Mother's Day

Lucky for us, Christine got married the day before Mother's Day so we were able to spend part of Sunday with Lynn before we headed to the airport.  

After church we came back to the house where

Neal was surprised with some belated birthday

gifts from his mom and sister.  Carolyn got him

the "Shamwow" which he had been wanting to

try forever. 

Mother's Day cards!

Christine & Tony's Wedding

It was a year ago that we threw an engagement party for Christine and Tony, and it was hard to believe that the wedding was already here. The day turned out to be beautiful, even down to the surprisingly good weather in Omaha for this time of year. We were glad to see them so happy, and we wish them every blessing in their new life together.

Pampering the bride before her big day

Carolyn getting her own pampering

On Friday we were able to get into the

reception hall to decorate.  Here is Carolyn

adorning the window sill pillows with 

hand-made pillow cases that Lynn made. 

Neal hanging the Japanese lantern balls

One last shot of the Bailey women (all as Baileys)

Rehearsal dinner at the Upstream Brewery in

Old Market, Omaha.  Neal with I with cousins

Jason and Stacy Ballard.

The happy couple!

Lynn with her brother Rich and his wife Sharon

The bride to be

Isn't she beautiful?!!

Bridesmaids

Debbie, me, Carolyn, Jessica

Since I was in the wedding, I didn't get nearly

as many shots of the ceremony as I would have

liked.  Luckily, Neal was able to shoot a few.

Back to the reception hall, fully decorated

Jason and Stacy

Rich and Sharon

Mother of the Bride  :-)

Neal saying a prayer before the meal

Happy Birthday to Neal!

For Neal's birthday he chose one of the best Italian restaurants in Houston, a place called Arcodoro.  We had a fantastic meal and made sure to save enough room for the dessert that awaited us at Mike and Lisa's afterward.  :-)

As one of his birthday surprises, Lisa made Neal

his favorite cake - red velvet, only in cupcake form.

Mmmm.....was it good!!

  

Bachelorette Party!

Christine is getting married in THREE weeks so it was time to give her a little last minute fun with the girls.  Carolyn flew down for the event and had a fun evening planned.  We started at Christine's new home with games and gifts, went out for Italian food at Vincent's, and ended with a few hours at the dueling piano bar - Howl at the Moon.  It was a really fun evening and we were glad to get some quality time with the bride before the big day.

Bride to be!

Neal is the only guy I've ever known that was

allowed at a Bachelorette party.  Actually, he's

minus a hat but was our chauffeur for the evening.

He drove us around town in a 12-passenger van

that was filled with smokin' girls.  It was a tough

job but someone had to do it.  :-)

Howl at the Moon

Havin' a wild time

Easter Sunday

Easter at the Slevens! The day started out dark, cloudy, and pouring rain but by noon, everything had passed, the sky cleared up, the sun came out, and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

Easter baskets for our hosts

Deviled eggs from our dyed masterpieces

Sam and her friend joined us for a bit

Enjoying the day, taking a walk around the neighborhood

On our walk, we spotted a turtle trying to find food

in this mucky water, and decided to move him

somewhere he might like a little better.

Poor little guy may have been a bit upset with us

for moving him, but we're pretty sure he liked

his new home much more.

There he goes!

Colored Eggs!

The day before Easter we decided to do something we hadn't done in years - dye some eggs! It was so much fun and made us feel like kids again. We even had an "artistic egg" contest, which we each thought we deserved to win, but all in all, every egg was a winner. :-)

The experts preparing the dye

Home Made Sushi

For fun this weekend we decided to try making some home made sushi. We had some fresh vegetables, some of the stickiest rice we've ever come in contact with, some seaweed paper, and best of all, fish that wasn't raw but cooked. For first-timers, we did pretty well and our rolls were delicious! The boys had fun adding some serious spice to their rolls, and the experience brought tears to their eyes. :-)

"Riceman"

A Good Wife

For as long as I can remember, I have always ordered my eggs the same way - scrambled.  It wasn't until I met Neal that I "saw the light" on how delicious other forms of eggs can be.  He is very particular about his eggs, and most of the time orders them poached hard (which I have also come to enjoy as well, especially with Eggs Benedict).  Ordering poached hard eggs at a restaurant can be somewhat of a challenge, as it's a 50/50 shot that they'll actually come out hard.  This has become somewhat of a running joke with our friends, Mike and Lisa, who say they've never seen anyone have so much trouble ordering eggs.

This morning as Neal and I were making breakfast after church, he asked me how I wanted my eggs.  My standard lately has been either poached or hard boiled and today I opted for hard boiled.  For fun, we got out Neal's trusty Betty Crocker cookbook (which was published in 1973) and read about the different ways to cook an egg.  The introduction to the section entitled, "Basic Eggs"  has given me new insight on what it means to be a good wife.  Here is what it says:

"The man you marry will know the way he likes his eggs.  And chances are he'll be fussy about them.  So it behooves a good wife to know how to make an egg behave in six basic ways.  And here they are, with helpful hints." 

Did you ever imagine that the secret to being the perfect wife was to learn all the ways to make an egg?!!