Photos from our trip!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat tonight. It’s been five years since their last performance, but they are better than ever. It was well worth the wait. This dynamic duo has a special place in my heart because they performed at my 21^st birthday and now they are back for Stan Brownlee’s 25^th birthday. Put your hands together for Johnny W and the Fancy Fiddler!

A couple things you need to know before watching this video:

• You need to turn your computer volume on for this.
• They are a little rusty for the first minute, but by the end of the song they really ROCK IT OUT. Trust me, it’s worth it.
• Yes, I am related to these two!!

We went skiing this weekend at Mission Ridge with my dad, stepmom and the triplets. We had a great time – here are a few photos!

Derek and I spent the weekend at the lake house with my dad and the triplets. Here are a few pics.

Many of you already know this, but for those of you that don’t, my sister is dating Derek’s brother. Yes, we are dating brothers – I know, I know…it’s like Darlene and Becky on Rosanne.

Derek and I have been dating for many, many years (almost seven). He is close with his family – and I am close with mine. Over the years, we have grown very attached to the other’s family. I know it sounds cliché, but I think of his family as mine. I love his parents and adore his brothers. They’ve become a big part of my life. As you can imagine, it felt weird and incestuous when one of them started dating my sister.

They have been dating for over two years now. When it first happened, I thought it was funny; I laughed it off. I thought it wouldn’t last, but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t just a fling. I’m embarrassed to say that I began feeling very weird about it. I was so conflicted. On the one hand, I was thrilled that they were both happy. On the other hand, I felt cheated. I lost part of my sister. I couldn’t talk to her about “sisterly things” because I was nervous she would tell him. Plus they were constantly encroaching on my space. They were everywhere. At Derek’s parent’s house – they were there. At my parent’s house – they were there. Holidays. Birthdays. Parties. You name it – they were there. Were they trying to be us? For a long time, I felt conflicted and confused. I constantly had this pang of guilt for being selfish. They were happy, how could I be so self-centered?

I’m proud to announce that I’m officially ok with it. I’m not even sure when it happened – but I am. Today, I was watching them interact and they seem so happy – it warmed my heart. I’m realizing all of the positive things that come with it. My sis and I always get to spend holidays together. She understands Derek’s family dynamics. And most importantly, they are both happy and in love.

Ultimately, I’m not sure what will happen with them – only time will tell. But, I can tell you that it feels great to have that monkey off my back. Hooray!

This weekend, I went to Scottsdale, AZ with my mom and sis for a little mother/daughter quality time. This is our third year going to Arizona for a girl’s weekend – I’d say it’s becoming a tradition!

As always, we had a fantastic time. We didn’t “do” much – but that’s the beauty of it. The purpose of the trip is to spend time together – just the three of us. We don’t go to Scottsdale to be tourists; we go there to be with each other.

You may be thinking, why do you have to go all the way to Arizona to spend time together? Because in Arizona we can control the variables. Nobody has to make dinner. Nobody has to run errands. And we get to choose the attendees – just the three of us. We can give each other our complete, undivided attention. We aren’t clouded by the distractions of daily life.

This weekend, we sun-bathed by the pool. We ate and drank. And we talked and laughed, a lot. To some, this might seem like a boring trip. To us, it was perfect. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful mother and sister, and I feel so lucky to have spent another special weekend with them.