The Ball Family

Long Time No See!!!

2010-03-05T10:53:00.001-08:00

So I have been so terrible about keeping in touch with the outside world.So much has been going on! I was reading Teri's blog about our fabulous vacation and realized in just a few short weeks, it will be exactly 1 year since I have blogged. Wow! Time sure flys. So to bring everyone up to speed (or to those who haven't deleted me since i have been missing in action), Keith and I moved from Las Vegas in July (sniff sniff). We moved to Oklahoma for a position Keith took with the Chicasaw Nation. Keith had been consulting for the nation for a year prior to our move and it just go to be too much with all the traveling so together we made the decision to move. I was not real happy about moving there for reasons that should be pretty much obvious. But as the supporting wife, I made the big move. I also started working for the company and really loved my job. I made some great friends there and felt a little more at ease with the decision (lets not get carried away though). After 4 short months in Oklahoma, Keith got a great opportunity in Denver, Co for a big casino company that has multiple properties accross the US. The opportunity came out of nowhere and was completely unexpected. We knew overall, this would be better for us and our future. I couldn't have been happier. Close to Lovell and close to Teri. Life was certainly turning around. So here I was again, packing up an entire house. Let me tell you, when you have moved as much as we have in a short amount of time, you begin to realize how much stuff you really DO NOT NEED! I have to say I was sad to leave my job and the friends I had managed to connect with in such a short time, but no one had to tell me twice to get packed. 4 months in Oklahoma was enough for me! Especially since we were leaving before tornado season! Good riddance!
Now we are happy in Denver. We have found a great home and although I miss Las Vegas, I finally feel like we can start building a family here. I will be sure to post pics soon!

Back in the Real World

2009-03-23T14:48:00.001-07:00

Keith and I just had the pleasure of spending the last two weeks in a tiny town in Oklahoma. Keith was there for work and so I decided to tag along so I wasn't with out him for two weeks. Let me tell you, it was a struggle! Just to give you an idea for all of you out there, the town we were in makes Deaver, Wyo look like a metroplolis. We get to our hotel and at first glance, it wasn't that bad. We walk in (us and two others) and we get the look of death from the front desk. They were so rude to us. I kindly asked if there was a work out facility in the hotel. The lady's response, "We have a treadmill, but it doesn't work." Hmmm... so the conlusion I came to was that there really wasn't a work out facility. Simple enough. While waiting, since were weren't aloud to check in till 3 (mind you we are in the middle of nowhere so I am sure checking in early wasn't a serious issue) Keith used the restroom. He comes out a little confused. His colleague, Skippy, went in after him. By his name, you could guess that he is a character. The funniest guy ever. He comes out and informs the rest of us that there are no paper towl dispensers, but simply a wash cloth, JUST ONE, that is to be used to wipe your hands. I am sure I don't need to go into detail on how disgusting that is. How many people used that? Sick! Moving on. So we get to our room, not too bad. I was beginning to think things were looking up. I glance down at my cell phone and it reads, NO Service. Perfect! I turn on the TV and I flip through C-span, Fox News, MSNBC news and then I get to five out of order channels and appear to be where I began. Awesome! I turn on the computer and apparently the hotel has a net nanny so I was unable to get to any site worth spending time on. How could it possibly get any worse!? Just as I said this, the microwave starting freaking out, beeping uncontrollably. I unpluged it and pluged it back in and to no avail, it did it again. I am beginning to think this is the Norman Bates hotel. I joked with Keith that I was going to jump out of the window to put myself out of my misery. I go to open it and it opens an inch. Everything was out of my hands. I felt so out of touch with reality that I couldn't take it. To top it off, through the course of the two weeks, we had to practiclly beg housekeeping to clean our rooms.
The two weeks sort of flew by despite all the wonderful entertainment. It was nice to be home and made me really thankful for civilization. If anyone is looking to spend two weeks of vacation, call me. I know this great hotel :)

Another Wedding

2009-03-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Keith and I attended our friend's wedding. I am a sucker for weddings. It brought back some cool memories since our wasn't that long ago. Keith was in the wedding so it was nice to see him in a tux again:) Apparently all of Keith's friends go for the young girls :) Keith and I are 11 years apart, but Brian and Lindsey take the cake with a 17 year age difference. Its so wonderful to see them together. They truly love eachother. Age definitely has no boundries. It was pretty funny during the ceremony, the minister was talking to Lindsey, "Now, Lindsey, you have your whole life ahead of you. Great opportunites..." When it came time for her to talk to Brian... SHE DIDN'T! I couldn't help but laugh. Of course after the wedding my hubby and their friend Kevin had to give Brian a hard time. Acting as if they were the minister, "Brian, you on the other hand, will get a great deal at the mortuary." It was so funny! Other than that, the whole event went well. Her dress was beautiful and we had a a great time. It was nice to relax because we both have been gone so much. Oklahoma, then we went to California, then I went to Wyoming, then we go back to Oklahoma tomorrow till the end of March then back to California a week later. WOW! We need to stay home!

