One Year Ago:

• My last name at work as Kristi S
• My best friends were flying into town
• I was stressed out trying to finalize last minute details for the wedding

What I've Learned Over The Year:

• It's much harder to fit Kristi M on all my paperwork
• Having everyone close to me at the wedding meant the world to me
• There was nothing to be stressed about - the day would turn out perfectly

Most importantly ..

Just when you think you can't fall any deeper in love...you do. And I did ♥

You see only 936 full moons in your lifetime. You live through only 312 seasons and you get only 88 weeks of paid vacation. What if you had the chance to see the world?

There is a show on the travel channel where one incredibly lucky couple is able to travel the world for 5 months. They are seeing the places mentioned in the book "1000 Places To See Before You Die." It's quickly becoming one of our favorite shows. We sit and watch in complete jealously of how lucky this couple is to live out our dreams of travelling to some of the greatest places on the earth.

Mike and I have both been fortunate to see many great places and experience new cultures. We've been lucky to travel as much as we do. Travelling is our one true hobby; our expensive hobby. The idea that an average person only receives 88 weeks of vacation is a daunting thought. How are we suppose to see the world in only 88 weeks? A better question is how do we see the world on our income?

This topic -- 1000 Places To See Before You Die -- will be an ongoing post on my blog.

Apparently a true addict would have slurped the diet coke off the floor.

Thanks for trying to make me feel better about myself :)

I lead a pretty clean life. Ive never been into drugs. I rarely drink anymore, and when I do it is in moderation (unless it involves fishbowls and then moderation is thrown out of the proverbial strip mall window). I don't smoke. Don't drink coffee.

My one vice in life - my one bad habit, is my addiction to Diet pop.

(soft drink
n. In both senses also called soda pop; also called regionally cold drink, drink; Also called pop, soda; Also called soda water, tonic.
A nonalcoholic, flavored, carbonated beverage, usually commercially prepared and sold in bottles or cans.)

My relationship with pop spans at least a decade. I always knew I had a problem with my love of diet pop. When you have to go to the grocery store simply to buy pop, you know you drink too much pop.

Tonight, I discovered that my addiction is real. I need to sit in a group of people, hold hands, chant and tell my story.

My name is Kristi, and I am a pop-aholic.

I went to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of you guessed it - Diet Coke. A brand new 2-Liter of cold Diet goodness.

Somehow, the bottle slipped out of my hands before I could open it, and it bounced across my kitchen floor. I picked it up and saw that yummy foam rising inside the bottle, but decided it wasn't enough to make it explode. Wait a few minutes, tap the cap, and I should be good to go. Right? So, I pointed the bottle towards the sink (just in case) and slowly unscrewed the cap.

Then, all hell broke loose. That Diet Coke blew up. I turned my head and tried to aim it into the drain, but it didn't stop the flow of foamy lava. I felt my t-shirt become saturated. It was unstoppable. Finally, the explosion died down and I stepped back to look at the damage.

My kitchen was COVERED with Diet Coke. Completely covered. The counter; covered. My stove; covered. The refrigerator including pictures Russell, Emma and Ethan drew; covered. The hardwood floors; a nice thin layer of Diet Coke.

And I knew my addiction was real when the first thing I did was pick up the bottle and look to see if there was any left to drink. I poured the last few ounces left over into my glass and drank it. Then I was ready to clean up the mess.

Mike and I ventured over to the East side of the state to visit his dad, Amy and the kids. It was the perfect day to spend outside -- sunny and 70.

Mike only printed one page of directions and as luck would have it the last few turns were on the second page. We twisted our way around the bends and corners before seeing a driveway down a beautiful street with bikes and toys on the driveway. When we heard a small child singing to himself in a big wheel and a cute little girl flying up and down the sidewalk on her two wheel bike, we knew we found the right house!

The kids were beyond excited to see us. Each one wanting to show off the house and why their bedroom was the coolest :) We spent some time coloring inside where the funniest conversation occurred.

Russell: I'm the first one done coloring
Emma: Because your scribbled
Russell: No I didn't
Emma: Yes you did -- in the face. And you only used blue for his clothes
Russell: Blue is my favorite color!
Emma: (covering mouth to speak to me) Kristi, I'm a quality color-er

I had to cover my mouth to hold in the laughter. Here is are a few quick, but not quality, picture of us in the craft room.


We then decided to walk to the playground so the kids could show us where they like to play, the swimming pool that holds 100 people, and the lake. It was a nice long walk. It's great to see how well they get along together. It's nice to see how much they want to show off to us. Each one tries to scream louder than the other in order to get our attention. I've never heard Mike or Kristi used more in my life. Here's a picture from Mike's phone. I cropped myself out since I hated how I looked.


When we got back to the house, Amy was back from running some errands kidsfree. We drank some "magic juice" and had great conversation before having a fun pizza dinner. Shortly after dinner, Emma donned her "pretty pretty" dress and showed us her dance skills.


They are coming to Grand Rapids for Mother's Day. The kids are excited to see us in "14 Days!" and truthfully we are counting down the days just like they are :)