Rolsen

New Blog

2009-09-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

In case you couldn't tell, I am no longer blogging on this site.

I have now gone to Tumblr. Please feel free to follow me there!

http://rolsenpics.tumblr.com/

Thanks!!

Cowboys Stadium

2009-07-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Craig and I set out to see the new Cowboys Stadium.

It was huge!!

Here is one of the outdoor TV screens.

See how huge!!!

If only T.O. were here...everything would be complete.

LA Day 3...The Wedding...

2009-07-09T15:50:00.001-07:00

Saturday was wedding day!!

Craig and I were woken up at 7:00 from a group in the group above us playing soccer. Seriously.
This is from the infamous balcony...

At noon I went to go be with the bride and bridesmaids!!
I got there and Jill the Bride was having lunch!!

Soon after-her HIGHLY talented hair and make-up person got to work on Jill's hair.

After hair comes the make-up!

Ta-Da!!! The happy Bride!!

I started to put on my make-up...

And Jill practiced her vows...

And then we were off!!

Jill ended up driving to her own wedding...

Where the weather was beautiful...

And the view was breathtaking.

Jill's wedding planner showed up...

She put her gorgeous gown on...

I snuck a pic with the Bride....

And away we went to the ceremony!!

Since I was a bridesmaid, I didn't take any pictures during the ceremony. But it was perfect.
Once they were married, there was a small Happy Hour for the guests. I grabbed my camera and took a picture of Angie & Katy...

Then had Angie take a pic of Craig and I!!

Ok-here's the nice one.

It was a beautiful wedding and I am very honored that I was a part of it.

Congratulations Jill & Kharune!!!

LA...Day 2

2009-07-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

By Friday-Craig and I were pooped. Three weekends in a row of travel can do that to you.

We woke up and went to have breakfast. After a small cranky spat over what to order-we took off on a drive through the mountains. I didn't have my camera with me (I know-I'm sorry) but all the scenary was gorgeous.

We came back, hung out at the hot tub for a little while, then got ready for the Dress Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner. After going high into the gorgeous mountains, we finally got to the venue.

Again...Breathtaking!!!

After everyone got there-we started the Dress Rehearsal line ups.
Jill walked in with her Dad...

We walked through the service...

Everyone watched us...

The we practiced walking out!

I LOVE this picture of Jill & Kharune!! My awesome Husband took it!! Good job Babe!

Caryn and Akkad...

Meetha and Aaron...

And me with PC and Tiran. I got a backup guy in case the Klutzy Susan showed up in the rocky hill.

Off to see the Bridal Suite and then an excellent Mexican Dinner!!

I didn't take any pics at the Dinner, but it was awesome food. Jill had little boxes with chocolate in them for each guest. She also gave me a beautiful silver necklace for the wedding. I will be wearing that quite often!!

Craig and I went to Angie & Katy's hotel room for a little bit after the ceremony.

Why, what is it that Craig is looking at and Angie is taking pictures of?

That would be the end of a high speed chase!! A woman and man had been running from the cops for quite a while-then finally stopped about a mile from where we were. You can see the spotlight from the police helicopter. Sheesh!!! Such an LA thing.

Stay tuned for wedding pics!!!

LA Day One

2009-07-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

We got into LAX around midnight on Wednesday night and stayed here.

Thursday morning we got our luxurious Dodge Caliber and took off!!

While dealing with drama from the stupid rental car people-Craig found a good smog filled view of LA.

Both Craig and I have done the touristy stuff in LA, so we just drove around.
Until we hit the famous Pink's!!

Craig has been wanting to go here for about 2 years!!
The line was around the building, so we waited for about 30 minutes.

For this feast!

Craig was a happy man!!

And I liked it as well!

Off we went again!!
We took our time getting to Torrance.

Here's the famous Santa Monica Pier.

We got to Torrance, checked into our hotel, freshened up and went to Hermosa Beach.

I fell in love with these Cactus!!

Went to a great local dive bar...

And walked on the Pier...

And walked on the beach...

Stay Tuned for Day 2!!!

Lucy's Wedding!

2009-06-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

We headed to Oklahoma City for Lucy's wedding.

Here she is walking down the aisle!!

Craig took my pic on his phone and we headed to the reception.

They had a huge cake...

They danced...

Threw the garter...

Tossed the bouquet...

Then it was time to dance!!!

Memories of InCahoots back in the day...

Ah Hope...you haven't changed at all.

We got our sparklers and Craig was very excited.

The happy couple left...

And Lucy's son watched his Mommy and new Step Dad drive off.

After a quick stop at my old Fridays...we came back to our hotel...

Where Craig decided to make fun of my dancing.

Oh well. We're cute.

2009-06-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed another weekend in Tampa!!

Just to let you know...you do not need to adjust your coloring...Craig really got that red.

We picked the kids up on Saturday and headed straight to Clearwater. I didn't take my camera this time because we were all 5 playing in the ocean. Well, Claire was checking out the group of shirtless guys walking around-but you get the point.

When we got back to the hotel, the kids wanted to hit the pool. It went something like this...

"Are you guys going to get in or what!!"

"Not now. I'm Tanning & Texting"

"Ha!! I already got in!"

"Clai-re!!! Come on!!"

"Hmmmmmm...."

"You're on!!"

Note Claire's tan line. Yeah...I'm not that good at putting lotion on."

We all got in and played around.

Check out those legs and that tan line. Woo Hoo!!

Ethan loves his Daddy!!

Three Little Rowe's Sitting on a Couch

On Sunday we got up and Craig opened Father's Day gifts card from the kids and a very nice card from his Mother-In-Law.

We played the ever enjoyable game of 'My Elevator Will Get Here First"

And headed back to the pool!!

I took this from our room. Craig and the kids are the 4 people in the pool on the left.

Logan decided (after some pleading from us) to show us how well he can swim.

Such a Big man!!!

After conquering swimming, Logan decides to try a Canonball!!

Woo Hoo!!!

