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!

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!!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

But there was no way that I could skip over an homage to my now favorite breakfast spot. That’s really saying something, because I’m not usually a breakfast lovin’ kind of gal. I prefer my sleep to getting up early and stuffing myself full of sugary syrup dripping foods. Yes, I realize that there are plenty of breakfast meals that don’t include syrup. But you must admit, breakfast does seem to hold the monopoly on syrup inclusive dishes.

Anyhow, the restaurant is called Lucile’s. It’s off of the main shopping strip and you can see it blocks away because of the hoards of people outside waiting for a table.

Lucile's is one of those restaurants inside an old house. Everything is quaint, imaginative, cheery, and absolutely delicious.

First off, we sat outside on their adorable porch. Let me try that again, I sat outside to eat on their adorable porch. I generally despise sitting outside for a meal. (Yes, that means picnics are totally lost on me) Why would I hate such a supposedly romantic notion? Bugs, weather issues (hot = sweating profusely = uncomfortable, cold = can’t feel my fingers = uncomfortable and hail = unconscious), gusts of wind knocking everything over, dirt, birds staring me down so they can steal my food, need I continue? Nobody eats peacefully when there’s a pesky food whore of a bird around! But this one time, the Boulder weather was so gorgeous and my tummy was rumbling so loudly that I gave in and we took the one available table in the great out of doors…on the covered porch. Baby steps people, baby steps!

And from my outdoor seat, I spied this cute little fragrant rose.

So, what kind of food do they serve at Lucile’s? It just so happens that they market themselves as a Creole Cafe! I love Creole food! Yum!

Let's start with some coffee shall we? They did have chickory coffee on the menu, which I'm intrigued by, but I couldn't resist the mocha au lait.

Next up? How about a lovely plate of freshly fried beignets? Oh it makes my mouth water at the very thought of them!

Or perhaps you would prefer a fluffy biscuit the size of your head with a side of freshly made raspberry or blueberry preserves?

Okay, I was too excited to eat my actual meal that I didn’t get around to taking a picture of it. But I got a half order of Hank’s Eggs. It was a mound of eggs, potatoes, avocado, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes. Trust me when I say that it was so very delectable! But there was no way I could finish even the half order! Sigh…if only I lived in Boulder and could take my leftovers home. One can continue to dream and apply for jobs online.

Thanks Dave and Mary for spending time with us and showing us the brilliance that is Lucile's!!

And that concludes our Colorado weekend. We had such a wonderful time and hope we will be able to visit again soon! Please feel free to browse through the rest of our pictures by clicking here. Okay, now I’m only a week and a half behind in posting. Give me a little more time, I’ll catch up again!

Can I do it? Yes, I will trudge my way up the stinkin’ mountain with determination, perspiration, my handy bug fan, and a scowl from here to Timbuktu (6109.2 miles) on my face. Will I be cranky? Oh my yes! Will I refuse to waste my precious oxygen on chatter? Yup! Will I take twice as long getting back down the mountain as I did going up because I have completely locked every joint in my body to avoid tumbling down? Heck yes! Will I miss most of the beautiful scenery because I’ve been too intently studying my feet to determine the best path? Yes again! All in all, hiking is a painful activity for me and all those that surround me. But despite all of that, we decided to give the Chautauqua Trail a shot…

Me trying to be brave and attempt the activity they call nature hiking. You will not see any other pictures of me after this point. If Andy tried to photograph my discomfort then I might have pulled a celebrity fit and smashed the camera out of rage. Granted...camera smashing takes a lot of oxygen.

Andy thinking incorrectly that this is going to be a fun casual hike up the Chautauqua Trail outside of Boulder. Oh how mistaken he is!

We’ll just say that the hiking trip ended without either of us murdering each other, which is a huge plus. After a quick shower at the hotel, we headed for a Fourth of July barbecue at our friends Dave and Mary’s house. My goodness, the food was amazing and the company was wonderful!

It isn't a proper Fourth of July barbecue until you bring on the pie!

Andy and his buddy Dave discussing their brewing processes, favorite beers, and miscellaneous other bits of beer information.

Even though we were sorely tempted to stay at Dave and Mary’s due to the torrential downpour that popped up out of nowhere, we headed back to Boulder in the evening for a fireworks presentation at the University of Colorado’s Folsum Stadium. Why would we do such a thing in the rain? Well…I’m not entirely sure. But I am glad we went! The fireworks were awesome and it gave us a chance to spend a little extra time with the newly married Kuchenrithers!

Unfortunately, we weren't able to take too many pictures due to the rain. Our fancy camera doesn't tolerate a lot of moisture. Not to mention, being cold, wet, and tired...we weren't so thrilled to get our picture taken anways.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Fourth of July!!

After we did a quick clean up at the hotel, we jumped in our rental Chevy Cobalt and headed for the hills. Okay, the hills in this case = Rocky Mountains. (And by the way, the Cobalt is not my favorite rental car. It has a terrible turning radius, leaving us backing up in the middle of several intersections due to failed U-turns and has a funky trunk that must be slammed multiple times to close properly.)

The wedding location was high in the mountains at the Wild Basin Lodge. I should also point out that I get terrible motion sickness and was turning a little green with all the twists and turns in the road. Please let me know if you have any advice or cures regarding this little problem. Normally, I just have to close my eyes and pray that the Mountain Gods will stop being so cruel to me. Once we arrived, however, the beautiful scenery and gorgeous weather soon made me forget my nauseating woes.

Even the minor hike to get to the wedding location didn’t bother me, and that’s saying a lot since I have a general distaste for spending time in nature! (though I do wish I had known we would be going on a little adventure and had worn appropriate shoes…i.e. not high heeled sandals) But all was good and well with the world once we arrived at the magnificent ceremony site.

Here we are, the guests of the Radcliff-Kuchenrither wedding, on a wedding trek.

Along our mini hike there were wonderful views of the mountains.

And the sound of a little river keeping us company with its trickling soundtrack...

We have arrived at the ceremony site with one of the most awe inspiring backdrops a wedding could ever hope for!

And before we knew it, the wedding had begun and our friends Erin and Kevin were doing the getting married thing!

Erin being escorted down the aisle with her dad. No matter how many times I may see the same procedure this summer (and in my lifetime), I still think it's a beautiful thing.

Unfortunately, the breeze was a little too defiant when Erin and Kevin were trying to light their unity candle. The thought still counts though!

After the tears were shed, vows exchanged, rings blessed, and applause applauded (I really wasn’t sure where I was going with that…), we headed back to the lodge for the party to begin! The food was delicious, the cakes were decadent, the wine was flowing, and again I’d like to point out that the weather was amazing! In fact, most of the guests preferred sitting and chatting outside on the wrap around balcony that was covered with delicate little hummingbirds zipping about. (Not to mention, dancing the YMCA at such a high altitude was a challenge within itself and required some relaxing on the balcony time afterwards!)

The Kuchenrithers and the Trommers enjoying an evening of wedding fun.

All too soon, the skies were dark and it was time to bid our friends good luck and goodbye. We happily made our way back to Boulder with just enough time to conclude our evening at a local brewery that Andy had read about. The Mountain Sun Pub is a local favorite and a perfect way to end a perfect day.

Andy and his multitude of tiny beers, otherwise known as a beer flight. A flight enables him to try several of the brewery's beers without burning a hole in his pocket and without drinking too much alcohol in one sitting.

Please click here for more of our Colorado pictures!