Chris, Keith, Brian, and Kevin

Myself and Tracy. Her husband is Chris in the above pic. We knew no one so we were Bff's for the entire event

Lindsey and her dad. He was the coolest guy ever!

They make such a cute couple.

Whats a wedding with out the "Cha Cha Slide" haha

Clearly I was crazy by the end of the night

P90X: Fact or Myth

2009-02-06T18:13:00.001-08:00

This blog is in response to Miss Dana's blog. If unaware, visit her blog and read February 1st post.
I am sure everyone complains about this little 5 or 10 or heck, even 20 lbs that we want to lose. Its the same excess weight that we all have talked about losing for a while now. If this does not apply to you and you have no excess weight, stop reading now and eat a sandwich or two! If this applies, read on. I am a victim of this horrible dilema. Here is my dilema. I have wanted to lose the same 10lbs for ever! However, I love food. Not just food in general but the yummy food that is not good for you. Taco Bell, McDonalds, Teri's cooking. You get the point. How many of you are guilty of the new years resolution of going faithfully to the gym? If you are addicted to working out, stop reading and get a new freakin hobby! If your not and are lazy like myself, continue. I too fell victim to this New Years Resolution hype. Then one day it came to me! Keith presented me with the P90X.

It did not come to me in the informercial form such as Dana. However i have seen them and I am even now more convinced then I was before. How many of you have seen informercials for stuff like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. They have some overweight person, in a tiny swimming suit that is clearly 5 sizes to small for their body, they are not smiling and seem to be in bad light. "Nutri system changed my life." Suddenly there are tan, have new teeth and the light is perfect. Ever seen this? Ever read the "Results not Typical" at the bottom in the tinest print possible? yeah, me too! The P90X is pretty interesting. This work out routine is done strictly from home and extremely intense. Their infomercial does not contain the "Results not Typical" After seeing some of Keith's friends that have done the 90 day program, I am serisouly convinced. This works! Keith and I purchased it and begin on Monday. I am a little nervous because it is so strict, but I am so excited to see how we will look at the end! If it doesn't work then this may be me in a few years hahah!

I would be the human umbrella by the way!

The Woman with Two White Shoes??

2009-01-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

This morning I decided to make it to the gym. Keith and I got ready and headed over. I went to work out in the woman's gym while Keith headed upstairs. I hopped on the treadmill and about two minutes into my work out, I felt something a little funny on my left foot. Not thinking much of it and convinced it was my mind telling me that I needed to go home and be lazy, I ignored it. As I continued to run, I felt as if I was running lopsided. I happen to look down at my feet and what do I see: THIS!

Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture? Clearly one shoe is an athletic shoe and the other is just an old shoe that serves no purpose at all. How did I not notice this? I tied my shoes and got out of the house without being aware that I was wearing two completely different shoes. At this point, I was pretty embarassed. Not that anyone stares at your feet, but this was a little hard to miss. As I finished up my work out, I met up with Keith and notified him of what was on my feet. Do you know what he said?? "I noticed that when we were leaving the house and also when we were walking in to the gym, I just thought you were into a new fad you read in one of your magazines." I do have a subscription to US weekly, but has anyone ever heard of two different pairs of shoes being a fad? I could have died laughing that for one, I went out of the house looking like this and for two, Keith honestly believed I did this on purpose. Sweetie, I have lots to teach you about style and clearly someone needs to teach me how to dress myself!

Thanks alot Dad and Keith

2009-01-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

Keith got me a new knife set for Christmas. I was so excited because I was tired of having to strain through cutting cheese and bread. The minute I unwrapped the gift, Keith told me that I was going to cut myself. I don't blame him for saying it because I am sort of clumsy and tend to hurt myself all the time. Upon unwrapping the present, my dad called. I told him what Keith had got me and then my dad too said, I was going to cut myself. Am I missing something? I didn't realize I was that much of a hazzard in the kitchen. I thanked my dad for the confidence in me and I hung up. After that, I left the knives in the box and left them in the living room. Scared to touch them or even to look at them for fear I was going to slice my finger off. I continued to use my old, dull knives until one day I built up enough courage to use them. A bell pepper was sitting on the counter awaiting my arrival. I tackled that bell pepper and showed it who was boss with the new, ever so sharp knife. Until..... SLICE!!! Right through my middle!!! As I was standing there bleeding, I debated if I should even tell Keith I cut myself. Forget it, I needed help, I was about to lose my finger hahaha. Of course, Keith laughed at me (all in fun) then bandaged me up. He finished cutting the veggies. I was too scared. My next step was to call my dad and notify him of the situation. I said that he and Keith both cursed me and I will forever be scared to use the knives. Thanks alot fellas.