Naturally Claire and Ethan had to do them also.

Then a group Canonball!!

I love these crazy people!!!

More Happy Housework!!

2009-06-16T14:13:00.001-07:00

We did more yard work this past weekend. Ugh...

There were about 6 stumps Craig has dug up over the past week. This weekend we decided to get the last 2 out of there.

After buying a second shovel to replace the one Craig broke while digging up the other stumps, we went to work.

Craig got one stump up and went to work on this beast.

About 45 minutes into digging on that stump, the ice cream man came by!!
Can you pick out the irony in this picture?
Craig was very excited about getting his Lemon Chiller...

See!!

And yes, that is a small Sham Wow under his hat.

This is the area I worked on...

And dug all these up with a small shovel..it's harder than it looks.

And this was Craig's working area...

And his 2 stumps!!

After that feat Craig rested a little....

Now here is something I have learned. I never would have thought that you have to PURCHASE dirt!! I thought you just dig a hole and go at it. AND...I also learned there are many different types of dirt. Who knew!

After unloading 12 bags of topsoil and 4 bags of some sort of manure/dirt mix, Craig took another break. I went to Calloway's and got a Hibiscis bush!

Craig got up to plant the bush

And was very happy this was the last of the yard work for the day

Ta-Da!!

It will have dark orange flowers to match our Longhorns flag!

And here are a few pics from the wedding that I came across.

See how serious everyone was before the ceremony?

Logan had too much fun. He couldn't contain himself.

The happy couple getting back from their limo ride!!

What A Night...

2009-06-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Craig called me to let me know he and Ray would be taking they're Kayaks out to go fishing at Lake Lewisville. He said they would be back around 9:00 or 10:00.

So...I had a night to myself!! To celebrate, I decided to watch

PS...I Love You

I've been addicted to that movie for a while, and here's a big reason why...

Mmmmm Denny.
Anyway. I was watching the movie and suddenly heard our sirens going off. Then I heard a loud voice saying, "Tornado. Take Cover" I look out the front window and notice that our main tree branch is on the other side of the tree. I guess 80 mph winds will do that to a tree.

I instantly thought of Craig in his kayak on the lake and this flashed through my head...

And this...

Craig finally called and I calmed down from knowing he was ok.

I walked out the front and noticed the neighbors tree had split.

Our electricity was out, so Ray and Craig came to rescue me from the dark house.

With not much to do-we hit the $2 movie and saw this...

We came back home and still no electricty. What to do?

We grabbed the camera and took time delay shots.

Here Craig tries to write his name...

That didn't work out, so he did these instead.

Our electricity came back on in the middle of the night.

What a night!!

Tilt Shift Maker

2009-06-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Check out these pics. Craig showed me a sight that can make your pics look miniature. You can't really tell in the first few...but you can in the last ones. Really cool!!

Happy Birthday Hubs!!

2009-06-02T14:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Craig!!

For Craig's Birthday this year I decided to send him self-made Birthday ECards throughout the day. Here are some of the better ones!

I have to admit...this first one is my favorite!!

Yard Work...Blech-k...

2009-05-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

For the first time since Craig and I met, we had a 3 day weekend and did not go out of town. Instead-we decided to trim trees...

After assessing the situation...

We got to work.

Yes, Craig did the majority of the work.
However...with these 2 tools...I cut down a tree all by myself!!

See my progress!!!
Trust me...it's not as easy as I thought it would be.

It took all three days to prune 7 trees. Here are a few shots...

Before (Bradford Pear)

After

Before (Fig Tree)

After

Before (full backyard)

After

And then we went to see Terminator...

Eh...

Sorry!!

2009-05-04T20:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging. Sometimes life just happens.

So we went from here (a 900 square foot apt)

To here!! (A 2,000 square foot house)

Craig removed a door...

To bring in the fridge!

This will be the boys room. For now, it's the storage room.

Craig got a new toy...

A steamer.

Old living room...

New living room Part 1

New living room Part 2

And this is Fang, Claire's fish.

San Antonio Bound!

2009-04-20T07:18:00.001-07:00

My sisters and I treated my parents to a weekend in San Antonio for their 50th Anniversary. It was with their kids, kids-in-law and grandkids. It was a great time!!

My family is not big on having their pics posted on a blog, so I will respect that and stick to pics I found on Google.

My sisters families and my parents got into San Antonio on Thursday night. On Friday they went to the Alamo and took a riverboat tour. Craig and I had to work due to taking so much vacation time for our honeymoon and the kids Spring Break, so we didn't get in until Friday night.

We stayed at La Mansion Del Rio on the Riverwalk.

Our room pretty much looked like this. We had a balcony over the street and got to listen to buses, loud weekenders and a street cleaner. Not to mention our neighbors...who were apparently on their Honeymoon.
On Saturday we met up with everyone as they were eating brunch here...
We gathered in the lobby when we were ready to hit the town. I did a quick photoshoot with Ashlyn and Maren on this staircase. Those two love to pose for the camera!!
We left the hotel here and crossed this bridge.
You can almost see the step I slipped and fell to the ground on. Flip Flops and wet, slick rocks do not go well together. Trust me! I have a huge blood blister on my toe!
After going to a Mission, the kids really wanted to go swimming. We all trooped back to the hotel. The kids got into bathing suits and the adults all gathered around some tables.

It was just like Pensacola. I was so glad Craig got to be a part of his first non-holiday Olsen Gathering. We all just talked, read, did a few crosswords puzzles and enjoyed ourselves. My family can be very relaxing!

To the right of this picture I totally slipped and fell again. I was a klutz this weekend!
After the pool we went back to our rooms to change for dinner. We gathered again in my parents rooms where my Dad gave a champagne toast. He even had Sprite for the kids.

(I actually took this picture in Hawaii)
We then took a shuttle to Ruth's Chris for a good steak dinner.
We took a few pictures on this staircase.

And ate meat that looked like this!!!

