Rock Chalk!

It seems as though Brad's "Beak 'Em" pumpkin was good luck for our Jayhawks...PRESEASON NO. 1! We're looking forward to an exciting basketball season to come!

October = Hermann!

It's everyone's favorite time of year again: fall! Why is it our favorite? Hermann, of course! We made the trip to Hermann on the first official weekend of Octoberfest. We had a blast! We were joined by Marcus, Julia, Lileah (Julia's sister, who was in town to celebrate Julia's birthday!), Bob, Brenda, Bridget's aunt Janet, and Pepper.

Our first stop was Hermannhof...


It was Pepper's first trip to Hermann. He's partial to white wines, like his mom...


Other first-timers included Bob and Brenda, who were obviously very excited to get the day started...


Or maybe they were just excited to see their grandpuppy. He's their pride and joy...


Notice how Pepper looks like a typical grandchild, pulling away in embarrassment when the grandparents try to pinch his cute little cheeks...

After spending a few hours at Hermannhof, it was obvious that things were getting a bit out of control. Pepper was driven to the bottle after some maniac man kept barking at him and tormenting him. Needless to say, it was a rough day for the Peeps...


Next, to Bob's delight, we decided to switch from vino to brewskies at the Tin Mill Brewery.

From there, we moved to an outdoor party for more fun. Pepper especially liked getting to run free and the big stick he discovered there...

Finally, we stopped at Stone Hill Winery, where we couldn't pass up the fall-themed photo op...

Although the sun didn't decide to come out, it was the perfect fall day in Hermann. We can't wait to do it all again next year!

Tahitian Honeymoon!

To our dozens of loyal viewers who were anxiously waiting for this day to come, here are our highly anticipated honeymoon pictures. Sorry for the delay, but we were in talks with People Magazine and Us Weekly, trying to negotiate a deal to sell some exclusive shots. Unfortunately, the deal fell through when Pepper demanded a lifetime supply of Dingos. So, here they are for your viewing pleasure. Click here and enjoy! If the slideshow doesn't start automatically, simply click the "Slideshow" link in the top left corner.

"Kansas City, Kansas City Here We Come!"

We have a big announcement...we are moving to - you guessed it - Kansas City! We were both offered the wonderful opportunity to join the same law firm, Dunn & Davison. We're thrilled to be working together and moving closer to family and friends in KC. Our initial plan is to live with the Boggess family in Kearney until we can find a new home of our own. We're excited to finally put down roots and make KC our home. We'll keep you updated on the move and our upcoming house hunt. Thank you for all of your support and help in the upcoming months!

Entertaining Saturdays in KC!

Over the last two weekends, we've made trips back to Kansas City to visit Bridget's family...we've been visiting KC so much that Pepper probably knows how to drive there by himself by now! We had two very important reasons for these visits: Mamma Mia! and the circus!

Two weeks ago, we were thrilled to see Mamma Mia! at Starlight Theatre with Bob and Brenda. We started out the evening with some BBQ at Arthur Bryant's, one of the "1,000 Places to See Before You Die." 1 down, 999 to go - kidding!

On the way to the show, we warmed up with a sing along to Bridget's well-worn soundtrack from the Mamma Mia! movie. Once we were in our seats, we anxiously waited for the show to begin...


We were seated behind a lively bunch of ladies who wasted no time while waiting for the performance to begin....before the show and during intermission, they pulled out their trusty books and read quietly.

This, of course, cracked us up and, to say the least, they weren't too excited by our "performance" that night, which included dancing and singing throughout the show. All in all, it was a great time!

The following Saturday, we were in Kansas City again and got the opportunity to go to the circus at the Sprint Center. We were joined by the Luzaders and Aunt Terri and Uncle Hal. Although it was a blast to see Sydney (age 3) and Hayden (newborn) enjoy their first circus, it was even funnier to watch Brad's (age 27!) reaction to his first experience under the big top.

Needless to say, shock set in for the first few minutes...

Bridget couldn't stop laughing at her hilarious husband...

Thumbs up from a very happy camper...

These little horses reminded us of Pepper :)

Reminiscent of "Dumbo," one of Bridget's childhood favorites...

Sydney was thrilled! She danced in her seat the whole night, which was almost more entertaining to watch than the actual performers :)

Little Hayden even made the trip out to the circus! Aunt Brenda was more than happy to play babysitter and give Gwen a break. He was such a good baby and loved all of the lights!

The whole group...check out the excited little boy in the background...oh, wait, that's not a little boy...that's Brad! Notice how Sydney's looking at him like, "What's that guy's problem? It's just the circus!"

Although we had fantastic seats (thanks to Bob, of course!), Brad was crushed that he didn't get to sit in this "extra special" chair. Maybe next year, babe...

When we got home, we were greeted by a few wild animals of our own: Pepper and Lucky. Notice how big, bad Pepper stole Lucky's huge bone (it was as big as his head!) and sneaked it into his crate. At least he was a gentleman and let her have his smaller one. We're such proud parents - ha!

Busy Saturday in Kansas City!

Last weekend, we made a trip to Kansas City for the weekend. Our Saturday was jam-packed and fun-filled! Bridget started out the day by spending time with her good friend, Kitson a.ka. hair stylist extraordinaire. Bridget always enjoys her relaxing time at the salon with Kitson, who takes credit for Bridget's beautiful wedding hair and new short 'do!

After the salon trip, the whole gang (including Pepper!) set off to visit Nikki at KU. Nikki moved into her new digs on campus less than two weeks ago, much to the chagrin of her parents, who are brand new empty nesters, with the exception of Pepper (more on that later...). We had a fantastic time on campus! First, we met Nikki at her new sorority house, Chi Omega! We are so excited and proud that Nikki enjoyed recruitment and got her top pick - hooty hoo! Of course, we also had to stop at the bookstore to pick up some KU gear. Pepper was even allowed inside to proudly show off his new KU collar! Pepper was especially excited during his first trip to "Jayhawk Country" and insisted that we take his picture with the Jayhawk statues outside the store. We obliged...

Next, we visited Nikki's dorm and met some of her friends. After that, we took a trip down Massachusetts Street to do some shopping and get dinner. As Mizzou grads, we were surprised to find both Quinton's and Teller's (two of our favorite Columbia hot spots) right across the street from each other in Lawrence!

We ate dinner at Teller's on the patio while passersby stopped to tell us that our dog "looks exactly like the dog from that Cesar dog food commercial!" Needless to say, Pepper's big head has been pretty tough to live with since being compared to such a famous Westie :)

Next, we headed out to Gardner, Kansas, to visit Todd, Gwen, Sydney, and new baby Hayden Luzader! We also got the chance to see their new house. We immediately fell in love with Hayden - he's absolutely adorable and has lots of hair. Our little flower girl Sydney entertained us by playing with Pepper, showing off the new playground in her back yard, and teaching us about "The Wiggles." We had such a great time and can't wait to visit again!

That concluded our busy Saturday. On Sunday, we relaxed and prepared to leave Pepper with his grandparents for almost three weeks! After an iffy boarding experience back in April, Pepper made us promise to never take him to there again. So, while we're on our honeymoon next week, Pepper gets to keep Bridget's parents company. So far, it's going great, although we miss him very, VERY much :)

Stay tuned for upcoming posts about our honeymoon next week...

Our New Apartment!

Last week, we moved into our new apartment and we couldn't be more excited! With the help of our families (and Pepper, of course), we moved the long four blocks north to our new apartment in Clayton. As we were packing up our old apartment, Pepper found a few new places to play. For example, he tested out the empty pantry as a potential new crate. Once we closed the door though, he realized this might not be the best home for him.



Pepper was pretty worried we might leave him behind at the Boulevard, so he found a suitcase to cling to, just in case.


After a few setbacks with our new place (lack of hot water and washer/dryer for a few nights), things are now running smoothly, especially since we finally got both cable and Internet today! Before that, we were surviving on the radio, which may be unfamiliar to some youngsters...Sam? :)

We spent the entire weekend cleaning, organizing, and setting up our new "home."


We were so proud to have it all done by Sunday, so that now we can just sit back and enjoy it.













We love having more space and an actual neighborhood. Pepper has been completely spoiled with long walks every night after dinner, which is a big step up from his bathroom breaks behind the parking garage at the Boulevard. Pepper's favorite thing about his new "digs" though, other than the neighborhood walks, is the view. He loves to sit in the windowsills and watch the traffic/pedestrians/wildlife right outside of our apartment. It keeps him entertained for hours, which gives us some peace and quiet from his favorite Hippo squeaky toy!




We're hoping to host a little "house warming" gathering soon - we'll keep you posted! For now, we're excited to host our first official guest at Casa de Thoenen this weekend...Bob!

Coconut-Lime Chicken Soup

Hi everyone! We tried this recipe a few months ago and loved it. We've told a few people about it, so we thought we would post it on here to share. It's so easy and very tasty. None of the flavors are overpowering, so don't be scared by all of the coconut milk. It's a nice, spicier twist on traditional chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:

1 deli roasted chicken

1 can unsweetened coconut milk (15 oz.)

2 cups water

1/4 cup lime juice (2 medium limes)

3 medium carrots, thinly sliced (about 1.5 cups)

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. Thai seasoning blend

1/4 tsp. salt

Fresh cilantro

1. Remove skin and bones from chicken; shred chicken.

2. In large saucepan, combine shredded chicken with coconut milk, water, lime juice, sliced carrots, soy sauce, Thai seasoning, and salt.

3. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 8 minutes.

4. Top with cilantro and serve. Enjoy!