The Christmas Caper Part II Quest for the Jewlery Box

2009-01-04T15:57:00.001-08:00

So what I neglected to tell everyone was after I had proven my husband wrong about the where abouts of the infamous jewlery box, we were informed by the good ol' target personel that they were out of the one I wanted on top of all the others that were displayed. I asked him if there was another Target close by that had one. His reply: NO. I was a little upset that I had went to all this trouble, but what is that word to describe what just happened... Oh yeah... KARMA. I had given Keith such a hard time that I was now being punished. We checked another Target close to our house and they also didn't have one. For the next week, it turned into a conquest! I was bound and determined. It wasn't even about finding a home for my wonderdul Claire and Icing purchases, oh no, it was war! Target vs The Ball's. (gotta love our last name) Keith was even on board. Everytime we past a Target, it was impossible to just drive by with out going in. One day, we got lucky. I found it! It was glowing on the shelf. So beautiful in all its glory. It wasn't the original one I picked out and no longer on sale, but still mine to keep. We get the last one. We get it home, pull it out of the box and it looked to be already essembled and ready to go. Till we saw that the top where the mirror sits was not attached. The hinges in a small bag and the screws were the size of a fingernail. Guess who volunteered himself for the job? Keith! No excitement however. After much consideration as to what microscopic screwdriver it would take to screw these things in and after a few attempts, Keith cursed out Target for making the impossible impossible. I ended up laying the top on with out the hinges in place, found a home for all of my cheap jwelery and called it a day!

Movie Mishaps

2009-01-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

Upon meeting Keith, I soon realized that he is not much for TV or movies. I on the other hand, have seen about everymovie out there, including all the stupid ones which are the ones I rather enjoy. Since being with Keith, I have tried to bring him to my world of Hollywood entertainment.
One of my favorites that I enjoy whole heartedly is:
Now I know what you all are thinking. Why on earth would Keith ever be interested in this silly show. Well... your right. He hates this show and as a matter of fact, he will sit there and watch it with me to count how many times they say the word "Like" He has never sat through a whole episode because he can't take much more after five minutes. So I kinda understand why he doesn't give me much credit for picking out movies. Here are just a few examples of movies that he hasn't really enjoyed:

Just to list a couple. Now, I try not to discriminate against chic flicks so I feel I should try to see all of them and Keith just so happens to be my movie buddy. He on the other hand, doesn't share my enthusiasm. One day I was feeling real bad about never letting him chose so I handed the reigns over and this is what we ended up seeing:

Some of you may have thought this movie was great and I am sure it probably was if I had seen any other James Bond flicks. Since I haven't, I got a good nap in.
One bad pick after another, I was bound to prove Keith wrong that I could pick an excellent movie that both of us could enjoy. I think he was hopeful, but lacked confidence in my choices. I had heard good things about this new movie that just came out and when I described the plot to him, he gave me a look with one eyebrow raised said he would take one for the team yet again. Here was my pick:

It was a hit!!!Keith loved it even though it was 3 hours long. For those of you who haven't seen this movie or even go to the movies, I strongly encourage you to set a date nite and journey to your nearest cinema to check it out. Get plenty of snacks cause your in for a long nite!

The Christmas Caper

2008-12-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

I look forward to Christmas all year. I love the movies, the dumb music that gets played over and over again as soon as thanksgiving is near, the smells,and the yummy food. And just like that, its all done. A whole year of anticipation and preperation and what do you have to show for it. A MESS!! This year I decided to get a real tree. Keith knows that I am a freak about Christmas so he wasn't too suprised when I spent a lot of money on Christmas decorations to make my tree look like Macy's. It took like 5 hours to decorate it on top of most rooms in the house. The tree decorating was a story in itself. Not going to bore you with how many times the tree fell over as I was almost done decorating and how I had a nervous breakdown! Those details would be too boring. Christmas as our first married couple was important to me. I wanted to get Keith something I knew he would love. He had been talking about the new Hp I-touch computer, however, he mentioned he didn't want us spending too much money. Of course, I didn't listen and bought him the gift I knew he would love. I did my research and after another tragic story, I finally purchased the computer and hid it at work. Keith asked me for a list so he knew what to get me. On my list: (simply suggestions, not all to be purchased) a new knife set, new pots and pans, the Magic Bullet (research this item if you are unsure, you will want one for sure) bedding from pottery barn and at the very top of my list, highlighted and bolded, a new Jewlery Box! Christmas morning, I place the beautifully wrapped computer among other gifts which were on his list under the tree. We opened one at a time back and forth. I got my knife set, my pots and pans and of course the Magic Bullet. Hmm... No jewlery Box yet. Keith got his new work out clothes, a new belt, cologne and yet to be opened, the computer. I was sure the jewlery box was hidden somewhere. How could he not get the one thing I kept talking about? The look on Keith's face as he opened the Hp was the most amazing thing ever. He had no idea I got it and I was so proud of myself for actually keeping it a secret. I also couldn't stand it anymore. "Keith, did you get me the jewlery box?" I was still hopeful. He didn't. I wrote down on the list the color, the store to find it in, Target cause they have it all, and even the aisle to find it in. "Renae, I couldn't find it." was his response. Are you kidding me? Did you want me to just buy it and wrap it for myself? I didn't understand how he couldn't find it. Then i remembered why. He's a guy!!!! So today after 3 hours of cleaning up the department store tree, note to self, next year, buy a fake tree, I made Keith go with me to Target. The whole way there, he was trying to convince me that they didn't have it. I knew better and low and behold where was the jewlery box? Right where I said it was. He felt so bad and then I felt bad for being happy I proved him wrong. Dang it, why do I have to have such a guilty conscience. Hope everybody had a Merry Christmas and if you need a new jwelery box, I know just where to find one!!