It was a great weekend!!!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

You are very loved and very apprecitated. Thank you for making us the people we are and thank you for being great models for us to follow.

Here's to the next 50!!!

The End of Spring Break :(

2009-04-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

By Thursday Claire was tired of having her picture taken and was ready to spend some time with her friend Katie. They saw the Hanna Montana movie for those of you who might be jealous.

Ethan and Logan didn't mind posing for the camera though!

Thursday night we watched Craig play Volleyball.

Ethan and Xochitl had fun playing

While Logan tried to explain the rules of Volleyball to Keeley

They all had a good time though

On Friday we went to the park

And played Ping Pong

Shot some pool

And watched a little TV

It was a great Spring Break for us.

I really miss you guys!!!

Spring Break Continued...

2009-04-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we hung out at my sisters place.

Claire watched Grease 2

And the boys got to play with my nephew

We stopped by MawMaw's and dropped off some birthday flowers.

These are some fun kids!!

2009-04-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we met up with the Brennan's and MawMaw to celebrate MawMaw's birthday.

Here's Sam...

And here's MawMaw getting her birthday ribs!

The boys really missed each other.

All blood relatives!!!

We went to Sam's house afterward.

Where Claire continued to pose

And so did Craig.

Day One

2009-04-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Craig went to Tampa to pick up the kids on Saturday. We hung out on Sunday and then I stayed with the kids on Monday.

We started off the day visiting Craig's office.

Craig and the boys got popcorn...

And Claire made herself some coffee.
We got fish.
Claire's is Fang. Ethan's is Beast. Logan's is Jet.

We went Kracken hunting...

And took some pictures!

Then they hid from me...

But it was fun!!

Claire is watching me blog this right now. She's at work with me. I'll post some more pics later!!!

I'm So Excited!!!

2009-04-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo!! My Step Kids are coming in town!!!

I'm excited to see these guys!!!

First there was Claire

Then came Ethan

And Logan rounds out the whole crew!!

We're going to have fun guys!!!

$5

2009-03-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously...a footlong is only 5 dollars!!

I'm A Gardener

2009-03-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I started gardening this weekend!!

Well, is it considered gardening if you don't have a garden?

Anyway! We hit Home Depot and got some pots and flowers.

Craig did 2 long flower pots for the balcony...
And I planted my very first plant!!!

Ta-Da!!

I picked out the pot and flowers myself.

I'm pretty proud here.

And here's my new favorite picture of Craig.

He's Hot!!!

Weekend Update

2009-03-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Another fun Rowe Family Weekend!! Friday was a little low key because our BIG plans were for Saturday night:

Susan: Hey Craig-Would you be interested in going to a Burlesque Show on Saturday night?
Craig: Why, yes I would enjoy that Susan.
Susan: How fun. The Williams will be attending as well.
Craig: That should be fun. I rather enjoy their company.

Flash forward to Saturday night

Craig: Why Susan. This was such a fun idea!! I'm so lucky to have married such a smart and interesting person. You always have something fun planned.
Susan: Thank you Craig. The Williams should be showing up soon because the show starts at 10:00 and it is now 9:00.
Craig: Oh boy. I can't wait to see them.

The Williams show up and we chat until the show starts.

The lights dim and the Velvet Kittens take the stage.

Craig: Hmmm. This isn't quite what I expected.
Susan: Yeah, me neither. I thought there would be more than 4 girls.
Craig: I agree. And do they look a little...
Susan: Strung out? Why yes Craig. They do look like they partake in occasional drug usage.
Craig: I thought Burlesque Shows were more entertaining. It appears they continue to do the same thing, just to different songs. And is it just me, or do they appear to be wearing the same clothes, only changing their tops?
Susan: That is an excellent observation Craig. I'm not sure what else they could be doing on those long wardrobe change breaks though.
Craig: I see the Williams have decided to leave, would you care to leave as well?
Susan: Yes. I know the show is not over, but I do not feel I would miss anything if we left early.

The moral of the story? When you see a sign for a Free Burlesque Show in a Dutch bar in Downtown Dallas...Don't expect Gypsie Lee Rose to come hopping out!!!

The End.

St Patty's Celebration 2009

2009-03-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo!! St Patty's Day 2009!!!

We met some people at Irish Rover for a Make Your Own Oub Crawl evening.
Teri was there

Who is married to LeeTeri and I have always thought our husbands would get along.
I'm not really sure why...

Ahhh...done with first stop of the night.

Off to the next location!

We got there and Lee and Craig talked...

And talked...

And...talked.

No I don't know what I'm doing with my hand, but you can tell Craig is trying to figure it out as well. Sheesh.

Fun Fun Fun!!!

A Post For Teri

2009-03-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's Friday!!!

Let's dance!!!

Happy Birthday Logan Rowe!!!

2009-03-09T10:26:00.001-07:00

Happy 5th Birthday Logan Rowe!!!!

Here are some of our favorite memories of you!!!

Happy Birthday Little Man!!!

Dad and Susan love you VERY MUCH!!!

Watchmen Review

2009-03-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Craig and I went to go see Watchmen this weekend. Let me warn you-this movie is LOOOONG! It's almost 3 hours, and could have been summed up in around 2 hours.

The best acting was by far the character Rorschach
Have you ever watched a movie and thought, who IS that person? You know their face, but you can't place what movie they were in. Well here's your answer...

Laurie Jupiter, the main female character, was the bubbly blonde sister in 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigel. Whew-that one drove me nuts for a while!!

Her mother, Sally Jupiter, had one of those faces also. Until I realized she was the main girl in the movie Son in Law with Pauly Shore!

Dr. Manhattan was played by Billy Crudup. He is better known for his role in Almost Famous as Russell Hammond, the lead singer. In the movie previews you see him in this little loincloth thing, the movie is a totally different story. He only wears this in about 2 scenes. He does wear a suit in some public scenes, but he is FULLY naked the majority of the movie. Seriously!! You see EVERYTHING. I was not prepared for that, and it's a little distracting.

