is to have a mascot that's already on the endangered species list...

Weekend Boat Ride

Last weekend, we went out on the water in Marlis and Bob's boat. The weather was perfect, so that made for a good time. Aaron and Shelley were, of course, in on the cruising action too. Do you see how clear the water is? Yes, that's one good reason to live down here! There's this part of the intercoastal canal that we were hanging out in called Boca Lake and it's super clear and only waist deep--perfect for a lazy afternoon. Thanks Marlis and Bob! Good times..uh, except for the ocean episode!

New Years Recap

I found this picture from our New Years party and thought it was fun. Yes, this is the favored couch that we are sitting on!

Love by Zen

This is what you might see before Zen tries to give you a nice French kiss!

Grass Plugs

I know you've all heard of hair plugs, but there are also grass plugs. Ever since Hurricane Wilma, we've had this large gap in the grass where the debris pick-up waited, so the grass got destroyed there. Jeff is determined to get it to grow back...so you might be getting plug updates every once in a while.

Whoa Dude!

I stole this picture from an email I got b/c I loved it so much. For those of us that saw "Finding Nemo," we all understand how great seaturtles are. Speaking of, last nesting season here in Florida, we tried to go see the turtles lay eggs and the timing was off. This summer we are going to try again and hopefully be successful! It's hard b/c the amount that nest each year is decreasing. Turtles and frogs are two animals whose behavior indicates rapid change in the environment! I know, I'll get off my nerdy, tree-hugging soap box now.

The Christmas Boat Cruise

The weekend after we got back from Orlando, my office celebrated Christmas with a boat cruise off of Palm Beach. I know, it's a little late, but it was the only time most of us could get together. Here's a nice pic of Jeff and I with some co-workers as we set sail.
This cruise was pretty interesting with great music and flashers!

The Ahrens' Family Vacation

So I realize that's it's been way too long since I've updated. Sorry, but most of you know my family has been pretty pre-occupied lately. Thanks to all who have been praying and sending positive vibes our way!
On a more fun note, here's some pictures from the Ahrens' Family Trip to Disney World! Dad definitely has many more shots, so I might post some more later, but here's a quick peek. This was Kaitlyn's first time here, so it was really cool to see how excited she was! And we got to see our nephew, Matthew, too...and learned that he CAN keep his eyes open sometimes. I think he liked "it's a small world" very much.
The other great thing about this trip was celebrating Dad's retirement! Congratulations! See the pretty cake above? We surprised him at our last dinner.