Picture Perfect Weekend (With Hardly Any Pictures)

This past weekend we had my Mom and Dad in town and we had such a fun time all together!  I hardly took any pictures {which I feel terrible about, but I'm getting used to this blogging thing after a month hiatus} but that doesn't mean we didn't have a wonderful time!  Dad and Mom arrived late Thursday night and after my half-day of work on Friday, Mom and I went to lunch at Olive Garden.  We met up back at the house to rest before dinner at BRGR in the Village.  We love BRGR and were excited to take Dad and Mom there.  We got there early to beat the crowd (that place is always so busy!) and had a great time talking about our upcoming trip to New York City!  After dinner Dad, Mom and Leslie went to see The Hunger Games while Jay and I went to see 21 Jump Street.  We didn't really like our movie but it was a fun night out nonetheless.

Saturday morning we all slept in, Dad brought back some Panera treats for breakfast and then we got ready to go to the River Market!  It was a beautiful day and perfect for shopping at the farmer's market.  I picked up some seasoning, Leslie bought some produce, Dad got some fudge and also some Amish bread!  After shopping around, we ate lunch at Minsky's pizza and then walked over to the look-out/walking trail over the Missouri River.

Pretty tulips at my house {from Instagram}

Dad and Jay walking the bridge {also from Instagram}

After walking around at the River Market we stopped by Sonic and saw this fun truck all decked out at the Westport Flea Market!

After Sonic we headed over to the Plaza for some more shopping and walking!  We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening walking around and looking for good deals and special finds!  I finally found the circle leopard earrings I've been wanting at Francesca's!  Yay!  After a rendezvous at Starbucks, we headed over to American Apparel (Leslie's place of employment) for Friends and Family night where everything was 30% off!  Talk about good deals :)  After an exhausting day of walking and shopping {it's hard work, folks ;)} we ate a late late Bo Ling's take-out dinner and hit the sack!  Dad and Mom left early Sunday morning to head to Rogers and we were sad to see them go but we had a wonderful time together.

Sunday afternoon we met Rachel for a matinee movie (The Hunger Games!) and then met up with her hubby for some Mexican food at Chelly's Cafe.  So fun to them and spend some time together, too.  This week is Jay's last week of surgery rotations and another normal week for me.  It's tough getting back into the work grind after such a fun and relaxing weekend but it makes us appreciate our time off all the more!

Jay Turns 26

Our lives have been quite uneventful lately which is why I have chosen to not bore you with every detail of it in the past weeks; however, there was a birthday in our household a few days ago - my hubby!  Jay turned 26 on March 16th and we had fun celebrating together!  He wanted a yummy steak for dinner so I made reservations at J. Gilbert's Wood Fired Steaks and Seafood.  We had only been there once before {and quite some time ago} so we were excited to try it out again.  Let me just tell you, J. Gilbert's did not disappoint!  We agreed that it had to have been one of the best meals we'd ever had!  They even gave us complimentary velvet cake for a birthday treat!  Here are a few snaps from the night:

Steak with mashed potatoes and lobster mac-n-cheese

Steak with scallops, sauteed spinach and wild mushroom risotto

I've been having fun on Instagram

After dinner {of course we hadn't had enough to eat already} we stopped by Jack Stack for our favorite dessert - bread pudding! - before heading home to open cards and presents!

Happy Birthday, Jay!  

Weekend at The Glen

This year we went back to Colorado Springs for the annual Navigators' Physicians Discipleship Conference (soon-to-be-named retreat) at the Glen Eyrie Conference Center!  We were so blessed to be there last year and we were so grateful to attend again this year.  It truly is a place where the Lord is present and the power of Holy Spirit will change your heart.  If you ever have a chance to attend a conference or retreat at the Glen, you. should. go.  Here's a glimpse into our weekend and part of what we experienced while there...

Our drive there:

We got to meet up again this year with Tim and Anna Dietrich and road trip together!

Maybe not the safest picture... but cute nonetheless!

2nd Annual Dietrich/Thorpe road trip!

Scenery

Watching the snow outside our window - it was so peaceful!

Snow on the pines

Scene on our way to the castle

Women's luncheon on Friday afternoon

My Pi Phi sister Chelsea and her 6-week-old son, Davis

Telling stories/chatting after the Friday night session

I love my husband so much!

{Wildlife and scenery}

 Scenery from our "Time Alone with God" - 

This is the part of the retreat when we all have a chance to spend some alone time with the Lord, praying, journaling, listening, reading the Bible, etc.  It is such a cherished time for everyone in attendance and something to look forward to every year.  The Glen is the perfect place to release all the distractions and focus solely on the Lord.

Picture in the Great Hall where all the sessions and worship were held

The girls - me, Anna, Susan and Chelsea

Last night

Sunday morning we were all making plans to come back again next year!  We are so grateful to be a part of this special group of people and to have this experience.  We look forward to more and more years at The Glen.

Weekend Fun

I got a little behind on blogging this week and now I'm feeling a little under the weather, but I'm making some time to document some weekend fun!  Last weekend I made a spontaneous trip with Rachel to NWA to see our good friend Lauren, her newborn, Ava, and then our families.  It was truly last minute but so worth it to see everyone and get the quality time together with Rachel on the drive there and back!  Thanks for driving Rachel!  Before our trip though, Jay and I went out with some church friends to celebrate Valentine's Day a little early.  The guys set up the date and we ended up going to Kyoto - our favorite Hibachi Grill and Sushi House!  We had such a fun time all together and definitely enjoyed the food and atmosphere!

Andrew, Leah, Jennifer and Jason

Our chef made a heart out of the rice!

Yummy sushi and my forever valentine :)

We left Saturday morning and were on the road after a quick stop at Chick-Fil-A and were in Rogers by mid-morning.  We stopped at Lauren's to see her and the baby and Jessica joined us, too!  We hung out and chatted til about noon then Rachel and I went our separate ways to spend the rest of Saturday with family.  It worked out great for everyone!

Lauren, Ava and me

Parker getting ready for the Hogs b-ball game!

Sweet baby girl - she looks so much like her brother!

Parker and Daddy

Angel in the making... Will she be a Pi Phi like her Mom and two aunts?

The girls!

After hanging out with Lauren and the girls, Allison picked me up for lunch at The Crumpet.  I didn't get a picture there, but we had a great time eating good food and talking.  We came back home to some rowdy and excited kids but just in time for naps!  After nap time, we got dinner ready and then made some Valentine's Day sugar cookies.

Lucy all smiles at dinner!

Rolling out the dough!

Cleaning up after cutting out

"Painting" with the icing glaze

Stew playing with Play-Doh!

It was a fun and fast day but I'm so glad we did it.  Rachel picked me up Sunday morning and we got back just in time for second services at our churches!  Great timing and good driving!  This week went by so fast so I'm not surprised I didn't make any time for blogging, but I hope you enjoy the pictures and we'll see you next time!

New York vs. New England

Last night was, of course, what some people consider the biggest football game of the year.  Last year our YAMs group got together and we did the same this year.  The Sterks so graciously hosted it again and we had a fun time watching the game, the commercials and fellowshipping with each other!  I was rooting for the Patriots, but I really didn't care who won in the end.  It was a good game with some great competition; but now we have to wait nearly 7 months for football season to start back up again.  Sad day.  Here are a few pictures from the night:

We got Dash all ready to go for the big game.  #83!?

Isn't he just the cutest?

Besties!

Michael and Jordan

Snacks and fellowship

Watching the game

Have a great week!