I guess I have no Life!!!

2008-12-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

Let's See If I Have A Life...

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 of these films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up. Be honest. Have fun.
(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane!
Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
(x) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( )The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far:13

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
(x) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 23

( ) Harry Potter 1
( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 25
I have never seen a Harry Potter!

( ) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(x) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 32

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total so far: 39

( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
(x) Final Destination 2
(x) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 46

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 49

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 58

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
(x) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
(x) The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 61

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 69

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
(x) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
( ) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 76

( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
(x) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 86

(x) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
(x) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 93

( ) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
( ) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
( ) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
( ) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
( ) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 94

( ) Baseketball
(x) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
(x) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( ) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 98

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
( ) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 99

(x) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 102

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
(x) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 106

( ) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
( ) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
( ) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
( ) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 106

( ) The Matrix
( ) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total: 109

So it boils down to the fact that I clearly watch way too much TV!!!

Culinary Skills

2008-12-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

At my work for our Christmas party, we are doing a cookie or candy exchange. I decided that I should make fudge and carmels. Our oven is broken so cookies were not an option which I know for a fact I can excute those well. I call up my good ol friend Teri Jill and she gives me a simple carmel recipe and I found a simple fudge recipe off the internet. I was so excited to come home and get the party started in the kitchen. I started off by cooking the carmels. Recipe says to cook till hard ball stage. Hmm??? What the heck does that mean? I called Teri and she informed me and and also taught me the ice water trick. I got this!! I deciced in the essence of time, I would melt the butter in the microwave and pour it right in to the mixture. BIG MISTAKE!! I got oily, nasty, hard as a rock carmel. So needless to say, that didn't work. Carmel no longer edible or useable. As I was cooking the carmel, I decided to start on the peanut butter marshmellow fudge. Sounded easy enough. I had to double the recipes to ensure I would have enough for all my co workers, however, I didn't gage the butter. "Keith, would you mind running to the store?" Like a good husband, he did. Upon his arrival, I noticed that the fudge looked funny. I realized that I doubled everything but the marshmellows and the peanutbutter chips which I was now out of. "Keith, would you mind going to the store again?" And he was off again. At this point, I still didn't know that the melted butter trick was a bad idea so I used this method in the fudge. So now I have bad carmels and bad fudge. Third time is a charm. Chocolate fudge next. I had learned from my mistakes so I was sure I would get it right this time. WRONG!! I followed that recipe to a T and it still turned out bad. Guess I am headed to Costco to get some cookies. Glad Keith didn't want to marry a domesticated woman!!

Snow in Vegas... Believe it

2008-12-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Keith informed me yesterday that Vegas was suppose to get snow today. Of course I didn't believe him. As I was getting ready for work today, the radio announcer said Vegas was to get four inches of snow. Was this guy serious? Hello... we live in the desert. Keith and I live in the southwest part of Las Vegas which is close to Mt. Charleston (or what Nevada considers a mountain). As I left for work this morning, it was cold, but no snow. What do these announcers know anyway. I have lived here four years and I have yet to see snow. The closer I got to work, which is close to the mountain, the more I noticed that Keith and this radio guy may have been on to something. Sure enough, ten minutes after being at work, it started to snow and the flakes were huge. It didn't stop till around 9 pm. I couldn't believe it. My coworkers and I decided to go out and take some pics to mark the occasion. I figured it was good proof because I didn't know if anyone would believe me. Heck, its Vegas, I wouldn't have believed me.

Husband Tag

2008-12-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

5 Things he Loves
- Me!!!
- Italian food, he is outta control!
- Keith loves his work
- Florida Gators
- Candy!

5 Things on his to do list
- work is always on his to do list
- Christmas shop for me cause we are procrastinators
- Watch OU play Florida Jan 8th
- Get the oven fixed!!!

5 Foods he enjoys
- Italian!!!
- Mexican! We got something in common, hahaha
- Hamburgers
- Salad
- Tortilla Chips

5 Things you may not know about him
- He carries two cell phones at all times
- He is a practical joker even though he comes across quiet and shy
- He has to sleep with a pillow in between his legs
- He has his pilots license and is always asking me to go flying, but I refuse

5 Quirky things about him
- He has to layout all his bathroom supplies, (razor, shaving cream, cologne) before he will use them
- He has to change his clothes immedietly when we come home from an outing into someting more comfortable
- He is obsessed about watching Judge Judy, he has to DVR all episodes
- EVERYTIME he gets in the car, he lays his suit coat in the back seat, belts himself in then puts on his glasses! In that order, the routine never changes
- He will only drink his milk if the glass has been in the freezer so the milk stays colder

Your a funny guy and I love you!!!

2008-12-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

The Twelve days of christmas tag!

1 Embarassing moment: The first time I tooted in front of Keith!
2 Best Friends: Teri and Dana
3 Things I buy regularly: Gas and clothes hahaha
4 Places I want to go: Italy and New York at Christmas time
5 goals for the upcoming year: Lose this extra 10 lbs I have been complaining about for like 3 years. HAVE A BABY!!! there goes those ten lbs
6 things people don't know about me: I sleep walk, I secretly watch reruns of beverly hills 90210 and enjoy it! I sing very loud in my car. I count my steps in myhead as I walk (I am a freak) I actually cook very well!!!
7things i would never say: I have no shame, I say it all
8things i love about christmas: The lights, decorating the tree, all the movies you have seen for the past 15 years. The yummy food. The presents and seeing the looks on peoples faces when you get them something they really wanted.
9things i say to my kids: No kids, Next question
10 things i do a lot: Talk, vaccum, laundry, shop for clothes, get gas, shop for clothes, get gas, shop for clothes.... Do I need to go on
11 things i would rather not live without: Keith, my weave, running water, chocolate, being able to shop for clothes, family, pizza on the run (when I go home)
diet mt dew, blowdryer, makeup, electricity!
12 people I tag: Teri, Dana, Brook, Kara, Becky... Whoever else wants to. Do I even know 12 people hahahaha

Wedding Pics!!!

2008-12-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the wedding pics. We had close to 700 pictures so it was so hard to decide. My favorite is the one of Keith watching me walk down the aisle. He made me cry! Dang it!!!

Another Renae Padilla??

2008-12-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

So I was at the DMV today attempting to change my last name and make Renae Ball official. While I was there, I was informed that I had a suspended license and had a warrant for my arrest with several outstanding tickets close to 4000.00!!! What?? I told her there must be some sort of a mistake. The lady explained to me that my license had been suspended since April! I was never informed of anything. At this point I am completely confused and now I am freaking out. I had gotten a speeding ticket a year ago september and had it reduced to a parking ticket and paid 90.00. How could I be in this deep over that?? After leaving, I contacted my lawyer friend that had helped me get the ticket reduced in the first place and explained to him what the situation was. He was just as confused as me. He looked me up in the records and it said I was paid in full. The DMV wasn't going to reinstate my license till the matter was cleared. After some investigating, we soon discovered that there is another Miss Padilla in Las Vegas who is a bad girl!!! Her full name is Rena Renee Padilla. She is a big time trouble maker and her charges were being put on my record and my charges were on her record making her look like an angel and me look like a criminal. She as born in the same year as me and with matching last names and matching ID numbers except for the last three digits, she was my evil twin in Las Vegas causing me all this drama. We finally got the mess cleaned up and the DMV was able to change my name. People beware, you may have an evil twin out there!!! HAHAHAHA

Thanksgiving Trip

2008-12-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

Keith and I decided to come to Denver for Thanksgiving to see Teri and Dana. Living in Las Vegas makes me realize how far away I am from everything and all the people that I believe to be awesome. Coming to visit them is always so fun and it doesn't matter how much time has passed, you just pick up right where you left off. I am sure all of you have great friends like that. Keith and I got to go with Teri to see Justin off before he left for Afghanistan. It truly makes you realize how important family is and how great it is to have the kind of friends that will be there for you when times are the toughest. Teri is a strong woman. I am greatful to have her in my life. Dana, if and when you read this blog, your amazing too and I couldn't imagine us never talking or losing touch. You make me laugh and I always know when I need a pick me up, you are right there with a dumb remark:) Not trying to be sappy, just wanted to express my gratitude to these two amazing people. Thanks for everything.

No Pics Yet

2008-11-29T17:38:00.000-08:00

I feel as if I have retired from the blogging world. I guess nothing too interesting has happened.... Oh wait... there was that whole wedding thing. HAHAHA. I am so sorry to inform you of the fact that I have yet to recieve a single professional wedding pic yet. I am beginning to wonder. I have a picture that was taken by "Big Chris's camera so that is about all I can post at the moment.
As for anything fun, sorry to inform you my blogging friends, nothing yet. I didn't however make a fool out of myself a few weeks ago. Allow me to explain. I decided to get my sister this funny bday card and was careful in planning to ensure it would be there for her to have exactly on her birthday. I was so proud of this card I had picked out, mostly because it was kinda mean and if anyone knows me and my sister, we tend to do things like tihs to eachother. Keith and I were leaving town a few days before her bday so I filled out the card in a hurry, stuck it in the mail and away we went. For days, I waiting for my sister to text me to chew me out for sending her the card, but I also knew she would get a kick out of it. Everyday I was dissapointed. What the heck is going on with our mail system? It couldn't possibly take 6 days to get from Vegas to Lovell. When Keith and I returned home from our trip, he checked the mail and what does he put on the counter? Yep you guessed it. The dang bday card. I looked at it and couldn't for the life of me understand why it didn't get to good ol L' Town. "Keith, I am tired of that dang post office!! I am going to go down there and give em a piece of my mind." Keith just looked at me as if I was an complete idiot. What the heck was the problem. "Renae, do you see anything wrong with the card?" I carefully examined the letter and found everything to be as it should. "No!!!" Just then, Keith grabs the card and points out to me that I mailed it to us and put my sister as the sender. Well crap! I still think I should go yell at the post office for not noticing that hahahaha

Sorry no pics!

