better late than never

This is Sam.

Isn't she a beautiful bride?

We met almost 10 years ago before our freshman year of high school when we were both new kids.

We used to talk on the phone for hours even though we lived right down the street from each other.

Without Sam I'm not sure I would've made it through high school in one piece.

Even though we went our separate ways during college we can always pick right up again with a phone call even if we haven't talked to each other in months.

Moving around a lot growing up I always wondered what it would be like to have a friend that you grew up with and I'm grateful I can experience some of what that might be like with Sam as we share in some of life's milestones with each other.

Sam got married on April 18th (how has it been a month already?) in Maryland to Andy who is pretty much perfect for her, if I do say so myself.

We had a great time, it was a beautiful day.

Love ya Sam (one of my few dedicated blog readers :))

Oh, and of course we squeezed in a Nationals game and we coerced my parents into going with us. It was their first win of the season.

Also, Sam is a very talented artist and just started a blog with her artwork. Check it out here!

let me tell you 'bout my best friend

This is how it starts...


Happily chewing their bones side by side.

Hey what the heck. You have your own.

I win! Sucka!

I guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship.

We still haven't completely settled on a name yet. We've been calling her Miley (yes, like miley cyrus but not because of miley cyrus). Anyone have any suggestions?

it's a girl!

Please welcome the newest and cutest {it was close} member of the Hiestand family...

She's a beagle mix but we're not sure with what which means we're not sure how big she's going to get...but her paws aren't huge so we're hoping she won't be.

Ace (lance and ariel's dog) loves having a playmate

Don't you love her spots?

After visiting the shelter almost weekly since we moved here, we finally gave in.

She's looks very docile in all these pictures, but she's pretty mischievous & spunky.

We still haven't decided on a name. Boy dog names are much easier.

Wish us luck on potty training.

We love our new addition!

you know how i went to play racquetball today?

What do you get when...



200+ pounds of hardcore racquetball player and one of the court's walls collide?

One exercise stopping crash that brings the gym to a quiet standstill.

One angry gym bossman (who is usually in a bad mood so it doesn't really count).

One racquetball court out of commission.

One sigh of relief that no one was hurt.

One sigh of relief that we don't have to pay for it.

One insurance company fighting the company that makes the courts because apparently those things aren't supposed to break...even when it comes to large (and by large I mean muscular) hardcore racquetball players running into them.

And one good story for the blog. Oh, and one guy who still very much enjoys the game of racquetball (yes, they are still letting him play on their other courts). Don't let him tell you he's not good, cause he is.

Boston

I feel like after having nothing much to post about for so long we have finally been some places recently -- and taken a few pictures too (because I know we have so many avid readers out there. ha.).

It's kinda hard to tell but I like this picture cause to the left of the Fenway sign it says Monster.

Jeff made his first trip to the northeast. Unfortunately we were not in Boston for pleasure but of course we had to at least go by the stadium. My grandma June passed away and we went to Boston for the funeral.

My grandma persevered through a lot in her almost 90 years -- epilepsy, basically growing up in an institution because there was no medication for epilepsy, losing two brothers to drowning on separate occasions, brain tumors, just to name a few -- but she was a very optimistic woman with great strength who was determined to accomplish her goals (she worked as a nurse against some odds) and worked hard for her independence. After living alone for almost 24 years she is now surrounded by her loved ones. I love and admire her very much and will miss her.

Of course funerals are sad, and going to two within 6 months isn't so great, but I do enjoy the opportunity to see my family. Seriously, who can resist these faces?

I hadn't been back to Bean Town for quite some time and enjoyed going to see my grandma's beach "cottage" in Wareham near Cape Cod where I have many fond memories. (Please note the street that it is on. p.s. I love my mom in this picture. She was trying to get Anika to smile, I think.)

Last weekend we were up in Virginia/Maryland for my best friend, Sam's wedding but I will entertain with you that on another day since I think I've met my quota for length with this post.

Jeff has also been applying for jobs as an academic advisor within the athletic departments at the University of Wyoming (brrr) and the College of Charleston (beach, mmm). We'll see what happens since he still has a semester of school left -- don't worry, he can finish online. Keep your fingers crossed.

western carolina

This weekend BYU baseball came our way and played at Western Carolina University which is about two hours away from us. So Jeff and Lance went on Thursday and Jeff and I headed down for the Friday and Saturday games. The university is in a cute little town and we stayed on an Indian reservation not too far away. So of course we had to check out the Harrah's casino (don't judge us) on the reservation. When we pulled up I thought there was something going on in town because there were rows and rows of cars parked before getting to the casino. We had to take a shuttle from the car to the casino. We were definitely not expecting this huge casino in this tiny town. But for such a big casino we were pretty disappointed with what was inside. It was mostly slot machines, the tables had high minimums (no dollar tables?) and there was no roulette! And it was extremely smoky. Gross. So we didn't stay too long. We had fun going to the games and seeing the guys sweep Western Carolina.

You know you're in the south when they're offering 12 biscuits for $10. Who gets 12 biscuits all at once?


Homemade candy and fudge on the Indian reservation. Yum.

such is life

Here's what's been going on the past couple weeks:

Spring has decided to grace us with its presence here in Johnson City. I am definitely loving spring weather.

I started working my 2:30-11:00 pm shift. I think the doctors get worse the later it gets. But I do get to sleep in which I always enjoy.

Jeff did some announcing at a few baseball games...maybe we've found a new calling in life for Jeff.

I turned the big 2-4 and am getting older by the minute. Fortunately or unfortunately (take your pick) I can still pass for 18, maybe younger. I once was mistaken for a 16-year-old (when I was probably 22) at a Padres game. But I got a sweet Padres lunchbox that some lady offered me money for later...we turned her down. People tell me it's a good thing to look younger, hopefully it'll stick with me. Thanks for the genes mom and dad.

And finally and sadly our little Fenway (one of Jeff's mom's weenie dogs) is no longer with us. She was accidentally run over (sad I know). She was spunky and loved to be scratched (just like Jeff). We loved her and will miss her a lot. I couldn't find a picture of her on my computer, so here's a picture of her puppies: