Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

In conclusion, being without internet is not as terrible as I thought. Yes, it was inconvenient at times. For instance when Andy woke up with a stiff neck and I told him that he probably had meningitis. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a method to look up the symptoms since we’ve always had WebMD to rely upon. We should probably invest in something like this for future use. Thankfully, he pulled through with no lasting damage (Or perhaps he’s some strange mutant that isn’t affected by meningitis? Or maybe he had a neck crick like he kept insisting. But that’s far too logical…).

But in the end, we survived! Yay massages for both of us! I could really use a nice massage after the last couple weeks of work. They’ve been super stressful to say the least. Our Pharmacy Manager just quit and it’s been hard trying to balance the workload properly while still playing towards all appropriate office politics. Man do I hate office politics. Look at me, I’m doing a great job. But none of that matters if I don’t smile the right way at the right people or if don’t butter up the ones who think they should be constantly flattered. I now have to work twice as hard to not step on any toes as the power fluctuates in our workplace to accommodate for the sudden loss of an important player.

With that said, I’m going to try and relax and forget about work for the next four days. Yay long weekends! I’ve got some fun things planned, which I will be sure to blog about in a few days. So, be sure to check back! This poor neglected blog will not be sad and lonely any longer!

I was listening to NPR at work about a month ago, (that’s right, I’m an NPR junkie!!) when I heard an interview with the author of a new book called Hamlet’s BlackBerry. The author talked about how very dependent we are upon the internet and how that may not be a good thing. The most important thing is that the author is not out to condemn us to an Amish existence. He’s just pointing out that maybe we’re all a little too connected.

So starting this Sunday, Andy and I are on a challenge of our own. We have a bet to go an entire week without internet. Okay, this isn’t exactly feasible when it comes to our jobs. But outside of work necessities, we are going to try seven full days without e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Youtube, Google, Hulu, Pandora, checking blogs, or any other form of internet service. This unfortunately means that unless you call or text us (yes, that’s still allowed), you probably won’t be hearing much from us in the next week.

What does the winner get? A sixty minute massage at the Keller Pointe. I think it’s worth the challenge. I’ve got some severely hideous knots in my neck and shoulders that I could use a little help with. I don’t think it will be easy, but I’m confident that I will have a much easier time than Mr. Andy. Wish us both luck!!

Last weekend, Andy’s younger brother Griffin graduated with his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas.  He walked across the stage and received his mean green diploma cover (the actual diploma is sent once they check your final grades) with pride. We were happy to be able to sit in the stands and celebrate his accomplishment with him.

Griffin shaking hands with some special UNT guy. It's important to have a firm handshake! Tips from me to the graduate... ^-^

The Trommers and the Johnsons with their successful graduate.

Congratulations again Griffin and welcome to the real world where summer and Christmas vacations no longer exist and you will have to work 40 hours a week in order to pay off your bills until you're lucky enough to retire at some ridiculously old age. No, I'm not bitter at all...

All in all, it was a special weekend. We got to spend some time with the Trommer family and we had the honor of seeing Griffin move on to the next stage of his life. Please click here to see more pictures from the big day.

What to do for a dear friend to celebrate her last full month being a single lady? I started brainstorming this problem a long time ago. Now if you know me you’ll understand when I say that I enjoy making lists and absolutely insist on writing out detailed plans and schedules. So yes, I started putting ideas together immediately. What I came up with may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but it promised to be fun nevertheless. How does a bachelorette weekend in Austin sound?!?

The girls arrived in Austin on Friday night where we ate snacks, drank wine, and chatted with our new entourage for the weekend. Eleven girls all stuffed in my little sister’s townhouse. We had the bridesmaids: Karen, Katie, Meagan, Carissa, and myself, plus our Fort Worth friends: Tatjana, Carrie, Lacretia, Syndi, and of course the guest of honor: Brittany herself! We didn’t dare stay up late on Friday though, we had a full day of activities ahead of us!

First up, the limo arrived bright and early to take us to the Hill Country for a wine tour. (11 girls drinking wine all morning means no one should be driving. Safety first!) Not only did we get a limousine, but I got us a free upgrade to a Hummer limousine!! Now I don’t generally condone Hummers or the crazy amount of space they take up on the road or the vast supply of gasoline they require. But since it was a special occasion and we would be on side highways, I agreed to the upgrade. Isn’t that sweet of me? I do have to admit though, the fancier limo sure was fun!

I requested that all the girls wear sundresses and nice floppy hats for the occasion. Doesn't everybody look beautiful?

Our comfy ride towards Hill Country.

In approximately an hour, we reached our first stop at the Texas Hills Vineyard in Johnson City. This was probably my favorite winery of the day. It also helps that the owner of the vineyard was a KU alum and supporter! We all bought a bottle or two of wine and a few accessories after the wine tasting. Who knew the gift shop could be so much fun?

I particularly love this picture. It was a completely random shot, but I love the staggered look of the different girls on different tiers. I really don't think I could have staged it better!

Imagine my surprise when I saw Jay the Jayhawk in the winery! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Before we knew it, we were off to the second vineyard right outside of Fredericksberg. Though it was much fancier and the land was more beautiful, I still preferred the wine at Texas Hills. Didn’t stop me from buying a bottle of Muscato though! I think it’s safe to say that I’m well stocked in wine after this trip…

Our group of pretty girls at the front door of the Grape Creek Vineyards.

And because there’s not much in the area as far as restaurants go (I think we may have passed a shady looking diner and a Dairy Queen), I had packed a nice picnic for us. Thankfully, Grape Creek Vineyards had a cute little back patio that was shaded by huge gnarly trees for us to enjoy our lunch.

Don't we look comfy? The weather was actually very nice in the Hill Country, much cooler than Austin or DFW.

The girls and their grapes! I simply had to get a picture of all the girls in the actual vineyards!

We were supposed to hit a third vineyard (Torre di Pietra), but sadly we ran out of time. Not to mention, by this time of the day, most everybody was ready for a nap! So, the group headed back to Cathy’s townhouse where we got comfy on the couch and relaxed through the hottest part of the day. After a round of pizzas, the girls started getting ready for an evening out in Austin. This was probably the part I was most worried about. Cathy only has 2.5 bathrooms, and there were a lot of girls trying to get dressed, put on makeup, and do their hair. Thankfully everything worked out smoothly and eleven girls headed for Sixth Street District right at 10:30 pm.

Here we are at one of the many bars we hit that night. I think this was at Friends Bar. But we hit a total of five establishments altogether, so forgive me if my memory gets a little fuzzy.

Brittany and Carissa, the lovely Braun sisters!

We danced until the wee hours of the morning and I personally think we were successful in throwing Brittany a fantastic bachelorette party! (I am also proud to say that I made the bachelorette’s veil. Please let me know if you’d like me to make  one for a reasonable fee…it can be done in any color scheme!) I had an amazing weekend and hope that everyone else concurs! Please click here for the rest of the photos!

With her upcoming wedding getting closer by the day, the Brittany celebrations have started! We kicked off the parties with a lovely bridal shower held by a family friend. It was a lovely brunch affair with mimosas, wedding cake shaped sugar cookies, and presents galore! Andy asked me what exactly women do at bridal showers. Drinks, food, and large amounts of pre-wedding gifts are about it! Sounds like a fun time to me!

Aren't these absolutely adorable? What pretty frosting!

Mimosas with champagne and Grand Marnier were delightful!

Bridal shower gifts for Brittany! Better not break any of those bows!!

Brittany and her trustworthy bridesmaids catching up at the bridal shower.

It was a lovely shower with a lot of cute details and fun times! Stay tuned for my next post about Brittany’s bachelorette weekend in Austin!

