Happy Birthday Sara!!!

Happy 25th Birthday to my best friend Sara!! Let's see how many years have we been saying that to each other? About 19?? Of all the years I've known her, she has remained such a true friend, always offering a listening ear and wonderful advice. I'm so grateful to have you in my life! Happy Birthday Sara!!!

I thought it was only appropriate to show pictures from the OLD OLD days together :)

Boat Day in Charlotte!

This weekend we traveled to Charlotte for a boat day that we had planned 3 months ago!! Cory, Kyle's friend and boss from Irwin, has a boat and invited us and Molly & Marshal out for the day on Saturday! SO Friday after work we started the drive! Midway through we stopped for dinner, and nothing sounded good to me EXCEPT Captain Crunch! So my sweet husband let me stop at the grocery store and buy: Captain Crunch, a half a gallon of milk (smallest they had), plastic spoons, and plastic bowls! He must REALLY love me :)
We made it to Cory's around 9:30 and visited with him. Kyle & Cory woke up early the next morning to get some skiing and wakeboarding done on the flat water... they had a ball! When they came back we all had breakfast, and waited for M&M to arrive. While Cory was packing lunches for all of us Kyle and Marshal went down to the lake for some kayaking lessons. Marshal is a pro at kayaking (what is he not a pro at?!? if you have an answer let us know!) and wanted to teach Kyle a lesson or two!

Tyson LOVES jumping off Cory's dock!

After that we all hopped on the boat and headed out to one of Cory's favorite coves on Lake Norman. The weather was perfect, and even Tyson got to go! Anytime someone would jump off the boat they were followed by Tyson b/c he thought they were drowing! He even brought Marshal a life jacket one time (NO JOKE he carried it in his mouth all the way to Marsh).

All the guys wake boarded and were awesome at it.
Kyle got some SWEET air on one of the jumps:
It was Marshals first day and he was already trying jumps. Here he is doing a manual ;)

I even got the nerve up to try! It took me a couple times, but I DID make it up and stayed up for a little while! WOO HOO (I am SO sore!)

The bromance boys:

We had a great time on the boat, and loved being out in the sun! Thanks so much Cory & Mada for letting us come out with you!

We spent the night with Molly & Marshal, then Sunday morning headed to the pool so that Marshal could give Kyle a couple swimming lessons. Kyle learned a TON from Marsh and we think it will really help him on his future triathlons! Thanks Molly & Marshal for everything and letting us stay with you. Can't wait till we are closer :)

Kyle and I then met my old boss from SBJ, Misty for lunch! We had such a wonderful time catching up... oh how I miss her!! Before we knew it 2 hours had gone by and it was time to head out! Thank you so much Misty for meeting us... we miss you more than you know!!

Great weekend, great friends!

Chris & Kathleens Wedding Photos!

I forgot to post some of Chris & Kathleen's Wedding Photos! They all turned out great, and the photographers really captured some great moments! If you want to see more, click this link. We are so happy for them!

25th Birthday Weekend in Boonetown!

What better way is there to embrace turning 25 than to go "home" to Boone, NC- where Kyle and I both went to school. Man do we just love that place. We were both able to take half days on Friday and by taking 221 up (such a beautiful way) we arrived around 6:30! Our first step was to place a "to-go" order to Black Cat (our favorite burrito place) and bring it back to the cabin.

View off the porch, so green!

We enjoyed eating our dinner on the back porch, listening to how "quiet" everything there is. My mom's friends, The Behuns, were up there last week and she made a chocolate cake & left a card to go with it for my birthday, very sweet!
We went on a walk to see all the new cabins they are building in the "neighborhood" and relaxed the rest of Friday night. We slept wonderfully on the King Bed (we are spoiled now) upstairs!

Saturday we had a lazy morning, eating cereal outside on the front porch swing. Everything there is so green right now, all the flowers are blooming, and the weather is 20 degrees cooler! I had picked up a newspaper the night before, so while I was looking through it I found an article about the hiking trails up near Beech Mountain.
Kyle and I have never really explored much over there during the summertime, so we decided that was where we would hike for the day. On the way there we went by the Ham Shop and picked up sandwiches to take for a picnic. We love the Ham Shop in Valle Crusis, they stuff the sandwiches full of yummy things!
We were pleasantly surprised to find awesome trails out there with waterfalls and NO ONE on them! Tyson was off the leash the whole time, loving swimming in the pools at the bottom of all the waterfalls.