And for my favorite part of the movie...Denny.

Denny, is actually Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I fell in love with his as the character Denny on Grey's Anatomy. I quit watching the show when they killed him off. I know he comes back to play a ghost, but it's not the same.

Mmmmm...Denny.

A Rowe Recap

2009-03-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

I know everyone has been DYING for me to blog again. It has been quite eventful in the Rowe Household. Here is a quick recap of what's been going on...

Craig and I went to our favorite Hole in the Wall Mexican Restaurant for the 1 Month Anniversary of our wedding.

We planted a tree.

We bought 3 different Plumeria Tree stems while we were in Hawaii. We decided to plant the white one and see how well it grows. If it works, we'll plant the other 2 when we have a house.

Perfection! We'll have flowers in 2 years!!!

We went to see Sadie and LuLu at the Brennan Household.

But Sam begged us to play with him.

So I tried out the new Aunt Susan skills

And Uncle Craig just scared him

Then Sam got mad and showed us his mean face

We also attended an Oscars Party at the Brennan Household

They had AWESOME Brushetta!

Hmmm...what else has happened?

I gave Craig a kiss

I made some bread.

Thank You Julie!!!!!! I love this BreadMaker!!!!

And Craig joined a VolleyBall League with Ray and Stacey

Who brought their daughters.

Here is Keely. Don't be fooled by that angelic smile...

She and her sister took Craig and Ray on!!

And they can make a mean Sand Castle

But Craig was too focused to notice the castle they made for us

Love the professional attire Babe

And I went to check out a house.

Too many problems. They had to replace 18 windows due to foundation problems, and there is still more work. No thank you!! We need something low maintenance.

And that's about it!!

Ta-Da!

I Gave Jerry Some Money...

2009-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Craig and I headed to Fanfest last Saturday.

For those non-Dallas Cowboys fans, (Ahem. Teri.) they are leaving Texas Stadium in Irving and are moving to Arlington. To help pay for the new stadium, Jerry Jones held an auction of various pieces of the stadium.

We already have a personalized brick to go in the new stadium, so we decided to spend more money on things that should be free.

We started the day by getting to the stadium at 8:00. It was freezing!! Notice Craig in the car drinking coffee.

People started to line up-so we got in line. Seriously! Freezing!!

All of a sudden-Sal Garza from Fox 4 News came out!!

Naturally I heckled him until he took his picture with me.

Ha Ha--No one was bidding on Romo's locker.
Quit messing up the PlayOff Games Tony!! People might want your stuff!!

We got a Home Coach phone, a Star of turf and a wooden coaster thing.
Don't ask how much it was.

Naturally...I flag Sal down-yet Craig is on TV.
Sheesh...

Don't You Love...

2009-02-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

Don't you love lazy Saturdays???

Name the movies!!!
Hint-It's 2 different movies...

I Want To Be Like Teri

2009-02-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

Just some Random Pics!!!

My First Married Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

We started off Valentine's weekend by going to Monica's in Deep Ellum for dinner Friday night.

Valentine's Day came and we gave each other our gifts...
A heart with feet and a rose that lights up and plays music. Woo-Hoo!!

Little did we know my car would give a Tacky Valentine's Day gift...a flat tire.

Yes-this is my 3rd flat in less than a year. No I am not hard on my tires, I simply needed new tires about 2 years ago. As Craig said-I get my money's worth out of stuff!!

Craig threw on the spare (he's so good) and told me that I had to replace both back tires and not just wait for the other one to go flat. I reluctantly agreed and we were off to Discount Tires.

We dropped off my car and picked up MawMaw.
We gave her a plant for Valentine's Day and took her to Waffle Way for brunch before hitting Wal-Mart.

Ahhh...Wal-Mart with MawMaw.

Wait...what is that I see in MawMaw's cart? Do I see a 6 pack of beer?
Why MawMaw-when did you sneak that in?

In true Valentine's romantic form-we went to our storage unit and filled it up!!

Where to next you ask????
A Jennifer Aniston movie!!!! (Notice Craig's enthusiasm)

Side note-the clouds looked AWESOME on our way to the movie...

Yea Jennifer Aniston!!!

We ended the night at a wine bar in Grapevine.
Free Endorsement!!
D'Vine Wine in Grapevine offers 4 tastings and a glass for $11!! And the wine is great!!!

We're ready for St Patrick's Day now!!!!

I'm Needing Some Help Here...

2009-02-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is coming up. Fortunately-Craig and I have adopted our own style of celebrating.

Tacky Valentine's Day!!!

The rules are simply that you have to find the tackiest Valentine's Day gift ever. The best gift would be one found at a gas station at 6:00 on Valentine's night. The cheaper looking-the better!!

Last year Craig gave me a gummy tongue. I gave him a book of quotes that I actually wrote. This was considered tacky because he had briefly dated a girl who actually did this!! He found the book in a pile of stuff and showed me. It was hilarious!! "To Craig, from my heart to yours..." For those of you who know Craig-this is not a good gift. Especially since they only dated a total of 2 months!!

Moving on. I need some ideas. I think it's too late for something like this...

And I'm just not sure if this is tacky enough.

I also need ideas on what to do Valentine's night. What is a tacky way to spend Valentine's Day together? Bowling? Darts? Let me know your thoughts!!

Who Wants To See Wedding Pics!!

2009-02-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

I still have a few weeks until I get our Photographers pictures.

Until then, here are some pics I stole from Jill, Jennifer and Teri!!

2009-02-10T18:17:00.001-08:00

What exactly do you do once you're married and back from the Honeymoon?

The gifts are open, Thank You's are being sent, getting back into the swing of things...Now What?

Well...we decided to buy a car!

Here is a farewell salute to Craig's Alero...

Craig got this car in 2004. Well before we met.

This is the mirror I checked my teeth in on our first date.
That's right!! I pulled down his mirror and checked if I had anything in my teeth!! Classy!

The backseat.
Logan's carseat was back here (that's his Sprite from the wedding).
Ethan took a nap here on our way to the car show.
Claire would complain about not having enough room and jump into the front whenever possible.
Donna rode back here to pick up MeMaw from the airport last year for Spring Break.
I would sit back here on days we took MawMaw to Wal-Mart.

The sticker Ethan won doing the Fort Worth Maze at the StockYards when we met Angela, Zachary & Zoe for the day.

Cleaning out the trunk...

And one final look.

And Hello new Rowe Family Truckster!
Nice heated leather seats...

Four doors for when the 5 of us are all together.

And the car.

This wasn't our first choice, or even our fourth, but it's a good reliable car.

It's a 2008 Pontiac G6. I'm not a fan of the red, but this is Craig's car and he likes it. It runs great and has a quite a few nice features.

We had quite a bad experience purchasing it-so I would highly recommend NEVER buying a car from Nissan of Grapevine. If you do-Ray is great to work with. Stay far away from Ernest though. He is unethical and a bold faced liar. Then again, he is a used car salesman.

So that's our new old person car. We've had it for one week. Now who all can say within 2 weeks they got married, bought a car and turned 30?

Whew...I'm tired. Time to buy a house.

And I'm 30

2009-02-09T19:29:00.001-08:00

So...I turned 30.

It was a fun day...even though I had to work.
Craig had flowers delivered, I went to lunch with my parents before they left town, I talked with my sister and had a few texting conversations with friends.

I got home and this was there to meet me!!!

Hmmm...what could be in the big box Craig???

Why it's a new Dooney purse!!!

And for a non-fuzzy view.

We called the kids and I had a really good conversation with Logan.
We left soon after and headed to Nissan to get our check. (I'll blog about why later. Let's just say Ernest Brown III from Nissan of Grapevine is a horrible sales person and NEVER do business with him.)

Craig took me to Truluck's for dinner. We had the BEST seafood!!

Now-This is how I know my Husband knows me. He had planned on taking me to see Jennifer Aniston (whose birthday is in 2 days.) in He's Just Not That Into You!! But since Ernest is such a liar, we weren't able to make the movie in time. It's the thought that counts. I'm able to pull a rain check whenever I want though!!!

It was a great day!!!

Last Few Hours

2009-02-08T19:43:00.001-08:00

Well, just a few more hours of me on my 20's.

Here are my final pics...

Fare Thee Well Hawaii...Back To The Real World

2009-02-06T12:03:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, Friday came and brought our last day in Hawaii.

We started our day as normal, drinking coffee and watching the sunrise.

We went to a great local Breakfast place. Craig wanted some bacon and I had the best Spanish omelette I've ever had.

We came back to the resort to spend some time laying in the sun before we needed to leave.

Here is the Cabana outside one of the pools where we had Happy Hour.

Our new Beach Front Suite! Notice how big the balcony is!!

This is highlighting Craig's "RedNeck" he got from driving around all day.

Don't get any ideas ladies...this hairy mongrel is taken!!!

This little family of chickens wondered around everyday. It was too cute. They would come to the pool for water and would get very close to us.

With just a little time left before check out-we went and played on the beach!

Final view to my right...

Final view to my left...

And then we were off to catch our flight back to Dallas to start our lives as Man and Wife.

We had a great time on our Honeymoon and will return in the future!!

Until then-it's back to the real world.

Back to bills, jobs, deadlines, obligations and flat flat Texas.

We'll miss you Hawaii!!

Mr. & Mrs. Rowe

Oh What a Thursday

2009-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Thursday was mainly Craig driving...

And me taking pictures.

Seriously!! Chickens are EVERYWHERE!!!

We traveled up to see the Waimea Canyon.
Can you see Craig doing Yoga in the background?

Yes-that's a double waterfall!

What is all that fog you ask?

Why that's not fog...we're 5000 feet up! We're in the clouds!!

Heading back to the resort for a nice Happy Hour by the pool.

One last picture of us being happy. That will all change too soon.

After getting stuck in horrible traffic, Craig and I finally get back to the resort.

We get to our room-and the key doesn't work. Craig does the husband thing and goes down to the lobby to get to fixed. About 15 minutes later-Craig is being escorted by a Hilton manager and a Security Guard.

The very rude manager (Carol) tells us our card was declined. I explained that I gave the front desk person a different card from the one that the reservation was made under because I had cancelled that card. After a few condescending words-Carol took my credit card to verify and let us into our room.

I was furious and embarrassed at how Carol treated us. Apparently she was even more rude to Craig in the lobby. I go down to the lobby to make sure everything was ok-and because I was furious.

I walk outside and there is a Security Guard standing by our door. He radios to another Security Guard when I leave. Seriously!!

It turns out Hilton DID mess up and put us through that for nothing. I understand mistakes happen, but how Carol spoke to us and treated us was unacceptable.

Another manager, Grant, came out to talk to me. I explained everything and he said he wanted to make it up to us. Grant said he would contact us shortly.

We went back to the room-and watched the rainbow out our window.

Grant came back and brought us into this BeachFront Suite and told us we would be staying here for our last night. It was twice the size of our original room.

Not only did they upgrade our room-but they set up a Romantic Dinner on our balcony. He had 2 appetizers, 2 filet mignons, 2 desserts and a bottle of wine brought to us for room service. Grant is an excellent employee!!

No pictures please.
It's been a long day.

Dolphin Video

2009-02-04T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the video for what I mention below...

Kauai Wednesday

2009-02-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

Ahhh...Just Another Day in Paradise...

We started our Wednesday by drinking coffee and watching the sunrise.

Doesn't Craig look content?

Here is some coral Craig found on the beach. We brought it home for a fishtank!

Today we hit the island. No map...we just drove.

Seriously! Chickens and Roosters EVERYWHERE!!!

Then we hit our sunset dinner cruise. The area behind is where Fantasy Island was filmed.

We saw several Humpback whales on our cruise.
We also got caught in a pid of spinner dolphins. I posted our video above.