Over the last few weeks, we’ve gotten a chance to watch some of our friends’ animals. We were absolutely happy to help, as these are the same people we call upon when we go out of town to watch our own precious pets. It’s nice having such amazing and trustworthy friends! But as a result of our willingness to reciprocate the pet sitting favor, our house has been filled to the brim with all sorts of furry fellows! Let the Trommer critter parade begin!

Our own furry mess of a cat, Miss Attila, whom is not at all thrilled to be sharing her home with all sorts of noise and racket. She spends most of her time under an armchair.

Jabberwocky the Peacemaker. She makes sure that all of our guests are getting along and being treated fairly...especially in the food giving and getting category.

Don't focus on my sweaty disgusting self in workout clothes, focus on Puffkin, the adorable kitten. I think it's hilarious that she sits all slouched and relaxed like an old man.

Callie the beagle puppy has the most ferocious howl of a bark to ever come out of a 20 pound dog. But she's incredibly sweet, has a curiosity that often gets her in trouble, and an absolute angel when asleep.

You may now focus on me now that I have done my makeup and hair. Though I still think that Remy the kitten deserves all the attention.

Rachel LOVES playing fetch and will often bark in your face if you try to ignore the toy she's trying to get you to toss. Look at that adorable face!

And it's Jodie the Dalmation, look at all of those spots!! Someone could really make a beautiful coat out of all those spots! Just call me Cruella, Cruella de Ville...

And next Friday, we will have one more addition to our menagerie. Teddy the Yorkshire Terrier! I’ll update this post once we get a picture of him! This month’s experience with so many animals in our house at once has really made me reconsider the idea of #1. A bigger house in the future #2. I must invest in better carpet cleaner and #3. The fact that I really can’t handle more than one dog and one cat for extended periods of time. We are solidly a two pet household!

I’m not doing so well with the catching up on my blog posts am I? I could claim that I’m too busy, but let’s be honest, I could try a lot harder. Unfortunately, I suffer from the problem of feeling guilty about not blogging. And the longer I don’t blog, the guiltier I feel. It’s a never ending cycle of guilt and stack of posts that queue up in my mind. So, let’s get going shall we?

A few weeks ago, we celebrated the birthday of one, Andrew Trommer. He actually doesn’t enjoy large birthday parties. He would rather be with all the people he enjoys and have a casual weekend rather than the giant celebration that I am dying to throw. You win this one Mr. Andy, but come your 30th year, you won’t get a choice! So for a laid back event this year, we headed to Austin for a toobin trip down the Guadalupe River. We tried this a couple of years ago and liked it enough to try it again.

There are no pictures, as we were in the water the entire time. For this I am thankful because this means there are no pictures of me in a swimsuit and amazing water shoes, also no pictures of me applying three coats of SPF 70 sunscreen and getting some in my eye which means uncontrollable crying for several minutes, or of me squealing “No No No No No No!!!” as I got stuck on the first set of rapids, or of me almost tipping over on the second set of rapids, or perhaps when I spotted a dead baby bird floating near my foot and shrieked like a banshee. We’ll just say that even though I had a lot of fun, this was not a picture worthy opportunity and I’m thankful for that.

After our group got through some much needed showers in the afternoon and a blissful nap, we headed to Ironworks for some delicious barbecue. With our tummies filled with deliciously large amounts of meat, we started bar hopping around Austin’s infamous Sixth Street.

Wishing Andy a Happy Birthday!!! Cheers!

See? With no rapids or dead baby birds in sight (plus makeup and a hair straightener), I can look decent!

I think Andy's having a good time, what do you think?

I think we can call this another successful birthday for Old Man Trommer! Please click here to see more of our pictures from our non-wedding summer 2010 album. In case you’re worried that we’re losing our wedding credibility, no need! We have another 2 weddings to attend this year, with the potential of another 2 already planned for next year…oh the love and happiness in our lives!