2008-10-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Okay so I would have posted some wedding pics if I had some! The photographers said it would be 6 weeks. Really? The suspense is killing me. I want to see them so bad.
I might as well tell everybody how amazing the wedding was. It was just as how I imagined it. I will post pics as soon as I get them. The decorations and the flowers were so beautiful. I wouldn't have changed a thing. I was happy all my friends could be there to share the day with me. It meant a lot! Thank you to everybody!
Now Keith and I are just getting back to living. No more stresses of family, wedding planning, and accomodating. Married life is great and I am so happy I got to marry such a wonderful man. He is everything I could ever want. It took me a while to find him, but now he is stuck with me!

I am still alive!!!

2008-09-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am out of commission till Sunday. I get married in less then a week and so I will post next week. Love you all!

I have been tagged!!

2008-08-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

A little about me...
What are the last 3 things you purchased?
*A stupid tank of gas
*Hamburger for hamburger helper cause I am such a chef
*Stamps for my wedding announcements

What are the last 3 songs you downloaded?
*Anybody who knows me knows that I am freak about 80's

What were the last 3 places you visited?
*In Denver as we speak with the Ter and Dana
*Keith's parentals in Florida
*California! I love it there

What are your 3 favorite movies?
*Dumb and Dumber
*The Dark Knight was amazing
*Sixteen Candles cause again, I am a freak for 80's

What are your 3 favorite possessions?
*Keith's man hood
*My elliptical that I don't use
*My new cool sway chair in our room

What are your 3 wishes?
*That I could finish the twilight series so dana will get off my back
*That Dana will stop talking about the twilight series
*That Dana will stop reading 55 books a week

What are 3 things you haven't done yet?
*Finished the twilight series so Dana will get off my back
*Accomplished the highest level of coolness by reading 55 books a week like Dana
*Conquered guitar hero so I can be as cool as dana

What are your 3 favorite dishes?
*Pizza from Pizza on the Run
*Chinese food from China town in Powell
*My own homemade meatloaf

What are 3 things that freak you out?
*Snakes! Hate em!!!
*Old food left in the fridge
*Being home alone at night

Name 3 things you are good at?
*Complaining to keith about dirtying 300 cups a day
*Setting a goal to work out and watching tv instead
*Taking multiple naps a day even when I haven't done an ounce of work to deserve a nap

Name 3 things you are currently coveting
*To not have a debt after my wedding
*Endless amounts of clothing so I can wear a new outfit everyday
*A new car

3 bloggers I tag
*Nina
*Kara
*Becky

Florida, wedding planning, and HEADACHES!

2008-08-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have been so bad lately on posts. I have just been so busy and preoccupied. Okay, so first things first. Keith and I went to Florida a couple of weeks ago to vistit his parents. We got to see so many things and had so much fun. We went to the Kennedy Space Center and I got to learn so many neat things from his dad. His dad use to work for Nasa and was in charge of the rocket program. He was there for the first ever space launch and the first man to walk on the moon. It was great to be able to talk to someone who has seen so many amazing advances come to pass.

After a 9 hr tour of Nasa, we decided that another 9 hr adventure was necessary so we decided the next day to go to Disney world. Now, I am sure the majority of you have been there, but if you haven't, let me tell you that you need a freakin week to see everything. I had been to Disney Land so the logical park to go to seemed to be Epcot Center. Other than a million kids annoying me and everything costing your left kidney, it was a lot of fun. We had the luck of getting rained on, but out of nowhere, Keith's mom suddenly had two umbrellas. Do not ask me where she got them. They just magically appeared. The woman was obvisouly prepared. There were some cool things to see so for those of you that want to go, be sure to save up serious dinero and pack umbrellas.

The last excursion was scouting out some gators. Let me tell you, I was in a mission to spot a big one. We decided to go on a airboat ride to try to get a good look. We saw some huge ones that I know for sure could have ate me up. Kinda creepy to see them, but way cool. The little guy that I am holding was named Hollywood and he was out of control. That could be why his mouth was ruubberbanned shut. I liked my fingers and wanted to leave with all ten.

Okay, so now for the wedding planning. Let me just tell you, I am over the whole wedding planning. Not only is it draining to put it all together, but it's EXPENSIVE! They want to charge me for everything. Its outragous what they want to get you for. "Sure you can bring in your own cake, however we are charging you a cake cutting fee." "No problem if you want to bring in your own photographer, but there is a fee for that as well.'' Next thing I know they are going to start charging me for the stinkin toilet paper in the bathrooms. For the money we are shelling out, this wedding better be prestine! Which leads me in to the headache part. I am glad that we have less then two months. I am so excited and couldn't be happier to FINALLY be getting married, but eloping would have been so much cheaper. HAHAHAHAHA .