The cruise got a little long, so we just took pictures of each other.

Then watched the sunset. Ahhh...

We headed back to the resort and stayed there that night.
We bought some orange juice and took our champagne down to the hot tub for some soaking and Mimosa's!! It was a great end to a great day!!!

Stay tuned for the drama that happened on Thursday!!!

And The Winner Is....

2009-02-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

In talking with Angie last night, I realize I had not posted who the Grand Prize Winner was of the Where In The World Are Craig and Susan contest!! I guess I've been too busy begging for wedding pics to post and adjusting to non-island life.

Are you ready for who the winner is?? As I stated before-there are 2 Grand Prize Winners. And they are...

Miss Lucy P. and Miss Foxy Lady!!!

Why are there 2 winners you ask? Well, Miss Lucy was the only person to guess the specific 2 islands. But Miss Foxy opened up the door to Hawaii. Both ladies will be getting a grand prize that will be posted about in a few short days.

Thank you to everyone who played!! That was fun for me! And it was VERY hard not to tell people where we were going on our Honeymoon!!! Stay tuned for more pics!!!

Kauai Tuesday

2009-02-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we said good-bye to Honolulu....

Took a candid pic of the Newlyweds...

And flew into Kauai!!!

This island is not nearly as touristy as Honolulu and is GORGEOUS!!

We found our resort...

Our room...

And our view...

And there was a chicken walking around...they're everywhere!!!

We went to their Happy Hour for $3 Mai Tai's
And this bottle of Champagne was in the room for the Honeymooners!!

So we headed to our Lanai (happy Teri?) to watch the sunset.

We decided to stay at the resort and have dinner and more Mai Tai's!!

I switched over to wine though...

Craig grabbed the camera on the way back to the room.
He took a picture of himself...

A flower...

And us by some fire.
So Random.

Stay tuned for Kauai Adventures!!!

For Mary Ann

2009-02-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

I don't have very many pics of the wedding yet. Our photographer won't have them to us for another 4-5 weeks. So until then...here is a pic of Teri and I at the reception.

Photo Courtesy of The Great Lee Williams

Oahu Monday

2009-02-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

We started off our first full day in Hawaii by drinking coffee and watching the sunrise on our balcony. With a 4 hour time change-being up early was not a problem.

We then hit the road to Diamond Head and hiked up to the top...while wearing flip flops.

Basically you hike up a hill, take a set of 60 stairs, another set of 70 stairs and then the final set of 90 stairs. It's gets a little tiring.

And here is the view from the top. Craig actually took this picture because I was off in a corner complaining about it being hot, too many bugs and too many people. Go figure.

We then just randomly drove around and stopped at cool looking spots.

Which lead us to Hanauma Bay...

A cool ocean side view...
Yes that little white spec is Craig.

And Rabbit Island.

Craig was good and took pictures on the little camera...and carried my purse.

He's such a good husband...

We stopped for lunch...and my Sister-in-Law Angela called!!

You can see how excited Craig is to be on the phone while on our Honeymoon.

Next...the nice scenic drive to The PunchBowl.

The PunchBowl is the military cemetary on a huge hill overlooking Honolulu.

I took pics with my big professional camera!

I was amazed by how beautiful the trees were...

And they all had a yellow ribbon tied around them.

Once I was done taking pictures, Craig pulled out the map to find La Mariana for drinks at sunset.

La Mariana is a local place we saw on the TV show No Reservations. Craig located it and we went there for drinks at sunset.

This is such a cool place. It's right at the Marina and has been here for decades. They are one of the last places to serve Tiki Drinks. We got quite a few dirty looks for looking like tourists. This was definately a 'locals only' place.

We just sat back and watched the sunset...

The Rowe's!!

Ahhhh...Bliss

Stay tuned for Tuesdays Adventures!!

A Week to Remember...

2009-02-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

One week ago today Craig and Susan Rowe took off on their Honeymoon.

We left the Hilton Sunday morning and headed to DFW airport for our 8 hour flight to Hawaii.

After 2 movies, 3 magazines and quite a few bored moments on the plane...we started our landing in Honolulu.

Pearl Harbor

And we're here!!!

We stayed at the DoubleTree Hotel & Suites in Honolulu.
Here is our tiny room...

And here is our AWESOME balcony!!!

That night we headed out and had Mai Tais!

Craig especially loved them. Check out the ring!!!

Stay tuned for the rest of our trip!!!

Drama In The Islands

2009-01-30T15:10:00.001-08:00

And of course there is drama...which has caused the lack of posting. Everything is fine, and I will explain it all later.

Until then--I have 2 Grand Prize Winners!!!!! I will formally announce them sometime this weekend. Time to fly back home!!!

Oahu Confirmed

2009-01-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

Oahu is confirmed! Craig and I flew in there Sunday evening. We drove around and flew out yesterday afternoon. The first shot is us leaving Honolulu. The next shot is us flying into our new location!

As for the contest...the first person to guess which two islands we went to will win the Grand Prize!!!

Our resort/hotel gave us a bottle of Champagne since we are Honeymooners. We stayed in and watched the sunset last night from our balcony. This morning we watched the sunrise from our balcony.

While watching the sunrise...Craig spotted 3 whales!!! We saw them actually jump out of the water. I saw a few flippers and a few whale heads. Craig saw more of their bodies. It was AWESOME!!!

Now...Where In The World Are Craig And Susan?

2009-01-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well I guess you guys are better than I thought! Or maybe I shouldn't have posted a picture of the skyline. Either way-no one has won yet!!!!

The Grand Prize Winner will be announced once we return. Remember-it's Where In The World Are Craig & Susan...we might be going to a few different locations! You never know! In order to be a Grand Prize Winner...you must be able to tell us where we were. Keep watching the blog for clues...it's a great prize!!!

And FYI Miss Angela M...we are not staying at that hotel!!! Nice try though!

And We're Off!!

2009-01-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Ahhh Married Life...Ain't it grand?

Well, so far it is!!

Ok Honeymoon Contestants!! It is officially time to play Where In The World Are Craig and Susan!! I know you have all been anxiously awaiting this time. There is a big prize for the winner!!

I will no longer be posting word clues...it will only be photos. Good luck!!

We actually do already have one entry!! Miss Foxy Lady from Arkansas has guessed Hawaii. Great guess...but it is unfortunately not specific enough. If you would like to guess Hawaii, you will need to name the island we are on. If your guess is Australia, you need to guess the city we are in. If your guess is New York, which burrough are we in. I need specifics here people!! This is a great prize!!!

Now guess away! We're off to take more pics. Enter as many times as you would like!!

Honeymoon Contest Continued!!!

2009-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

Ok kids!!! Are you ready for Hint #2????

I hope Hint #1 wasn't too much of a giveaway. Remember to post your answers in the Comment section...and answer as many times as you would like!!

Hint #2
We will be renting one of these...

Disclaimer...the background is not a hint as to where we're going. This is an image I found on Google Images.

Rubbing Your Nose in It

2009-01-14T05:18:00.000-08:00

Who knows what this picture means??

That's right! I got an iMac!!!

Well, let me correct that statement. WE got an iMac.

Craig's brother-in-law, Steve, called and asked us to come over. Then Craig's sister, Donna, called and said they had something they wanted to rub our noses in.

'Great' we thought. We already can't spend money due to our Honeymoon coming up next week...and now they're going to brag about something. Maybe it's a new car, Maybe is a new dog, Maybe they're moving into a new house.

Nope!! As a wedding gift they gave us an Apple computer. It's AWESOME!!! And not only did they give us the computer...but they uploaded movies and put pictures from the past 10 years on there. These are pics Craig had forgotten about. And trust me...you the reader will be seeing a few of them posted here. Craig really wasn't into fashion back then...

So shout out to Donna and Steve for a very thoughtful and MUCH appreciated gift! We love you guys!!

The Honeymoon Contest!!

2009-01-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

As anyone who reads my blog knows...I'm getting married VERY soon the Mr. Craig Rowe. In fact, we got our Marriage License this morning. Talk about reality setting in!!

In addition to being excited about getting married...we are SUPER excited about our Honeymoon! Where are we going? Well that's up to you the reader to find out!!!

Starting Sunday, January 25th I will be hosting a Where In The World Are Craig & Susan contest. I will post video, photos and/or hints about where we are located. The first reader to post in the Comment section where we are specifically will win a GRAND PRIZE!!!

Now a specific answer does not mean the name of the hotel, the longitude & latitude coordinates or anything like that. But answers need to be more specific than Europe, Mexico, United States, North Pole.*

With this being said, I will give the official first hint at where we are going:

Hint #1
We are taking an airplane to get there.

I hope that doesn't give it away too much. Now keep tuned in!! I will be dropping a Hint here and there before we leave. You don't want to miss out on the GRAND PRIZE!! (It's a good one too!! And can be utilized anywhere in the nation!!)

Please read often and submit as many guesses as you wish!!!

*The examples used are purely examples. They are in no way a hint toward where we are going. Please do not factor them into your answers.

Exposaroonie is Back!!

2009-01-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

Exposaroonie has been back for a little while now, but I haven't had enough time to enter a submission. Yes I know they are giving more time now, but come on. We just had the holidays and I'm getting married in 15 days-time is precious right now! :)

The Challenge this week was best of 2008. This was easy!! I got my new Canon this year and have been a photo shooting fool ever since! And then when you combine a new camera with a trip with Craig (my fiance!), a Girls Trip to San Francisco and 3 gorgeous and highly photogenic future step kids...who wouldn't want to share their pics?!?!?!

Here are a few of my top favs of 2008

A Wounded HeRowe

2009-01-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

Craig and I met in March of 2007. This first year was the Craig Drama Year. He was sick and close to pnemonia for close to 3 weeks, got a new job, his children moved to Florida, and we found 2 different medical problems (everything is ok). Luckily the medical issues explain his random dizzy spells. Sheesh.

2008 proved to be the Susan Drama Year. I got in a car wreck which lead to having my first concussion. I had to have emergency Wisdom Teeth removal and was sick for the 2 weeks around Christmas. While it's not as much as Craig's Drama...it was enough.

So...2009 is here. And Craig cut his finger.

In case anyone was wondering...never open a bag of carrots with a very sharp knife.

We thought it might not be that bad...

But we still went to Minor Emergency, just in case. Since Craig is an IT guy, he needs his fingers. Plus we didn't want him getting an infection so close to the wedding and Honeymoon.

That's right! Eight stitches!! If you're gonna get cut-might as well do it right!

Let's all hope this is the most drama for 2009!!!

New Year...New Blog Post...New Look...

2009-01-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Ahh New Years Eve. Always a special time of the year.
We did it Fort Worth style this year.

There was:

My Maid of Honor Angie

My handsome fiance Craig Rowe

That Julie chick :)

And Kim and Connor. Next year Conner gets to celebrate outside of the womb!!

I Knew From the Start...

2008-12-18T09:15:00.001-08:00

My first conversation with Craig lasted around 6 hours. Seriously.

Within the first hour he had asked me out for that Friday.

Within the third hour he asked me out for that Saturday also.

By the end of the conversation he told me:

"You better watch out! You might have a boyfriend by the end of the week!"

I knew he was into me from the start. I mean-just look at how he looks at me...

Age Broken Down...

2008-12-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, there is a 7 year age difference between Craig and I.

It looks fine now that we're grown up, but it's a different story when we were younger.

Take a look...

Office Holiday Party

2008-12-08T09:49:00.001-08:00

Our boss won't let us have a Christmas party this year because we have not gotten our Daily Reports in as we promised. You would think since we got Branch of the Month he would cut us some slack, but no.

So we just sat in our cubes and tried to have fun instead.

Seriously...I stare at this for 8 hours a day.

And then there's Teri...

She was our friendly photographer.

Cheese!!!

New Blog...and a little bit of Jelly.

2008-11-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

I have a new blog!!!

Check it out...

http://rolsenphotography.blogspot.com/

I will be using this as a portfolio for potential Freelance work. So please feel free to give feedback and share with others!!!

I'm Getting Married!!

2008-11-19T07:09:00.001-08:00

So...I'm getting married!!!

Yes I realize everyone knows that, but I had my Bridal Portraits done this past weekend and it got me even more excited about the wedding!!

I can't post pics of the portrait session because my fiance reads my blog. So until then, here are some other brides!!

And of course...

Best of the Favs...

2008-11-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

Ok...here are my last pics from San Francisco.

Can you tell I had a great time?!?!?!?!

Here are the Best of my Favorites...

2008-11-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is Susan

This is Susan on Spray Tan

Any Questions?

Part 3

2008-11-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Ah! Even more pics from my San Francisco trip.

Now I know everyone likes looking at pictures of me and my friends. That is why I post so many.

Oh THAT'S why people always ask if we're sisters!!

Part 2

2008-11-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

The Girls had a Photo Hunt for me for the party.
They gave me a list of 25 things to find and take pics of.
(Thank you Foxy for the help!!)

4. Mimic a statue or have someone else mimic a statue.

7. A cable car full of people.

9. Something that reminds me of Craig and my first date.

20. Black and White.

To Be Continued...

San Fran Baby!!!

2008-11-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Bachelorette Party!!!!

The girls got together in San Francisco for my Bachelorette Party.
While I get my camera ready, here are the girls!!!!

Meet Angie.
Angie is the host of this event.
She sells toys for a living and enjoys spending time in wine country.

Meet Jill.
Jill is an LA woman with a passion for life.
She enjoys her dog Angel and planning her wedding in July.

Meet Katy.
Katy is an aspiring actress/singer with a strong love of cats.
She is married to a rock star drummer and will soon be in Narnia movies

To Be Continued...

Us Dancing

2008-11-02T10:59:00.001-08:00

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The Kids Dancing

2008-11-01T14:50:00.001-07:00

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Uh Oh...Susan Found a New Toy!!!

2008-10-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Good Bye Old Boring Pics!!!!

Hello Cool Looking Pics!!!

Not only can I make collages...

But I can do all this cool stuff too!!!

More to come....

Date Night!!

2008-10-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

Craig took me on a date the night. Isn't he sweet!!

He took me to Jersey Mike's....one of my FAVORITE sub places.

But he said it was To Go...where are we going???

I guess it's an adventure. How exciting!!

Well let's Roll Rowe!!!

He took me to Founder's Plaza!!!

Where we ate dinner...

And watched planes land!!

You can hear the Control people talking on loud speakers.

Too cool.

Then we went to see Max Payne, but my camera battery died.

Craig decided it was the best date ever and that he's 'The Man'

Where's Waldo

2008-10-22T07:12:00.001-07:00

Did you ever play Where's Waldo?

Well this is Where's Susan!!

I've been working on a project that has taken up a lot of my free blogging time. Which is why the blog has been so boring lately. So today I decided to post some group pics and see if you can pick me out in them. As you know-I'm narcisstic. To make this a little harder and a lot more entertaining-I've posted OLD pictures.

Now these are all scanned-so no comments on the poor quality of pictures.

Have fun!

Texas State Fair

2008-10-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Craig and I went to the Texas State Fair last week. This is a huge tradition in Texas.

There's Big Tex

And corn dogs

I found Tyra

And yes, that is Craig standing in line for Chicken Fried Bacon

Ugh...gross

We rode the Texas Star. It's 20 stories high!

Note-if you do not have children-go on a week night. There are no crowds and it is much more enjoyable. And if you do have children-you might want to cash in your 401k before you go. Craig and I dropped some cash there and barely did anything. We rode 2 rides and had dinner. That's it!! You gotta love inflation!

Perhaps Video??

2008-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

I might give video blogging a shot. I'm not sure if I'm uploading things right though.

Here's a video I did of Logan a little over a year and a half ago.

I'm Soooooo Narcissistic!!

2008-10-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

A blog I follow is doing Daily Me. She is takes a picture of herself everyday and posts it on Flickr. This goes on for 1 year.

I decided I love this idea. I'm getting married in 13 weeks (yikes!) and thought this might be fun to look back on. You know-the different stress levels.

I won't be posting these to my blog daily, but thought I would post the first one for fun. Enjoy and let me know if you do Daily Me also!!

Oh-yes I am trying to be artsy, did it work?

Five Random Pics

2008-10-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

So...I'm blocked.

I have no clue what to write about, but I still want to blog.

So instead of being creative or interesting, I decided to pick 5 pictures at random. Here we go!!!

Fathers Day 2007. Guitar Hero was a HIT!!!

January 2008. Craig as Venom.

Claire at the Mosli Museum in Tampa

San Francisco 2007

Katy, Angie, me and Jill in Vegas 2007

I want a Puppy!!

2008-10-10T08:13:00.001-07:00

I want a puppy.

I have wanted a puppy for a long time now. Craig and I came close to getting one a few different times, but it seems like life kept getting in the way of getting one.

As of now Craig and I are talking again about getting a puppy. However, we are wanting to wait at least until we have a backyard. We feel a puppy would enjoy being able to run around without a leash. Who knows-we might even get two puppies!!

Here are my top 2 choices for my puppy.

The Puggle

English Bulldog

Just in case you were wondering just how cute an English Bulldog was grown up.

2008-10-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Craig and I went to the Cowboys game last Sunday against the Bengals.

It was awesome!!! My first NFL game!

First we tailgated in our own way...

In the comfort of a nice Civic...

My second time to the stadium.
My first time was a Jimmy Buffet concert at Stephanie Gibbs Bachelorette Party.

And away we go!!!

I need a better zoom...but there's Romo!

Great game Boys!!! Thanks for winning for me!!!