So pretty:

Can you find Tyson?

Here is a video of him jumping in... no fear! (sorry you can hear the waterfall in the background)

The water was freezing but felt so good to stick your feet in after a challenging hike!

We came back to the cabin to shower and then head out for dinner at Capones right on King Street. They have the best pizza! We then walked to Farthing Auditorium to go watch, Cherish the Ladies. Now I know what you are thinking and I'll agree I was SO surprised that Kyle would agree to go to something called that, but he did since it was my birthday. It was a concert of 5 Irish/Scottish women all playing different instruments and singing. They also had 3 riverdance dancers there who would dance when they played. The music was unreal and we really enjoyed the show!

Sunday morning we ate cereal again out on the front porch swing, then headed to State Farm for a bike ride!
We had brought our bikes up from home, and had a great time going on all those trails out there.
We drove by campus again and the additions to our football stadium that they are doing are unreal. I guess that's what happens when you win 3 National Championships in a row!
After a wonderful birthday meal at Hokaido (our favorite Japanese place in Boone) we had to head back to ATL. What a wonderful weekend we had! All we're trying to figure out now is how we can move there! Thank you Kyle for making my birthday so special, I love you!

Hiking on the Chattahoochee River

The rest of our 4th of July weekend we stayed around the house and explored a new park called The Chattahoochee River National Park. It was huge and had a lot of trails to hike. We decided to go on the ones in the woods, as not many people were on them and we could let Tyson off the leash. Here's a pic of the trails that most people stay on:
After our hike we brought Tyson to the river and let him fetch sticks for a while. Man he loves to swim!

Happy 4th of July!

This weekend Kyle and I stayed in Marietta, and have had the best time! This morning we went for a bike ride, then made it home just in time for the Marietta Parade that runs right down our street! Lots and lots of people came out and it was really fun.

The cops rode around in these scooters.. they are brand new and they paid with them with their drug bust money... very cool!

After the parade we went up to the square to see some of the festivites set up.

All of Church St. was blocked off for arts & crafts companies to sell their latest stuff. The other streets were filled with blow up rides for kids and lots of food! So fun and we just love all the flags that they line all the streets & the square with.

We then headed over to Chris & Kathleen's pool. It was nice getting to get in some cool water with all this hot weather! Chris came back to our house (Kathleen had to work tonight) and we had some baby back ribs, french fries, watermelon and asparagus... YUM! Everything was delicious!

The square had bands playing all day today for entertainment and it was getting pretty full around 9:00 when the fireworks were about to begin. We ended up just watching them in the field next to our house and had a great time with our neighbors. Last time Kyle was in Mississippi for work he bought a bunch of fireworks, so him and Chris had a great time shooting some off (even though we are right next to the police station... I was a nervous wreck!)

Serina (our neighbor) and I with sparklers!

Kyle & Chris causing trouble like always:

OH I forgot to mention that around the Marietta Square they just added "Big Chickens" everywhere. The Big Chicken is pretty famous around Marietta and is a historic landmark... it's the KFC in town and it's huge. Anyways they've added them around the square all painted different things that represent Marietta the best. I love them!

Hope you all had a Happy 4th as well, we are so grateful for our freedom and for all the troops that protect that everyday for us. Thank you!!!

What happens when....

You aren't stressed at work! Watch out!

An Early Birthday Present!

My birthday is coming up pretty soon, and Kyle ended up giving me my present a little early! On one of our many roadtrips we were brainstorming ways to spend more time together, while exercising at the same time. Since our "morning run" has turned into "snoring logs" we decided to change to biking! (something I might enjoy a little more!). SO we agreed in the car that we would rent bikes and try it out, to make sure I like biking....

Skip forward a couple nights when Kyle comes home from class. He brings me to the front door and says "Here is your New RENTAL Bike". I immediately said, "New and Rental don't go together, which one is it KYLE?"... caught him right in the act. He said he found this AMAZING deal and couldn't pass it up on Craigslist and so he went out on a limb and bought it. Well good thing b/c I LOVE IT! It's a K2 bike, same brand as my snowboard. We've gone on a couple bike rides so far around the neighborhood, helping me learn how to switch gears and stuff since the last time I was on a bike was elementary school! I'm definitely getting the hang of it and today we rode to the battlefield and back, which is about 7 miles. Thanks sweetie for my bike, I LOVE IT, and especially love the fact that we'll spend some more time together now!