BBQ beef Nachos in Vegas?

2008-08-06T10:25:00.001-07:00

Who here remembers how good BBQ beef nachos from saveway are? Thats the one thing I miss living here in Las Vegas is all the yummy food from the Saveway lounge. My sister and I stumbled upon a close second to those infamous nachos. I couldn't believe it. I just happened to know the restaurant manager and I made sure to tell him that his chef needed to stop steeling Wyoming's secret recipes. It was way too funny.

We decided afterwards to head over to the Venetian to the celebrity wax museum. If no one has ever been, it's really neat. The figures are to actual size and shape and so it was interesting to see just how much taller I was than close to 99 % of all the celebrities, for an exception of John Wayne and Shaquil O'Neal. We got some fun pictures and it just made you realize how much of a rail you have to be to be on tv. I was blown away at how tiny most of them were. Just about everyone you could think of was there.

Diets!

2008-07-18T15:02:00.001-07:00

For those of you that didn't know, I resigned from my job at the mirage the 1st of June for reasons that I will explain later. Ever since then, I had all these ideas of fun things I would do to occupy my time. I was going to start scrapbooking all of my pics that are just sitting in a pile. I was going to take a kick boxing class. Most of all, I was going to try to get into major shape since i have all this time on my hands. I had intentions on going to the gym five days a week and was going to try my hardest to eat healthy. NOT!!!!! I am so lazy. What excuse do I have now? I can't say I am too busy because I have NOTHING TO DO! Explain to my why when you go on a diet, you natrually crave all the filthy, unhealthy food that you know you can't have. Let me give you a few examples:

Do these items look good to you? They sure as heck look amazing to me. This is the kind of junk I crave all the time!!! So to help me stay uninfluenced, I was going to hire a personal trainer to set me up with a meal plan and keep me on track so I can get a trained booty. Let me give you a few examples of the new diet:

Do these items look good to you? I can't say they look all the appealing to me. Hopefully this personal trainer whips me into shape and it better be worth it for having to eat this garbage. I know some of you are looking at the veggies and you are thinking that it looks fresh and yummy. I hate you guys! Why can't I enjoy these foods!!!

Puppy!

2008-07-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

For months I have been trying to convince Keith to let me get a dog. No easy task. I have tried to make deals, begged in a pathedic fashion and he is set on no. His reasoning: Poop all over the place. Usually the dog subject is followed by the baby subject. We both can't wait to have one, but what I can't seem to understand is how he he says no to a dog for the fact that they poop everywhere, but doesn't a baby poop too? Hmm..... I have mentioned this to him before. I have to laugh everytime we discuss it because maybe he doesn't seem to realize that babies do more than poop. I have tried to convince him to get a small dog, big dog, hire a pooper scooper, hire a trainer. I am out of ideas. He asked me if there was a dog that didn't bark. What?? Is he serious? He counteroffered me by saying that when we have a baby, then we can get a dog. The order of things seems to be a little backwards. Someone please convice him that I need a dog!!!

Keith's Birthday!!!

2008-07-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Keith's birthday. We got a bunch of our friends together and had dinner at this yummy brazilian restaurant. My girlfriend was in charge of getting the cake and she did a great job. If you can't quite see what is written on his forehead: "I Love Renae" It was way too funny. We all had a great time!

For the actual day of Keith's birthday, I planned a suprise to trip to Mt Charleston. This is what Nevada considers a mountain. I had carefully planned all the details and had the car all packed up. All Keith had to do was get in the car. We were on our way until I realize I had forgotten on very important detail. The Directions! After heading the wrong way, Keith figured it out and put me on the right track. Shoot!

We arrived at our hotel which was a old style cottage type of a place. We unloaded, grabed a bite to eat. We were anxious to get out and explore the area. Our activity was put on hold due to rain. Shoot again! I am beginning to wonder if anything I had planned was going to work out. At this point, I spoke too soon. I had a suprise for him with a cute little cake and candles with all of his presents when we got back to the room. What does he do? Knocks over all the candles and we almost burn down the hotel. To answer my question. No! Nothing is going to go right!

The next day we get up, get and I had yet another activity planned. What does every person want in the am? A hearty breakfast. We head to the restaurant, I was eyeballing their breakfast selections when a server tells us that they are not yet open. Hmmm... It ws 9 at this point. " I am sorry, we do not open intil 11." "So you open for breakfast around lunch time?" He looked confused at this point. We decided to head to a coffee shop. A bagel and some oj sounded just as good. Who comes over to help us? Yep, the little server. He must run the whole hotel. He tells me he is out of bagels, out of oj and the muffins in the case are for display only. Really!!! All I wanted was some freakin breakfast. Famished and seriously confused, we headed to a nearby hotel to eat. The next on the agenda was a hike. I gather the only directions I have and suprise suprise, they lead us to no where and we had to stop and ask. Seriously!! After I about died hiking halfway up the mountain, we get to our destination: Mary Jane Falls. Umm... No. More like Mary Jane drip. All the sweat and panting for a trickle down the side of the mt. Yes, that is me in the pic next to the drip. So the suprise didn't go exactly how I imagined it and we had a few road blocks, but the weekend ended up being a blast!

California!!!

2008-07-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

Sorry i haven't had a chance to write much lately. I have been super busy with wedding planning. I was getting a little stressed out and stir crazy so two of my girlfriends and I decided that we needed a little time away so we decided to road trip it out to California to relax on the beach in the sun. It couldn't have come at a better time! I needed a break. There was no tentative plan. Just fly by the seat of ur pants and do what ever sounded fun.

The trip didn't get off to a wonderful start. The car rental place was not too organized so we ended up getting a two hour late start. Then what do they give us? Some tin can suzuki that couldn't make it up any hills. Great on gas, but we got honked at the whole trip. Once we got to our destination: Hermosa Beach, the rest of the trip went smooth. We got wonderful massages, layed on the beach, and ate like crazy. I think I gained about ten lbs on the trip. I love California, but every time I go there, makes me realize how crazy and busy the life style is. Yes, more crazy then Vegas if one can believe that.

My Sis is Here!!!

2008-06-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Since my sister and I are close to 9 years apart, we never really grew up together. She wasn't "cool" enough to talk to when I was still living at home. She was an annoying, little brat. With her graduating and moving on to bigger and better things, I thought it would be a good idea for her to move out to Vegas for the summer and get a job. It would be a great opportunity for us to get reaquainted. I thought it would be so great for her to come out here and we could do all those things that sisters do. We never got to go shopping, get lunch, share stories etc.
She came out here a couple of weeks ago and we have had our challenges. Even though we haven't lived under the same roof in over 8 years, we still manage to bicker and argue just as sisters would do. With me living in a completely different environment than she us use to, I have been trying to show her the "city" life. We have had a good time going to dinners, laying out by the pool, shopping and getting caught up. I have also assigned her chores around the house. HAHAHA. Like she is going to get a free ride. I sound like a mom. "Can you take out the trash please." What has become of me? Maybe this experience will be good for me. It will allow me to see how much of a handful a teenager can be and it also made me want to call my mom and say I am sorry for being such a brat! She must have wanted to pull her hair out with me!

I just can't wait to have one of my own!!!!!

Wyoming!

2008-06-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Just recently, my fiance and I had a chance to make it out to good ol Lovell for a nice visit. It was Keith's first time and let me tell you, he didn't know what he was in store for. When we arrived in Billings, he was checking out the scene and had made a few comments about how quaint and small it was. Really Keith? I am pretty sure I explained to him how big my home town was, but at this point, I don't think he quite grasped it. So here we are, treking along in our BRIGHT RED rented mazda. With my led food and the color of the car, odds were completely against us. As we are exiting the wonderful, excitement filled town of Deaver, I feel as if I am in the clear so I decide to speed up. BIG MISTAKE! Out of nowhere, here comes a sheriff with his lights flashing. The only thing I am thinking is, "Please let me know this guy so I can get out of a ticket." Who gets out of the truck? Officer Angel. Thank goodness! I am saved. After a little convincing and promising to never go 65 in a 45, I was out of the ticket and back on the road to Lovell.

A quick tour of the town sites, "Here is the sugar factory, there is the grocery store, here is lovell drug." Grand Finale!! "There is Conoco." Keith the tour is over. I am quite proud of my home. I made sure to include the "hang out" saveway, and what use to be the best place to get nachos! Keith was a little shocked at how small it really was. I told him that by the end of the trip, he would be meeting quite a few people. At my sisters graduation, he had the honor of meeting the whole town. I always keep my promises.

This time coming home, we got to play tourists. We took a trip to cody, visited the museum, headed out to the damn. I almost forgot how georgous Wyoming is. I guess I took it for granted when I lived there and had all the beautiful scenery at my beck and call. Take the time to get out there and enjoy all the great things Wyoming has to offer!!!!

Finally!

2008-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

I am new to the whole blogging world. I was busy looking at everybody else's pages and I thought to myself that this was a great way to keep in touch with everyone. I got to work creating a page for Keith and I. My new last name is going to be ball. Yes people, that is no lie hahaha. When I was creating the page, my initial display name was going to be "The Ball's" however, this was considered profanity and was not excepted by the blogging police so the Ball Family is now the new display name.

So to bring you up to speed somewhat, I am living in Las Vegas. I have been here for almost 4 years and I am about to be married to the most amazing person I have ever met. I am sure some of you reading this are saying, "Finally Renae!" "Its about time!" Thanks alot guys! Haha. We are getting married in October and so far the wedding planning has been very painless and easy. My fiance is an executive for the Mirage hotel and I use to work for the Mirage so that is where the match made in heaven occured. We are both goofy people and I am just happy I finally met someone who can put up with all my crap!

We are both very interested in leaving Las Vegas and we hope the opportunity to leave comes sooner than later. Not sure where we want to go, but it better be somewhere sunny!!