76-100 Fun Facts

It's going to be tough for these last 25 to come close to Leah's first 75 facts, but I promised I would try so here goes nothing.

76) We use the phrase "bacon head" as a term of endearment.

77) When all else fails to make Leah happy, Happy Meals are the way to go... or sometimes if she punches me repeatedly that helps too.

78) There are two versions of what took place on our first kiss. Version 1: Leah came in for more than just a peck. Version 2: Kyle came in for more than just a peck. I know what really happened.

79) Leah told me that if I leave the toilet seat up one more time she was going to make me pee outside.

80) We've been to 18 states and 4 countries together.

81) I was attracted to Leah our first day of English class. She was really trying hard with her wet hair, dance team t-shirt and jeans. (she would look beautiful in anything)

82) I had a girlfriend at the time, so I tried to set Leah up with my best friend Chris, luckily that didn't work out.

83) One night when Leah and I were just friends. She decided to walk around campus by herself, very upset, at 2:00 in the morning. I covered the entire campus on foot in record time looking for her that night. When I found her, I found out that "walking around" meant doing laps in the hallway of her dorm... at least I got some exercise.

84) Our favorite indoor activities are: cook, eat, sleep, tv. Our favorite outdoor activities are: hiking, biking, frisbee golf, snowboarding.

85) I have taught Leah to: snowboard, throw a football, use a hammer, hang a picture... correctly, drive in the snow, water ski.

86) Leah has taught me to: clap to the beat of rap songs, swing dance, snorkel... trust me I was horrible, name Ballet maneuvers, appreciate Broadway shows, write letters, and put others before myself.

87) Leah basically talks a different language and most of the time I can translate for her. One time she said "that came out of ball park #4", meaning "that came out of left field".

88) Words Leah refused to say when we met: Mustard, Pus, Custard, Tinkle. She successfully says every one of those words now without cringing.

89) Leah and I were on a co-ed flag football team in college that consisted of half of the ASU Dance Team, the entire starting line up for the ASU Basketball team, and me. We were freakin awesome.

90) I think I paid more attention at the ASU Basketball games than Leah did, because every time without fail she picked me out of the crowd within 15 seconds of my arrival. On Leah's last basketball game, which was also during the peak of the "Got milk?" advertising campaign, I made a sign that said "Got Leah?" on one side and "I Do" on the other. I didn't realize till later that she might have thought I was proposing, but luckily that didn't cross her mind.

91) Leah has a chocolate soul. Luckily she brings musicality and creativity to the Guenther family, because Lord knows we need it.

92) On road trips, I drive and Leah uses Wikipedia on my blackberry to try and broaden our knowledge of the world around us. We pick a topic relevant to our travel and it helps us get the most out of our trips.

93) Leah's only made me sleep in the guest bedroom once... I deserved it.

94) Our arguments tend to be longer than they are for most people. Because we successfully cover the top 2 most stubborn people on the planet.

95) Both of our families kidded us that we were the adopted children.

96) There are a lot of similarities with our families. Leah is the middle child, and both her parents are middle children. I am the youngest child and both my parents are the youngest children. Both of our families have 2 girls and a boy. Both of our dads worked for IBM. Both of our moms were special ed teachers.
97) Our favorite candy is swedish fish & sour patch kids. About a month ago we found a sweet bargain at Walgreens, 2 for $5. We thought we were saving a ton of money so we always bought both bags... turns out we were saving 10 cents!

98) One time Leah was chasing me around the house with a squirt bottle and I still had my dress socks on. I lost my footing, slid into the refrigerator knees first, bruised my knee and dented the refrigerator.

99) Leah and I were practicing our wedding kiss one day and I got a little aggressive. I wrapped my leg around her, lost my balance (shocking I know) and my dress shoe landed on leahs bare foot leaving a bruise that is still evident 18 months later. I felt terrible.

100) Last but certainly not least, I'm totally out of things to say and I have no idea how Leah did 75. Hope you enjoyed it.

Oh and here is the pic of our countdown: