It's a Love(ll) Thing

McAlester

2012-02-06T13:53:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it's nice to get out of Oklahoma City, even if it's just for a night, and even if it means I have to put my high maintenance (only when it comes to hotels) on hold.

The images can speak for themselves, but I will say, I thought we stepped back in time when we arrived at the hotel. All I could do was laugh and be grateful I took a long sleeved t-shirt, pants, and socks to sleep in. Oh, and that we were staying here for free. I'm pretty sure if John told me we were going to have to fork over some mulah to stay here, I would have opted out and slept in the car instead. Oh, and did I mention I was sharing the room with not only my husband, but two other guys as well.

My life is always an adventure.

In case you're wondering, no, we didn't just drive two hours south to hang out in this "totally rad" hotel for the night, just for kicks. Believe you me, there was a purpose behind this excursion.

A few of the larger dental organizations, here in Oklahoma, put on a free dental clinic once a year for people to come and get free dental work done. It's kind of awesome, and I'm all about helping out at events like this. So, I tagged along to shuffle patients from one station to the next to get their dental work on.

Highlight this year: Hanging out with a bunch of inmates that the county was nice enough to shuffle in to get their teeth checked out. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of them in their bright orange get-up glory! How did I let such a photo op pass me up?!

Incubating

2012-01-26T13:42:00.001-06:00

Me and my sis

I don't really talk about being pregnant all that often, in fact, I enjoyed keeping it a secret for the five months that I did...for the most part anyway. A few knew here and there, but for the most part, I never mentioned it. And I liked it that way.

I think I'm finally getting out of that totally awkward stage, the borderline stage of is she pregnant, or just getting fat? Going to the gym was especially awkward, I felt like I had to walk around touching my stomach, hand on back, for nothing more than the chubby pooch that didn't look pregnant at all, just chubby. I wanted people to believe I was pregnant, and not at the gym as a new years resolution to finally shed some pounds. Although, I'm never opposed to shedding some pounds, and if that's your new years resolution, good job! But working out and knowing you're not going to be losing weight is a hard thing to grasp when you're pregnant. The scale does nothing but go up, not down. I'm still trying to grasp that that's a good thing. When is gaining weight good?! Oh yeah, when you're pregnant. Awesome.

Last night I finally had a dream about being a mom and having a child. Usually I just dream about my poor little kitty who has yet to come home. Clearly I still have high hopes for his return. I kinda miss that little guy. But my dream, it seemed so real, so exciting, so great. And then I woke up. I surprised myself that I was actually sad the dream wasn't real, I guess I've finally reached the point of being really excited about having a baby. Only six months later.

Call me horrible, but feeling like crap for six months straight, the last thing I ever felt was excited. I still don't feel awesome, especially when I have to start unbuttoning my pants half way through the day, sometimes the zipper goes down too, and that's when the beyond uncomfortable feeling takes over. All I can think is, I'm not even big yet! Regardless, I'm starting to feel excited, so I'll take the uncomfortableness and all and run with it. Quite literally, and running with pressure down there...well, it's a little more difficult than I'm used to.

But his kicks, his punches, and all of the movement of his that I feel, it let's me know that it's all for a good cause, because he's coming whether I'm ready or not. But let's be frank here, I'm going to rock at being a mother! Ha

So, bring on the next three months of pregnancy, getting bigger, and being totally and completely over the top uncomfortable. I can only imagine the loads of fun it's going to be, especially when I remind myself that May is the prime time for tornadoes here in OK. I'm sure fun won't even begin to describe what that month has in store for us.

If a task has once begun...

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-06:00

This blanket is six years in the making, you know, long before I even knew what getting married was, or how miserable pregnancy would truly be. But six years ago, as a sophomore in college, I saw this pattern and knew someday a child of mine would have to have it.

Now, six years later, thanks to my dear mother's help, it’s finally finished and ready for use. I’d like to make you all believe that this blanket is just so intricate and detailed that it truly did take six years to make, but that’s only partly true for a less than perfect sewer like myself.

Back in September when I went home to Utah for a few days, I took this blanket with me, plopped it on the kitchen table and declared to my mom that she had until May to complete it. Once she realized what I was actually saying, she gladly accepted the offer to finish my task for me. After all, she helped me start it, too, and quite frankly, she's probably done more on it than I have because I always got stumped. It's tricky I tell you!

But now it's done and ready to be loved by a child of mine, and we still have four months to spare. Leave it to the busiest woman I know to be ahead of the game like that.

Thanks, mom for helping me finally finish this blanket. Your grandson to be is going to LOVE it, or so we hope!

Small and simple

2012-01-09T11:55:00.000-06:00

Discovering an awesome bookstore just down the street Friday night. Hanging out with this hip old man during Zumba Saturday morning. The hubby sending me out to get a much needed pedicure and some relaxation Saturday afternoon. And using Saturday nights leftovers to make our own version of Cafe Rio salads for dinner Sunday night.

Yes, sometimes it's the small things that make for a great weekend!

Going out with a bang

2012-01-05T23:23:00.000-06:00

Hanging out in San Francisco

Our homely stockings/Jimmer time at the Kings game

Hello foggy city

I feel like we got the best of both worlds this year, Christmas in Sacramento and time spent with the in-laws, followed by New Years in sunny Coronado, at the beach, with perfect weather, and most of my family. Aside from starting the trip off with a nasty cold, I think this was the perfect way to end a fabulous year and begin the adventures of an even better one.

If only every Christmas vacation included two weeks in California, spent with both families, and time at the beach...

Beach time in January? Yes, please

Sea World

Feeding the birds, from our hands, no biggie

Lesson learned: We belong in a beach town in California...and I say that as if we didn't already know this.

Love, the Candrian's...

2011-12-21T16:41:00.000-06:00

Sticking with tradition, here is our annual Candrian Family Christmas video,

which I'm sure is ~~really boring~~ a little dull to anyone other than family,

although, I do like to think our lives are exciting enough that it's worth watching five minutes of us.

My family is pretty cute.

Just saying...

In case you can't get enough of us, view past years here and here

P.S. Thanks for all of the kind words about our exciting news.

Y'all are awesome...and yes, I just used the word y'all...I live in Oklahoma, enough said.

Tis the Season

2011-12-18T23:22:00.000-06:00

Secrets out...

John's far better at acting the part than I am,

at least at the moment.

If only...

We figured since most people we know having babies next spring are having girls,

we'd spice things up a little bit and have a boy instead!

Yeah, we're rebels like that.

Merry Christmas!

Traditions

2011-12-16T14:05:00.000-06:00

Apparently John remembered my plea to take me to the Nutcracker last year,

which didn't end up happening.

So, he's making up for it this year and taking me tonight instead,

but not before we make a stop at The Melting Pot for dinner.

Thanks Colie, this one's on you!

Oh I love me a good weekend,

and I have a feeling this one is going to be a little more special than usual.

T.G.I.F

Sometimes

2011-12-14T11:23:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I think I miss college.

The classes.

The professors.

The atmosphere.

And albeit, even the learning.

But then finals roll around, and I see everyone's Facebook status loathing being prisoners to their own books, and papers, and projects, and on and on and on, all the while giving up sleep while they're at it. Heck, even my own husband had to slave away to such things, and more or less ignore me for a few weeks (which I was ok with, despite what he thinks, I like him getting good grades). And that's when I'm reminded, nope, I don't miss college. Not one bit!

As soon as finals are over, it's like I get my husband back.
In fact, yesterday after his last final, he came over to my office and sat with me
until I was ready to go home...that and I was his ride, so he didn't really have a choice.
But I like to think it was because he's missed me.

I was hinting I wanted to go out to eat last night,
for some odd reason, indian tacos's sounded really good to me.
Indian tacos, really?
I know.

Since neither of us know where you can actually get those things,
besides the State Fair which is clearly not going on at the moment,
he offered to cook dinner for ME for a change.
Hello!
Can't say no to that.

So, while I did yoga,
John whipped up some of this for me.

And now we're both wondering why we've ever bothered paying $10 for these at the State Fair?
Homemade taste SO much better.

Oh, it's good to have a husband back.

Now, while I'm at work,
he's busy at home doing a little home improvement if you will.

Note to self: old houses require a lot of work.

A night in Bethlehem

2011-12-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

I think I liked to play dress-up when I was younger? My guess is, my version of dress-up was more so along the lines of wearing a bunch of different outfits all in one day, for no apparent reason other than I liked clothes, go figure. Correct me if I'm wrong mom, but I can imagine I went through a phase like that as a little girl.

For halloween I always wanted to be a princess, a pretty witch, or something that made me look cute...me, vain at such a young age? Sadly, I think so.

Now days, the last thing I want to do is dress-up. When Halloween rolls around, I waste no time putting effort into what I'm going to be, 10 times out of 10, I'm going to be me. Thankfully, over the last three or four years, I've always had a good excuse out of any costume party I'm invited to. What a shame. But hey, that's just how it is with me. I don't really like dressing up.

John claims it's not really his thing either. Thank you very much!

This year, for our ward Christmas party, the Relief Society decided to put together, a night in Bethlehem, themed party, and informed us "Biblical attire" was optional. Key word there being optional. John and I had already decided, not that it was a hard decision mind you, we weren't dressing up. Go figure.

However, just before we were about to leave for the party, John walks out wearing the curtains. that were previously hanging in our bedroom, wrapped around himself with a pillow case draped around his head. I couldn't help but burst out laughing, and asked him what in the world he was doing.

He somehow convinced me to throw on my best attempt at Biblical attire, and I obliged, slightly against my will.

John was nervous the whole way there that we were going to be the only ones dressed up, and we almost were, but thankfully a handful of others had the same idea in mind. Apparently John was the most dressed up though, so he landed a role in the Christmas story, playing the Inn Keeper. I had a good laugh over that one.

And now I feel like I'm good to go for another 10 years before I decided to play dress-up again.

Singing is not in our genes, but apparently dancing is

2011-11-30T08:49:00.000-06:00

Picture taken by Jylare

What's a family gathering without family pictures? A missed opportunity apparently, which my dear mother wasn't about to let happen. Like I've said before, it's a miracle when we all get together. So, even with some groaning by some for having to be in family pictures, I'm pretty sure we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves far more than we thought we would.

I just love this family of mine.

The best part of family pictures is what goes on behind the scenes. Sometimes we've got to do what we've got to do to get the little ones to say "cheese".

Thanksgiving Miracle

2011-11-29T09:55:00.001-06:00

It's not often my entire family gets to hang out for a week straight, all under one roof nonetheless. I love knowing my family is out exploring the world, but I miss the days when we all lived close together, especially my first year in DC when all of my siblings were in Virginia. It was heaven. Now, it's a complete miracle when we all get to be together.

And that is why thanksgiving was awesome this year, I got to hang out with all of my siblings, PLUS my adorable niece and nephews, who I'm pretty sure think I'm the coolest aunt there is, or at least I like to pretend.

Case in point:

I skateboard with them...

I play with them at the park, just to get smiles like that out of them...and because even at 26, I still think playgrounds are pretty cool...

I tried my hardest to entertained them daily, who knew technology is kids sugar these days? My iphone was only cool until the ipad showed up. Maybe one day I'll own one, but I'm not quite cool enough, or rich enough for that advancement just yet...

I baked my nephew a birthday cake so we could celebrated his 2nd birthday. I wish I could say I was the good aunt who decorated the cake, too, but we all know my mom is far more talented in that area, so I leave those things to her...

However, I did let my nephew (not the birthday boy) stuff his face with cake, even against his parents will I'm sure. The little stinker ate my whole piece, too. But, what are good aunts for if we don't let them indulge...

And of course, as any good aunt would, I woke up far earlier than I would ever like just so I could cuddle with my niece and nephew every morning. It's called savoring the moments, or something like that...

Can we please get together like this every year?

Home

2011-11-28T11:19:00.002-06:00

I'm not a huge fan of cold snowy weather, but apparently mother nature thought that was her way of welcoming us back to Utah for a few days. Thankfully, it was gone the next day, but not before we had a little fun in that wet cold stuff. With a little one to play with, it surprisingly becomes semi-bearable. Who knew?

Recipes Galore

2011-11-17T13:15:00.004-06:00

Image found here

You're all obsessed with pinterest, right? Of course you are, it's only one of the greatest website ever invented, in my humble opinion anyway. I spend far too many of my waking hours on there browsing all of the crafts I want to do, homes I wish I owned, desserts I want to make, and dinners I wish I'd cook. Like I said, I'm obsessed.

And because I need yet another thing to become obsessed with, I recently discovered pasplore.com, a food website full of recipes from all over the web in ONE simple place. Not to mention a ton of other cool things this website has (and will have) to offer. It's still in the early stages of development, but I can already tell it's going to knock our socks off. That is, if you like food, and cooking for that matter.

But who are we kidding here, who doesn't...like food that is?

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you can find TONS of Thanksgiving recipes just intime for the holidays. Brilliant. See all of those images making that awesome mosaic turkey? They're all delicious looking recipes submitted from all over the web.

So, what makes this website really great? Well, as soon as it's fully developed, there will be a way to add something to your browser that will recognize recipes from all over the web. The pasplore website will recognize that you're viewing a recipe and allow you to add it to your own pasplore account. Sure, it's kind of simliar to pinterest in that regard, BUT does pinterest then create a consolidated grocery list or meal plans for us based on the recipes we like? Nope. And that is where this website is going to be amazing.

Seriously, go check it out. And then you can all thank my friend Chris for starting it up. It's kind of genius if you ask me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go find some delicious recipes that our Thanksgiving dinner just won't be complete without.

Side note: I'd highly endorse this website even if we weren't friends...I just wanted to make that clear.

Sleeping on the job

2011-11-16T14:06:00.002-06:00

Today has been another one of those, nap in the car, kind of days.

You know, where I leave for lunch, sit in the back seat, curl up with a blanket, and in the midst of a crazy wind storm, I let the rocking of the car lure me to sleep.

It was needed.

I really think naps should be integrated into an eight hour work day. Sometimes catching a few zzz's, in the middle of the day, is just the thing I need to keep me going.

But an hour and a half nap probably means I love them too much. No?

11.11.11

2011-11-11T11:11:00.001-06:00

11:11

"I'm not superstitious...I am a little stitious."

I really am a dork because whenever I look at the clock and it reads, 11:11

I always make a wish.

Always.

And it almost always comes true.

So, here's to hoping today is a day full of wishes coming true...

or at least some good luck for that matter.

Also, happy Veterans Day to all of the veterans who have fought so diligently for our country.

I'm wishing I still worked for the government so I had today off.
Or that I just had today off.

I'll start wishing for that right now.

And then maybe I'll go home early and pretend the wish came true!

Can't do healthy

2011-11-10T16:18:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been craving all things lettuce:

via

Cafe Rio, need I say more?

via

I know we're closer to soup season than salad season, but sometimes fresh goodness all in one bite is all I ever want. Having food allergies is really the pits, especially to lettuce. Who's allergic to healthy things, seriously?!

I can survive a weekend without my husband

2011-11-07T11:03:00.000-06:00

If I learned two things over the weekend, it's that I do a really good job at embarrassing myself and I would never survive in a serious natural disaster.

Ok, maybe three things: I don't like spending weekends alone.

Lesson one:
While at dinner with some friends, we went around the table talking about our most embarrassing stores. Of course, the one that always comes to mind, although, I assure you, my life is like a walking embarrassment most of the time, was an experience from high school when I walked out of the Wendy's restroom with toiletpaper hanging from my pants. And yes, things like this really happen, and no, it's not just in the movies. The sick part was, it wasn't even my TP, it was the TP lining the toilet from the person who was in there before me. That's what happens when you try to hover, and we'll just leave it at that.

Moving on. After laughing harder than I have in a long while that night, I decided to be polite and help clean up. You know, put my manners to good use. And wouldn't you know it, of course I'd have to embarrass myself even further by knocking a glass to the floor and it shattering all over. Leave it to me to make a statement wherever I go.

And that's what happens when you don't get out too often.

Lesson two:
Around 2:10am Saturday morning, something woke me up, probably the strange noises outside and the rolling around in my bed. The house was shaking and I was kind of confused as to what was happening. I'm not always the brightest person first thing in the morning, especially at 2am, but I did hear the heater on, so my first thought was, we live in an old house, and the heater is shaking it. So, I got up, turned the heater off, and went back to sleep.

It was only moments later I realized it was probably an earthquake, not the heater. But I was tired, so I paid no more attention and fell back to sleep.

It was an earthquake, a 4.7 to be exact. No biggie.

Around 11pm that same night, just as I was crawling into bed, another earthquake happened. This time, it was a little stronger, and as I sat in my room, watching the fan swing back and forth above my head, I thought, I should probably go stand in a doorway or something, I think that's what they taught me in elementary school? But I was too tired and lazy to bother with moving. Instead, I just stood there watching everything in my room sway back and forth, just waiting to hear something shatter in the other rooms, until a minute later it finally ended.

This one was a 5.6, the largest earthquake Oklahoma has ever had.

And that's when I realized I don't take these kind of situations very seriously.

However, tornadoes, now those I take seriously, so, it's a good thing they're more frequent around here than earthquakes are, otherwise, I'd be doomed.

Lesson three:
Self-explanatory, I don't like spending weekends alone.

A lone weekend

2011-11-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

What to do, what to do,

My library book is 32 years overdue.

I admit that it's mine, but I can't pay the fine

What to do what to do?

-Shel Silverstein

Whenever I'm trying to think of something to do, this poem always pops into my head. Mostly the first line, "what to do, what to do?" But then I can't help continue with, "my library book is 32 years overdue..."

I've known this poem for years, probably since I was three or four, when my sisters were in the third grade. They had to memorize it, not me, yet I still know it just the same, it's challenging memorization and all. Be impressed. I even have a German poem, from 10th grade, and the Preamble to the United States Constitution, from Mr. Shoemakers 7th grade class (or was it 8th grade?), still locked in my noggin, too. The things I've chosen to hold on to.

Funny that I can't even remember what I did yesterday.

So, what to do this weekend? Who knows? My husband has left me to entertain myself, which means shopping, mani/pedi's, and other non-essential things may be in order. That, or I'll curl up with a good book and bask in laziness all weekend.

Any recommendations?

Losers

2011-10-28T11:36:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we froze our butts off watching OU get tromped on by Texas Tech.

This weekend, we're headed down to Dallas to watch, I'm guessing, but hoping not, the same thing happen to BYU in the BYU/TCU game in the Cowboys stadium. Which ironically enough, is where I technically met John for the first time oh so many year ago. Two...

Regardless of the outcome of the game, it's always a must to get out of Oklahoma for a few days, and enjoy a mini-vacay. That and it gets us excused from any Halloween party we'd otherwise be subjected to go to. Win win here.

Happy weekend.

Chatterbox

2011-10-27T15:16:00.001-05:00

Enjoying our last weekend of warm weather

Ever since I started my new job, which has been over a year now, which also means I've been living in Oklahoma for over a year now, gee whiz, people think I'm quiet.

WHAT?

Never before in my life (ok, once, at fat camp, but that was because all of the other counselors knew I was LDS and never invited me to the clubs, so I guess they just assumed I was some quiet girl who didn't have fun. Which explains why I earned the "Silent Rock" award), have I been told I was a quiet person.

Never.

I specifically remember in elementary school, second grade to be exact, I probably came close to writing a 100 sentences a day saying, "I will not disrupt the class. I will not disrupt the class. I will not disrupt the class..." Because, like I said, even at a young age, I wasn't quiet...or respectful apparently.

Even now, years later, I don't consider myself to be quiet, but when one works all alone, at the end of the hall, with no one around, WHO am I supposed to talk to? Talking out loud to myself would only prove I'm kind of weird. So I keep those inner voices just that, inner. I'm rarely on the phone like everyone else at work, so again, no talking goes on at my end of the hallway. Sure, I'm quiet at work, but I'm not a quiet person. Am I?

For some reason, I take people thinking I'm quiet as offensive. I don't know why when maybe it's a good thing? And for all I know, maybe all those years of causing disruptions has finally slowed down. Maybe I really am a quiet person. In which case, it's a good thing I have a job that doesn't require much talking, and I'm married to a man who studies up the wazoo, forcing me to be a mute in my own home.

Mmm mm good

2011-10-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

Being in the kitchen has sounded far from appealing the last little while, so my poor hubby has been subjected to, in my mind, far from appealing food, like top roman and mac and cheese. He claims these kind of dinners are fine by him, in fact, I kind of think he prefers them every now and then...which makes me wonder why I bother slaving over, good to me, food? But you know, he also claims to like those dinners, too, so clearly I married a far from picky eater, which I appreciate.

Today I decided I could do more than open a box of pasta and dumb it into boiling water, although, I don't know if you can really consider a crock pot meal anymore difficult? Regardless of the level of difficulty, I decided to whip up something delicious and totally healthy. Win win.

Have you ever tried cabbage rolls? Oh man, these things make me excited just thinking about them, yes they're that good, even if the name sounds less than so.

I think this recipe is from the Pioneer Woman, I'm not sure about that though, but thanks to having made them more than a handfull of times, my sisters and I have nearly perfected them. Today, I nailed it!

Ingredients:

-1 head of cabbage
-1 egg
-1 8oz can of tomato sauce
-1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
-1 envelope lipton onion soup mix
-1 lb lean ground turkey
-1 bag broccoli slaw (optional)
-1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (I just use whatever cheese I have on hand, and I always add extra)
-2 cups regular V8 juice (I usually use at least 3, I like them saucy)

Directions:
-Core cabbage and carefully remove large leaves-steaming leaves in the microwave for a few minutes makes them a lot easier to work with.
-In a bowl mix the egg, tomato sauce, rice, onion soup mix, turkey, broccoli slaw and cheese together until you have a gloppy soupy mixture.
-Scoop 1/3 cup of mixture into each of the cabbage leaves and place in crock-pot seam side down
-Stack rolls if necessary.
-Pour V8 juice over rolls and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.

My sisters and I have always paired these with mashed potatoes and used the sauce from the rolls as a gravy. Seriously delicious!

And no, this isn't turning into a cooking blog, don't worry, we already have one of those, but sometimes I feel like good recipes just need to be shared.

Pumpkin Seeds

2011-10-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

Due to popular demand, ok, just two people asking, but two was enough for me, I figured I'd post the recipe I used to roast our pumpkin seeds. They were so delicious it didn't even take us an entire day to finish them off.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:
2 cups washed and dried pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp melted butter
Seasoning salt to taste (be generous here)

I remember my mom laying our pumpkin seeds out to dry over night, and if you have patience that's a good approach. However, I don't have that kind of patience, so, I stucked the washed seeds in a bowl, placed them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and they dried out perfectly.

Heat oven to 265 degrees.
Place all of the ingredients in a bowl, and coat seeds until covered.
Line seeds on a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven for one hour, stirring occasionally until, crisp and golden brown.

Yum, and they tasted just like I remembered from when I was a kid.
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think of it. I personally think this is the best way to roast pumpkin seeds. In fact, we both want to carve pumpkins again just to make another batch of seeds to munch on.

Alakazam-a-kazoo

2011-10-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

After a Panda Express run Friday night, (why my hubby loves Panda over real chinese I will never know) we picked up our pumpkins and got to work:

And it took us into the wee hours of the night to create thess:

I think the last time I carved a pumpkin I was in high school, but thanks to stencils the skills came back instantly!

And then we toasted pumpkin seeds, and I've decided that's the best part of carving pumpkins. A little worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt and butter never tasted so good!

Halloween Treats

2011-10-20T10:30:00.001-05:00

Last night at Activity Days, the girls and I got our craft on and made some Halloween goodies.
What would I do without blogs giving me all of my ideas?

I got this idea for Frankenstein pudding cups:

Here is the girls version:

I think theirs turned out cuter than the original.

And then we made witch hats with Kisses and Keebler Fudged Stripped cookies:

I think the activity was a hit, and not just because they got to make something fun, but because their creation was edible. I'm pretty sure the girls all left on a sugar high. And I'm sure their parents just love me on these nights.

Why I love my husband, part 2

2011-10-19T17:22:00.001-05:00

Part 1 can be found here. Unfortunately, these awesome dreams haven't happened in awhile. Maybe that means he's due for another episode soon. We can only hope, right?

Part 2:

A man cleaning the bathroom. A rare, but welcomed occurrence. When I did't feel like cleaning the bathroom, he got right to it and cleaned every nook and cranny until it "shine[d] like the top of the Chrysler Building." Yeah, I married a good one.

Sunday Breakfast

2011-10-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

Image source

Sundays are the one day I occasionally make a good breakfast around here. Usually it's cereal, in a baggie, that we munch on, on our way to school/work. But with church at 2pm on Sunday's, I have plenty of time, and quite frankly, I just want something to do to help pass the time. So, delicious breakfast it is.

Hawaiian Coffee Cake is an old family favorite that was discovered years and years ago when my siblings and I thought we would be nice one Mother's Day and make our mom breakfast. This recipe was discovered, and it's stuck with us ever since. It's definitely a family favorite.

I just tried scanning the internet for this recipe and I couldn't find this exact one, so, consider yourself lucky I'm sharing this with you. It's quite possible that this will be the most amazing breakfast, or at least coffee cake, you will ever have. That is, if you're a pineapple and coconut kind of person.

Hawaiian Coffee Cake:
1 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 8-oz. crushed pineapple
1 egg
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c. coconut

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add pineapple, egg and 1/3 c. butter. Stir to mix.
Spread into an 8"x8" baking pan which has been coated with shortening or cooking spray.
Blend coconut, brown sugar and butter.
Spring over batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes.

Yum!

Drivers license exam

2011-10-11T20:04:00.000-05:00

Not my license...in case you weren't sure.

Who checks when their drivers license is about to expire? Definitely not me, and definitely not John. When we flew home to Utah a few weeks ago, the lady at the airport informed us that both of our licenses (remember, same birthday) were going to expire the very next day. Awesome.

We figured it was pretty perfect we were flying to Utah right as our licenses were expiring, we'd just renew them when we got home. Well, little did either of us realize, Utah changed it's policies, you have to renew in person, and you have to have document after document after document just to do so. Document after document which were safely tucked away back in Oklahoma.

A fun little fact, in both states, an expired license means you get to take the written exam all over again. You know, the exam you took just to get your permit, before you were cool enough to drive without your parents? Yeah, the one I haven't taken in over 10 years. Double awesome.

Eleven days since our licenses expired, I finally (wo)maned up enough to call and find out what was really required for us to get new licenses in Oklahoma. We figured it was finally time to convert. For me, I'd have to take the written exam all over again. Ha, I laughed at this thought. For John, he's military, so of course he'd get to slide by. What the what?!

This was not ok with me.

So, I called Utah, pleaded my case, explained the situation, and wouldn't you know it, Utah has compassion on not just the individual in the military, but their spouse, too. Oh, glorious, happy day. We can now keep our expired license (for five more years if we wanted) until we're able to renew them. Oh Utah, how I love you just a little bit more right now.

Being part of the military/government, ALWAYS pays off.

Moral of the story, join the military, you get excused from everything! Or, better yet, pay attention to kind of important things to avoid unnecessary hassles, it might be worth it...unless you like the thought of taking silly exams.

Truth

2011-10-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

Conference weekend, our real reason for heading home. Seeing family, celebrating our birthday's, cheap airfare, and enjoying the fall weather were just perks to our visit to Utah. Thankfully, our next visit home isn't another year away, just six weeks! I don't like saying I miss Utah, but after being gone for over a year, miss Utah I did. Shocking and weird!

Our last night home we finally got to hang out with some of John's family. And of course, wherever we go, John always has to practice his dentistry. Hopefully that means he'll ~~make the big bucks~~ be a really good dentist in the near future! Nothing like practicing on his niece and nephews. I'm thinking his brother should reconsider his field of work, he looks like a pro!

Just six more weeks and then we'll be back home, enjoying the cold weather that is Utah. I heard it snowed two days after we left. Sick!

Falling

2011-10-06T11:22:00.001-05:00

If there's one thing, aside from family and being lazy at home, that I miss about Utah, it's the mountains. Mainly the mountains in the fall time, because I'm pretty sure, this is the prettiest time of year there.

Oh, and my mom's overly excited attitude for having her kids home who will actually take pictures with her. That's something I always miss, too.

Birthday parties are still cool

2011-10-05T21:30:00.001-05:00

When isn't a themed birthday party cool? If you're thinking when you turn 26 and 28, think again. This year, my mom threw John and I an 'under the sea' birthday party, and I'm pretty sure no 26 or 28 year old has ever had quite the spread as we had.

Point in case:

Shark watermelon anyone?

Octopus hotdog.

And just a shark cake, no biggie.

And that's what happens when you tell your mom you want fish for dinner. Yes, she totally outdid herself, and that's just one of the millions of reasons my mother is ah-mazing! How I love that lady. Thanks mom for making our day so fabulous!

28/26

2011-09-30T08:52:00.000-05:00

Whenever I tell people that John and I have the same birthday, people typically think it's cool for all of 2 seconds before they start feeling bad that we have to share our day. It's bizarre to me why people would feel bad about this. I mean, I guess I get it, but still, sharing your birthday with your husband is awesome, not terrible. It's like a double holiday for us, and we both get to feel "important" for 24 hours together. I kind of love it. And it's kind of awesome.

I know of one other couple that share a birthday, it's a rarity, and it makes me feel like we're in some exclusive club that's tricky to get into. Kind of awesome if you ask me.

So, here's to another birthday spent together. And to all of you feeling bad for us because we have to share our day today, don't, because like I said, it's pretty much the best thing ever! How about I feel bad for all of you instead!

We've actually contemplated having all of our children born on September 30th, too. We'll let you know how that goes...

Sesame Street

2011-09-28T15:56:00.000-05:00

Not that I have children, nor do I know the last time I watched Sesame Street, but watching this video makes me feel like I should sit down and watch an episode or two...

...and then actually work harder to reach for my dreams. Although, eight years of med school+residency sounds a little daunting at the moment. But still, nothing should stand in our way of reaching for the things we want in life. This video is kind of inspiring to me. Leave it to Elmo!

Runaway

2011-09-27T11:14:00.000-05:00

So, this little guy ran away again, but this time we weren't on vacation for 10 days straight leaving him all alone. We were only gone for two hours helping our neighbors move. I always thought you were supposed to get blessed for doing service, instead just the opposite of a blessing, because I don't consider our cat running away a blessing in the slightest. We'll see if I do service again.

Now I just sound like a weird cat lady. But truth be told, Tobias has become my little buddy, that cat is dang hilarious, so, it's kind of lonely without him around. I'm just hoping it won't take us five years to find our cat who now happens to be on the other side of the country. Although, hopefully in five years we'll be on the other side of the country, too, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But I'd kind of like him back before then, you know?

Oh, and did I mention our neighbor's cat has gone missing, too? Bizarre.

Why driving into work is awesome

2011-09-22T13:52:00.000-05:00

Because you can take naps in your car during lunch.

A girls got to do what a girls got to do to make it through the day.

How has this idea never crossed my mind before? It's pure genius.

A Class Act

2011-09-14T09:56:00.001-05:00

Hoarder stealing the goods

Once a month we have big trash pick up day. Anything you're looking to get rid of can be placed on your curb and will be picked up and disposed of...that is, unless the hoarders get to it first.

Tonight our neighbors set out, an old door, metal shoe racks, a non-working water heater, an old lawn mower, plastic chairs, and a few other randoms, on the curb to be disposed of. Not 20 minutes later, the hoarder had already picked it up, thrown it in the back of his truck, and was on his merry little way to go find more prized possessions.

I had to snap a picture on my phone while I was sitting on our porch reading. Things like this need to be documented, you know?

And what do they do with all of this trash they collect? Why sell it of course, out of the junkiest stores you will ever see. It's like a junk yard turned retail store, and it's the most bizarre thing I have ever seen.

We keep it classy here in Oklahoma, real classy...

Update: I don't dis the "hoarding" when people are taking things they actually want, only when people take whatever is sitting on the side of the road, to then go sell in their trash shops, that's when I dis!

Austin Weekend

2011-09-12T09:21:00.001-05:00

We headed down south to the BYU/Texas game this weekend. It was basically a perfect few days, minus the nasty hotel, heat, and one point loss. Oh BYU, what happened to you during the second half?

I suppose seeing and kind of talking to Jimmer Fredette made up for it though. If you count saying, "can you guys move a little to the right" talking to Jimmer Fredette. I'm married and he's engaged, so we left it at that.

Thanks to my BIL for getting us tickets to the game, and then letting us intrude on his weekend with his buddies, we had a blast!

Labor daying at the lake

2011-09-07T15:45:00.001-05:00

The weather has been amazing the last few days, but according to the weather channel, it's all been deceiving. Fall really isn't here just yet. We'll be back to 98 by Tuesday. Awesome! And just when I was starting to like Oklahoma...

We've semi-taken advantage of the gorgeous weather we've been having and semi-been lazy by doing nothing but sitting on our bums all the day long. It's been great. Monday morning we decided a picnic was in order, so we packed up a lunch and headed out to what felt like another planet. If it wasn't apparent enough from the lack of rain and excessive heat we've been having that OK is majorly in a drought, let the nearly dried up lake speak for itself.

That stuff is trickier to walk on than you'd think.

Avoiding the heat

2011-09-03T23:06:00.003-05:00

I left the house once today, that's right once! Today was the first Saturday, in a long long while, or maybe ever, that I didn't really leave my house. And let me tell you, it's been really nice.

Today was also the last day the temperature will be in the 100+, hopefully until next year anyway. I unintentionally did a fabulous job at avoiding that nastiness.

We sat around most of the day waiting for the Dish Network guy to show up, and that basically sums up our day. Followed by watching lots of football. Way to take the win Cougs!

While we waited to enter the 21st century, I kept myself busy turning these:

into these:

And because sometimes you just need chocolate cake on a Saturday, I made this:

Clearly our day has been productive.

P.S. Tomorrow is the last day of the 21 challenge, have you been following?

Joy's of a Monday

2011-08-29T10:33:00.002-05:00

The funniest things are said to me at work.

Once, one of my bosses told me I needed a life and girl friends. It was when John was studying for the boards and my weekend plans consisted of cleaning my house. But yes, I still need a life and more girl friends, I'm fully aware of this, thank-you-very-much.

He frequently comments on my hair styles, well, only when I put it in a bun on top of my head. He thinks it's totally a Utah thing to do. I found online pictures of models to prove otherwise, but he's still not totally convinced. So yes, my 'dos' are always questioned.

I'm often told I eat too healthy and that I drink too much water. Although he says it's a good thing, it usually comes out sounding semi-critical. But I do live in Oklahoma, and the whole healthy living thing hasn't totally caught on just yet. Little does he know how big my sweet tooth really is, but that's neither here nor there.

And just today, as I'm sitting at my desk, he walks by and says, "banana bread, huh?" It's usually cereal in a baggie. I told him it' not just any banana bread, but homemade, by me. Again, he was shocked, and when I told him I'm a pretty domestic girl, he just said, "I find that hard to believe."

Staff meeting this morning consisted of talking about work and banana bread of course.

How I love coming into work sometimes.

DC, Part 3

2011-08-26T15:42:00.001-05:00

Saturday:
Saturday was beach day. Can you think of a better way to spend your weekend than at the beach? I sure can't.

We discovered that neither me nor my sister have the best lung capacity. Thankfully the hubs pulled through for the both of us so we could enjoy the rest of the day doing this...

Yep, we pretty much need the beach in close proximity in our future.

These ducks may look cute, but one of them thought my toe was food and decided to take a bite. That's right, I have now been bitten by a duck. Five minutes later while soaking up some rays, he took a turn on the sister.

Just chilling on the beach on a Saturday afternoon:

I couldn't think of a better way to end our vacation than maybe it getting extended.

Wish granted!

Due to another storm that rolled through, I got to spend another night with just me and my sister. Just like old times, only this time we didn't get to share a bed.

John on the other hand had to get back in time for school, poor boy, and ended up getting one of the last seats out of BWI that night. He had his own adventure flying home, like not actually getting to our house until 2am, and having to be at school by 8 the next morning. What better way to welcome you back from vacation than to be thrown right back into the swing of things?

We are now just coming over post-vacation depression. Next trip up: Utah in a month!

DC, Part 3

2011-08-26T08:58:00.030-05:00

Friday was a packed day with all sorts of adventures. I've decided this trip was just one adventure after the next, and I kind of loved it that way. After a run through the city, oh how I've missed those runs, it was off to do a little thrift shopping where I discovered just how cheap I really am becoming. Since when did spending $5 on a shirt seem expensive? H&M made up for my lack of shopping later. I can always justify spending more at a real store.

We dodged the thrift stores and headed into Georgetown to do a little kayaking in the Potomac. How have I never done that the entire time I lived in DC? I not so secretly longed to live back in DC again just so I could do that everyday. I loved it!

We stayed in the hotel on the far right of the picture. Perfect location? I think so.

After working up an appetite on the river, we decided we'd have appetizer before heading off to one of my favorite restaurants EVER! What better appetizer than cupcakes? I'm not sure. But this I do know,
Baked and Wired knocks Georgetown Cupcakes out of the water, and there's no line. It's really a win win here!

No trip to DC is complete without dinner at Panjshir. This place is to die for, and that's no exaggeration here, it really is that amazing. Their Kadu Palow is heaven in my mouth. And the staff knows who we are, which makes me like them even more. In fact, the owner reminded me that the last time I was there was with all of my roommates right before I moved to Oklahoma. Aside from their food being amazing, this is why I love that place.

I had been dying to eat at this restaurant since arriving in DC the week before. Finally, Friday night we decided tonight was the night to go treat our taste buds to something beyond delicious. Of course, the night we choose to go, there was a really bad thunderstorm that had rolled in while we were waiting for our food. We didn't think much of it, DC always has thunderstorms, no biggie, right? Wrong.

The next thing we know the power goes out and it's pitch black in the restaurant. Of course, of all nights we chose to go, this happens. I was kind of bummed, thinking I wasn't going to get the meal that I've been craving for over a year and a half now. But never fear, the people at Panjshir were amazing, and believe it or not, we still got our food, even if it all wasn't exactly what we ordered, it was food nonetheless.

We may have had to eat by candle light after that, but we all decided, in a joking sort of way, it just made our dinner that much more romantic.

Thanks for dinner sister, you're the best!

DC, Part 3

2011-08-25T15:37:00.000-05:00

Thursday:
After our short visit to Pennsylvania, it was back down to DC to finish out our trip. We thought we were being oh so wise to rent a car in Baltimore to make getting back to the airport on Sunday easy, but little did we know that our two hour trip from Philly to DC was going to be far more of an adventure than either of us expected. I should clarify, getting to Baltimore (where the bus dropped us off) was fine, it was getting to BWI were the journey really began.

Normally this trip should take about two hours, give or take, but after the bus ride from Philly to Baltimore, we realized we weren't so wise after all. How were we supposed to get from the most northern part of Balitmore, to the southern part where BWI is? Yes, that part wasn't thought out, nor did it occur to us until just minutes before we got there that we didn't have a plan of action. Real smart on our part. And it was pouring rain.

Thank goodness back east is keen on their public transportation. I don't always love it, but I know it can always come to the rescue. We decided we'd take, yet another, bus from up north to down south. But not after witnessing a scene that would confirm this world is still prejudice. Good grief. I may or may not have stepped in to end the choice words that were clearly one sided here, afraid that these girls weren't going to drop what had just happened. You know I always seem to stick my noise into others business, but I think it paid off because it sent them on their merry little way.

Evidence it was more than just a nasty cat fight.

Once we got on the bus, it was another good solid hour before we got to our next transfer point. Because of course one bus ride wouldn't be enough to get us to our final destination. No, we then had to transfer to the light rail, the train that was actually going to take us to the airport. Finally! But of course it doesn't end there though, because then we had to take yet ANOTHER bus to the car rental facility.

If you're thinking taking a cab would have been the obvious choice here, yes, yes it would have been, but neither of us wanted to fork over the $65 dollars for a 20 minute cab ride. It's called frugality people, and sometimes it comes back to bite you.

By the time we go in our rental car we were so ready to be back in our hotel room, but lest we forget, we're still in Baltimore here, and had a good 45 minute drive ahead of us to get there. What should have been two hours of traveling was a good five. Yes, five! Awesome.

I think we had Wendy's for dinner that night around 10:30pm. We left Philly around 5:30pm.

As I like to say, the more miserable, the more memorable.

DC, Part 2

2011-08-24T15:25:00.000-05:00

After spending a few days in the district, we headed up to Myerstown, Pennsylvania. Now, if you're wondering where Myerstown actually is, don't worry, I didn't know either. But I was pleasantly surprised to learn it's situated near some of Pennsylvania's finest cities, Hershey and the one and only Intercourse.

If you're ever questioning your maturity level, just take a drive through Intercourse, and I'm sure your true colors will shine. Ours sure did.

The purpose behind this trip was to visit John's brother's family who, just days before, moved into this small but quaint little place known as Myerstown. It was so great to visit more family on this trip, and to know that for the next 10 years, we'll have family on the east coast. I hope they don't get sick of us visiting, because I have a feeling that wasn't the last time they'll be seeing us out there.

Of course, we had to visit the infamous Intercourse, land of the Amish while we were there.

The petting zoo and pony rides for the kids...

And then we stuffed our faces with food from Good N' Plenty.
Stretchy pants not required, but highly recommended when eating here.

It was a short few days hanging out with the Lovells, but we had a blast. I feel so lucky knowing I married into such a great family. My in-laws rock, all of them!

And then it was back down to DC to finish out out trip, but not before I met up with an old college roommate and her new little addition. Thanks Steph for a fabulous afternoon in Philly, I just love you!

Special Delivery Revealed

2011-08-24T14:55:00.002-05:00

Last week I posted about our special delivery that we got just minutes before we left for our trip back east. Seeing that our garage is now full of boxes and boxes and boxes, and we have far too many goods than we know what to do with, I figured, what the hey, why not make a fun guessing game out of it and give one away to a lucky reader (because I have so many, readers that is, not toothbrushes, although I guess I have lots of those now, too). Clearly we have plenty to go around.

So, what's actually in our boxes you might be asking, and how many do we actually have?

Well, my husband is a soon-to-be dentist, so it only makes sense that our garage is now full of toothbrushes. That's right, toothbrushes. But not just any kind of toothbrushes, these are the nice kind, the kind your dentist tells you to get, but then you learn they can be hundreds of dollars you decide against it. Because whose really going to spend that kind of money on a toothbrush when you can use that money to buy clothes, or shoes, or other exciting non-essential things? Rich people. That's who. Which I am not.

Here she is in all her glory, the Oral-B 1000 series toothbrush. I haven't actually used it, but my husband has and he seems to think it's pretty shnazy.

I lied, it's actually the 1000 series, not the 3000 like I said earlier. But it's still nice, promise!

And how many of these succors do we actually have? Ahem, 990, ahem, yes you read that correctly. Don't ask. Just know that if you are in need of a fancy toothbrush to keep those pearly whites good and healthy, and you have something equally cool that you're dying to get rid of, we might be able to work something out. Our friends traded toothbrushes for a non-working dirt bike. Now, I don't really want that, but I'm just saying, we can always work something out.

It looks like Ruth's guess was the most right on, she guessed 289 boxes. Congrats, Ruth! Email me your address at amycandrian@gmail.com and your toothbrush will be on it's way.

I had to laugh at some of the guesses you guys made. 1000 dollar store pregnancy tests. Could you imagine? Ha!

Don't forget to brush...and floss!

DC, Part 1

2011-08-23T14:56:00.002-05:00

Thanks to a crazy rainstorm on Sunday afternoon, my trip back east was extended a day. The whole drive to the airport I may or may not have been wishing for an extended vacation. Wish granted, at least for me. John had to get back for school and there was only one seat left, ask me if I was sad about this? It just meant I got to have a sleep over with just me and my sister. Just like old times, only better!

Here's a little peak at what the first half of our trip looked like:

Visited the DC temple.

Thanks sister for letting me borrow your clothes when my bags got lost.

Got caught it lot's of good rain storms

Side note: Our hair is wet, not greasy, just thought I should make that clear.

A capital tour by the one and only...

she even let us sneak into the capital press room,

sign of a great tour guide!

Expressing our true feelings for where we live

Devoured an amazing meal.

Good Stuff Eatery, need I say more?

The first few nights were spent hanging out at our favorite spot...

Oh, I miss it already!

Breaking and entering,

Sometimes my ideas aren't always the best,

and we'll leave it at that.

Mock bike ride through the city

Paid our respect at Arlington Cemetery

I don't feel like you can be a true tourist until you ride the metro,

So, I made sure we experience the joy that is public transportation.

And the first half of our trip ended with food and ice cream in Old Town.

The first half of our trip was fabulous, and it only got better after that.

P.S. I'll announce the winner of the giveaway tomorrow, stay tuned!

So long sweet summer

2011-08-21T13:38:00.000-05:00

I remember after we booked out tickets to come back east for our summer vacation we both wondered, will 10 days be too long of a trip?

We may have been slightly worried that we would be overstaying our welcome back here visiting family and friends, but I can assure you, had we added on 10 more days to this trip, I still don't think it would have been long enough, and that we'd be ready to go back to our life in the mid-west.

I didn't cry when I left the east coast to move to Oklahoma, but I may cry today as we leave, knowing what I'm going back to. Jokes, it's not that bad, but I rather stay here any day of the week.

So long east coast, we'll be back soon!

Head over here to check out day 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the 21 day challenge.

Special Delivery

2011-08-17T19:28:00.003-05:00

The morning we left for our adventured back east I looked out the window to see a huge semi parked in front of our house. You know, the big semi's that freak you out every time they pass you on the freeway. The kind that think they rule the road. Yes, one was parked right out front of our house, and all I could think was, oh great! Oh great because I knew what it meant.

It meant we got a special delivery, one that delivered us all of these:

Two huge crates full of boxes and boxes of...

Take a wild guess at whats inside those boxes AND the total amount of items, meaning there could be more than one thing in each box, (unless you already know, then it's not fair), and perhaps we'll send the three people with the most correct answer one for free. Special delivery for us, special delivery for you. It's really a win win here.

Giveaway ends at midnight CST on Sunday, August 21.

Challenge Day 3

2011-08-17T08:39:00.000-05:00

Check out my look here.

On a completely different note, we're still on vacation and we've both decided we're really enjoying being where we are. We may never return to our "real" lives.

Challenge Day 2

2011-08-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

Follow me here!

21 Day Challenge

2011-08-15T07:17:00.002-05:00

I'm participating in this over the next 21 days. So, while this blog remains dormant for the next few days, head over here to see what I'm doing.

Update: If the link isn't working, it's yesitsnatural.blogspot.com

Time-out

2011-08-11T22:56:00.000-05:00

We're off on a little adventure, a much needed adventure that's taking us away from normal life for a few days. Thank goodness for vacations. They alway seem to come at just the right time. And right now we could really use a few days away in a place that's far from here. No offense Oklahoma, but we really need a break.

Why I love my husband, part 1

2011-08-09T10:50:00.000-05:00

Thankfully, before the big day of becoming John's forever, I was warned of a particular behavior of his. Behavior I wasn't entirely looking forward to, but behavior I knew I could handle.

The first outbreak of said behavior surfaced just a few days after we got back from our honeymoon. The night it happened, I just had to laugh after I realized what was going on. Like I said, thankfully, I had been warned, so it didn't come as too big of a shock to me.

And then it happened again, just a few nights later while we were staying at my parents house. That night, it freaked me out a little, and the best part was, he lied about it to save himself from embarrassment.

And then it happened again.

And again.

And again...

Sometimes it's a bit more extreme than others. Sometimes it's more real. Sometimes more funny. And sometimes, it's just plain annoying when I'm tired and trying to sleep.

But usually, it's just plain funny

Take last night for example, I slept terrible the night before, and thankfully last night, I was out cold. That is, until 12:45am rolled around, and out of nowhere John ripped the comforter off of us, began semi-freaking out, and frantically brushing something off of him and the bed. He then flipped on the lights, and stared at me with wide eyes. I stared back, eyes just as wide, wondering what in the world is going on.

It's usually at this point he knows what he's doing. He knows whatever he saw wasn't real and was all in his imagination. Usually, that is. And then we'll have a good laugh about it and fall back to sleep. But not before I make another joke that the boogieman, the bats, the bees, or the spiders are going to get him again. Like I said, it's usually all pretty humorous, even if it is 12:45am and I'm dead tired and half asleep.

But last night, even when John came to, he was still convinced that there were spiders ALL over our room. He pulled the dust ruffle up, looked under the bed, and then he just stared at me and said, "I know there are spiders in here, they were all over, where did they go?" and proceeded to look under the bed, just one more time, to find those nasty little critters.

He seemed so dumbfounded by it all, "but they were so real" is all he kept saying as I drifted back to sleep.

Much to his dismay, no spiders were found during last nights antic.

How to make your husband jealous

2011-08-05T11:13:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've been hit on. That's what getting married does to you I suppose. Most people see a ring on the finger and look the other way. At least that's what I'd assume people do when they see a girls married. But I guess, married or not, some people have no shame.

Take last night for example. Lately our nights have been spent at the driving range, with John trying to perfect his swing. He's trying to keep the statement, all dentists golf, factual I suppose. I tag along for the fun of it, hit a few balls and call it good. Last night I may have been a little overly dressed for the golf course, but we needed to take pictures for something I'm going to be doing, and I figured I was making up for embarrassing him the day before showing up in running clothes, not a polo. Gasp, the horror of not dressing according to golfer standards. Golf course are clearly more classy than that.

To my defense, I ran home from the golf course that night. And just for the record, I felt more comfortable being there in workout clothes rather than a dress.

Last night as I sat watching John, I overheard one of the employees, who happens to be deaf, talking to the people a few feet down from us. He then made his way towards us, as he finished picking up the empty baskets that were lying around. I smiled, handed him our basket, and he drove away. After he left, I made some snide remark about him thinking I was pretty darn cute with the way he was looking at me.

And wouldn't you know it, not five minutes later, he drives back over in his golf cart to where I'm sitting, mind you, it was pretty apparently I was there with John, and says to me, "Excuse me, excuse me, we have a problem here..." I instantly thought, shoot, maybe there really is a dress code here? Maybe I'm not supposed to be sitting on the grass? Do I need to put my shoes back on? But then he finished with saying, "I'm going to have to call the fire department, because you're way too hot for this golf course."

I burst out laughing, said thank you, and he drove off.

John wasn't too appeased by this, but I was soaking it in. As we left, I smiled, waved, got an eye roll from John, and told him I couldn't wait to come back tomorrow night. But this time, I'll leave the dress at home.

What an unexpected rainstorm*

2011-08-03T19:34:00.000-05:00

John's out of school for the next three weeks and to say having to go to work, while he stays home has been easy, would be a big fat lie. So, clearly Monday and Tuesday sucked!

But today, I may have had a change of heart, and I'm highly considering the whole I-go-to-work-while-he-stays-home-and-takes-care-of-things-around-the-house, gig.

Point in case, I came home from work/gym to this:

A bathroom that's in shambles, and two boys hard at work:

I may have left a laundry list of things that "would be nice if they got done" over the break.

You know, fix the TV cable that's coming into our house through the front door, and we look totally ghetto because our door doesn't totally close right anymore.

Check!

And, fix the pipes so our shower can finally have cold water and we can stop standing in burning hot water, or, better yet, a mere trickle of water just so we don't burn ourselves. And did I mention the knobs fall off every.time.I.shower! Our shower may or may not have been acting like this for a good eight or nine months now. But whose counting, or paying attention for that matter?

Semi-check!

Yeah, living in an old home isn't always fun, it's more games than anything. Figuring out what works. What doesn't. What we can purposely ignore just so we don't have to fix, yet another, problem that's going to cost us a fortune.

I love our 1925 house, but it definitely comes with some major maintenance that neither one of us were entirely expecting. Der! But would I live in an old house again. Absolutely! I might even prefer them actually.

It's only three days into this "summer break" of John's, and overdue thing are finally getting done around this place. I'm starting to wish more three week breaks occurred during dental school. Like I said, I'm highly considering the whole I go to work while he plays house~~wife~~husband.

So, while they're busy at work and getting things done around here, and I can't shower because it's still a mess back there, I'll continue to chill in my workout clothes, eating homemade caramel ice cream, (because that's what you eat after a good workout), and wishing that overdue rainstorm would have lasted just a little bit longer.

*Quoted from one of the worst yet awesomest movie ever made. Do you know it?

I ♥ technology

2011-07-29T11:14:00.001-05:00

Since I can't just up and hang out with these two munchkins, in person, anytime I want,

hanging out via skype is basically the next best thing.

I can still get them to laugh and smile, or tell me stories.

But when I tell my nephew I want a cracker, to which he says,
"Daddy, Amy cracker."
That's when I'm reminded skype can only go so far.

If only I could live closer to these two...and my new niece of course, but she's not quite old enough to join in on our conversations just yet.

Earning his keep

2011-07-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

Hairy leggings?

Or just plain hairy dirty legs.

And because apparently we have a fetish with posting pictures of our ever so attractive feet.

While I was out running errands,

J. was earning his keep working in the yard.

Our weekends are increasingly becoming more productive.

Let me explain

2011-07-18T22:38:00.004-05:00

Dear Parents,

If I haven't written you enough sorry notes in my life, here's another to add to the stash. I'm sorry. Two months ago when you came to visit, we had this yard looking pretty darn good. Two months later, well, it doesn't exactly look like it did when you left. You know, weed free flower bed and all.

I blame the 100+ degree weather we've been having for nearly 28 days straight, because certainly laziness isn't the culprit behind this mess. I mean, weed pulling was my favorite chore growing up. * cough cough *

We tried to keep up, but those weeds battled us to the ground. Unfortunately, we surrendered and let them take over that once beautiful flower bed you helped us create. Like I said, I'm sorry.

However, this weekend, John and I decided enough is enough. So, to prove we really did appreciate you're help when you were here, and to end our embarrassed every time we pulled into our driveway, we took matters into our own hands. Not only did we battle the weeds, but also the 102 degree, hot, humid, sticky weather.

Saying we changed our clothes 5 times each on Saturday might be an understatement. Yes, it was literally that hot, still is in fact. But you know, people pay the big bucks to hang out in saunas, and lucky for us, we get to experience that same sensation, for free might I add, right in our own front yard. A free sauna, every time we walk outside, how lucky are we?

Our yard transformed from this (yes, I know, it looks terrible to the nth degree):

To this:

Yes, it still needs some work, but hey, at least it's a little better, right?

No more being embarrassed to admit that this is where we live. We'll try to do better from here on out, for your sake, ours, and our neighbors, promise. We can't have you thinking we take your hard work for granted, because we most certainly do not.

Yard work, just one of the many joys of being home owners.

Love,
Your favorite daughter

The things we discover on our nightly walks...

2011-07-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

Clearly, we live in a very classy area.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Practically Perfect

2011-07-11T10:20:00.002-05:00

I'm the worst person to try and surprise. Surprises and I have a love/hate relationship. I love being surprised but hate the unknown, thus, I always end up figuring out whatever surprises John tries to muster up. In my defense, I try hard not to let my mind figure out the surprise, but I can't help that I'm just too smart.

Since our anniversary fell on a Sunday this year, we decided to celebrate our day of marital matrimony on Saturday, and John was adamant that the day be full of surprises. To oblige, I tried hard not to "figure out" what he had planned.

I think we both succeeded.

Success included...

Tandem bike ride around Lake Hefner, something I've been wanting to do for awhile now, but never really thought we actually would...

Note to self: Always let the man sit in front, it's a much more pleasant ride that way.

Followed by a cool down session at the pool. Now that we've discovered such easy access to a pool (and it's 110 degrees outside) it's the only thing that gets us through the days...

And then, lunch of course, and a second failed attempted at using our groupon, the fine print will get you every time...

After a packed morning, relaxation was in order.
Massages, couples massages to be exact, my all time favorite thing EVER. Ever ever ever EVER EVER!

Not pictured, for your sake more than ours.

And then we freshened up and headed out for a night on the town, Oklahoma style...

For the first time since moving to Oklahoma, I actually thought OKC is kind of cool. Maybe we just need to hang out downtown more often to enjoy it's night life that I never knew existed.

The Melting Pot was calling our name, and seeing that they had a table, and a Happy Anniversary card waiting for us, we couldn't really say no...

We definitely ate to our hearts content, and enjoyed every moment of stuffing our faces with pure deliciousness.

And to end a better than perfect day gallivanting around the city, from one thing to the next, we decided to sneak into the Red Hawks game to watch the last three innings, before retiring home and falling fast asleep.

A better than perfect day? Absolutely, thanks to this one...

Love him!

One year down...

2011-07-10T09:43:00.001-05:00

I almost forgot all about this video my sister made John and I for our wedding, exactly 365 days ago today:

Amy & John's Love Story from Andrea Candrian on Vimeo.

We laughed at how silly we sound in the video, and that we sometimes contradict ourselves...it appears as though neither one of us like being in front of the camera.

365 days later, and I'm happy to report that I'm wishing we could redo this day all over again.

But his time, I think we'd both be a little less nervous, and enjoy the day just a little bit more.

No future?

Pa-lease...

We survived the first year of marriage, of course we have a future!

We found summer

2011-07-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

That summertime funk I felt stuck in, officially over! Once Friday rolled around, nothing stood in our way of enjoying every moment of the hot, humid, sticky air that we call summer here in Oklahoma. And, how better to enjoy such grotesque weather?

Head to the pool of course.

Friday:

Saturday:

and Monday:

And now I feel like it's actually summer, even if it's already half way over. All it took was a dip, or two, or three in the pool. Oh, and eating some apple pie. Patriotic apple pie to be exact.

And fireworks.

And bbq's.

Three day weekends and holiday's really need to occur more often. Or, perhaps we should just move to Europe so we can go on a six week Holiday every summer? Yes, I think I like that idea...three more years, three more years, three more years...

Summer's here?

2011-07-01T10:49:00.000-05:00

Even with the 100+ degree weather, humid air, and feeling like I've walked into a sauna every time I step outside, I forget it's summer. You'd think the scorching heat would be enough of a reminder that summer is here, but alas, being cooped up in an office all day long, and not being able to declare June-September work free months, causes the forgetfulness.

I may have graduated from college three years ago, and have consequently been working full-time those past three years, but this is the first summer I've actually had to really work. I know, poor me. But you see, my first summer out of college I was an intern, which meant work in the morning, lay out at the pool in the afternoons. It was heavenly. Two summers ago I spent most of my time in Africa, granted it was for work, but it was still a "vacation" nonetheless. When I wasn't on another continent, I wasn't really at work either. Vacations dominated that summer. And again, it was heavenly. Last year, well...I had other plans in mind rather than working. Getting married, playing at the beach, and hanging out with family seemed a bit more important. Heavenly indeed.

So here we are, July 1st, fully submerged into summer, and instead of enjoying summer the way it should be enjoyed by vacationing, playing at the beach, daily trips to the pool, hanging out with family and staying as far away from work as possible, I'm having to embrace the "grown-up" world, and for once, realize life isn't all fun and games all of the time. Or maybe it is and I just haven't found that balance yet?

I know you're probably thinking, poor Amy, life is so unfair. But really, I'm not so much complaining about it, just more so realizing, oh, so this is what it's like to have to work all.the.time. and not have summers off. It totally sucks! Thank goodness I don't have a demanding or stressful job, but it's still a job that keeps me indoor between the hours of 8am-5pm. And I'm still forgetting it's summer. That's a sin. So, for all you veteraned workers out there, how do you enjoy the summer whilst being trapped in the office? It's possible, right?

The goal of this weekend, act like it's summer. I don't think that should be too hard to do. In fact, last night after an intense workout, we sat on our porch and ate popsicles. It's all about the baby steps.

Reality

2011-06-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

I'm not really sure how to start this. How does one adequately describe the terrible mess of anothers life caused by destruction? Destruction that left me unscathed, untouched, unharmed? Destruction that I hope I will never see again, yet I know will pass through here once again before our time is up. Destruction that has ruined lives, yet thankfully left mine alone thus far.

Destruction that is tornadoes. And deadly. And scary.

On Saturday, John and I, along with other members of our church, helped clean up some of the aftermath of the tornadoes that touched down here just one short month ago.

To say it was eye opening experience would be an understatement. I have never before witnessed destruction caused by tornadoes, and I kind of liked it that way. Picking up trash, and sticks, and pieces of a broken fence, torn apart shingles, metal scraps, and pictures that preserve memories, seemed only minimal compared to the task that's really at hand.

The task of starting a life over. Adjusting to a family with lost members. Rebuilding a home. Starting over in every sense of the word.

I can't imagine.

But yesterday I had a glimpse into what some families are dealing with. Their lives have been torn to shreds, and I only had a small (very small) hand in helping them clean up and get back on their feet. The images seen on TV just don't compare to witnessing the destruction first hand.

It will be a long road ahead for many. And I only wish there was more I could have done. I only wish the state of Oklahoma could do more to help. A month later and some homes are still sitting there as though the tornado came through just yesterday. And it seems that all I can do, besides pick up the fallen debris, is feel sad for what was lost, and for all the things they now have to face.

The home below is the home we focused most of our time on. Every time I'd pass this house carrying various things that were lying around, I couldn't help but wonder, why hasn't he come back to claim any of his belongings? Why hasn't he tried to un-bury his Porsche and Harley? Why is his computer still sitting on his desk as though that front room wasn't even touched by the tornado? Why hasn't he come back to get his stuff? Is it all too much to bare?

And then I was told, just a mere week and a half ago, the lone man who lives in this home just had heart surgery, and coming back to get his stuff, and clean up his land and face the unknown just isn't an option right now. And that's when sweating in 100 degree weather was well worth it.

If only

2011-06-22T11:47:00.001-05:00

Anyone who knows me well knows I have a passion for working out. I always feel in my element in a gym, on the track, or in a race. Working out is the closest I'll ever come to being high, it gets me every time.

Running alone clears my head. Running with others gives me a reason to work harder. Running with my parents, that's when I fall in love with running all over again. And running with my hubby, well, that's when it's pay back for making me go camping. I love whooping his butt in a run.

When I find a new workout, I legitimately get way too excited about. I love when I think it sounds intense but totally easy for me (I like to pretend I'm more in shape than I clearly am) only to find out I just got my booty spanked trying to do it. That's when I know it's a good workout. And thus was the case last night. Totally got my booty spanked. And of course, what kind of wife would I be if I didn't drag my hubby's tush along, too, only to whip his into shape as well. I wouldn't be a very good one, I'll tell you that.

So, off to the track we went to get our sweat on.
Workout taken from here. She also has some really good recipes, too.

3 1/2 laps, jog
1/2 lap, sprint
1 lap, jog
15 burpees
15 bench push ups
1 lap, jog
15 walking lunges with back kick & knee lift
15 jump squats
1 lap, jog
30 bench tricep dips
1/2 lap, jog
1/2 lap, sprint
45 squats & jab
45 mountain climbers
1/2 lap, walk
1/2 lap, sprint
30 tricep dips
30 modified push ups
2 laps, jog
1 cool down lap, walk

Wow.

Go.Do.This.Workout.Now! I was feeling pretty AWESOME (or in the hubs case, terrible) after this workout, so fabulous in fact that this morning I think I beat my own PR in a measly 4 mile run. I probably would have run longer, but work was calling my name. Too bad, because clearly I was still on my runners high from the night before. I love when a workout is so inspiring.

Last night before crawling into bed, a light when off in my head, I discovered what my dream job would be. Just like there are food critics, movie critics, video game critics, and plenty of other critics out there, I want to test/critique workouts.

That's right, I want to be a workout critic. People would send me their workouts, I'd try them out, then deem if the workout was good enough, hard enough to give me a burn, adaptable enough for all levels, and on and on and on the list would go for whether or not a particular workout was "Amy Approved".

Having a workout approved by me would be just as meaningful as a Jillian Michaels workout. It would mean something, and it would be good.

Workout critic by day. Chef/baker/crafter by night.

Aw, to dream...

But really, anyone out there have a workout you want me to try? I'm totally qualified for such a job as this, I've been to fat camp...read: worked at fat camp. That right there should increase my credibility tenfold.

Successful attempt

2011-06-20T12:37:00.000-05:00

When I found out my friend wanted an ice cream cake for her birthday, I gladly jumped at the chance to be the one to make it for her instead of allowing Cold Stone or Baskin Robins the honors.

Thankfully, she trusted me enough with this task, even after finding out I've never actually made one before. Mud pie, yes. Ice cream cake, never even attempted. But how hard could it be, right?

I don't think you can really go wrong with cake and ice cream, which is why I decided to throw some brownie into the mix, too. If you can't go wrong with cake and ice cream, you really can't go wrong with cake, brownie, AND ice cream.

Calorie overload and all, this was totally worth busting my butt, or gut, at the gym for.

The day of fathers

2011-06-19T19:25:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad he's the one I get to call dad, and no matter how old I get, I'll always get to be called his baby girl. Just look at that face. He's pretty much my favorite!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy-o, and to all of the Father's out there of course. But let's get real here, what father actually read's blogs? Mine sure doesn't, so we'll just leave it at that.

It's Friday Friday, gotta get down on Friday

2011-06-17T16:02:00.003-05:00

We're not one of those ~~annoying~~ cute and mushy couples, we're probably the total opposite actually, but when I found this tucked away in my lunch this afternoon, it sure feels like we are...

...especially after lasts nights trip to Wal-Mart, and my craving for something sweet. Little did I know that when we got in the car to leave John had a surprise in the bag waiting for me. Some of these! How did I pay for the groceries and not know what we were buying? He's a sneaky one.

Sometimes husbands are the best. Ok, most of the time. All the time might be a stretch. {jokes}

I'm off to go enjoy the weekend with my better half...see, not mushy at all. TGIF!

Productivity and I should be friends

2011-06-16T13:17:00.000-05:00

I love to cook. It's one of my favorite things to do, especially when I have the time. In fact, I think I'd go as far as saying I love to cook more than I love to shop, and that's saying something. Because, let me tell you, I love new things!

One of the things I was most looking forward to about being married was having someone to cook for. I rarely cooked when it was just me. Probably the reason he was clueless about this love of mine.

John's biggest surprise when he married me was that I CAN actually cook. In his words, he was "pleasantly surprised" by this discovery. Apparently when you date long distance, your meals together are spent at restaurants more than they are spent in your own kitchen. Maybe that's just dating in general? Either way, I don't blame him for being skeptical about my abilities prior to the big 'I do', even though I reassured him I was fully capable. He had to see/taste to believe.

Now that this love affair has been discovered over these past 11 months, John expects a good dinner on the table every.single.night. Typical guy! Just kidding, it's actually the other way around. I expect it from myself, and it probably goes back to how I was raised. Thankfully, I was raised by a mom who believes in family dinners every.single.night. Even as a working mom, she always had dinner on the table for us. Always! And I loved that.

Planning dinners isn't a hard thing for me. In fact, I LOVE planning dinners every week. Is that weird? With all of my cookbooks, food blogs I read, and the internet in general, I think meal planning is a cinch in this day and age. We have it easy.

Tonight's dinner is one I have been looking forward to for weeks now. It just required a little preparing ahead of time, i.e. the night before, seeing that mornings just aren't my thing.

Want to know what we're having? Well, alright, I'll share this amazing recipe, but only because I like all of you. You can find it here.

It's delicious. Like out of this world delicious. And a total chick meal might I add. My sister and I discovered it a few years ago, and it's quickly become one of my favorite meals. It's pretty healthy, too, which is a major perk if you ask me. And surprisingly enough, John doesn't mind it either. Score and score.

Productivity and I really should be friends, that's all I really wanted to say. Oh, and go make those cabbage rolls asap, you won't regret it!

"PerFACT"

2011-06-14T09:49:00.001-05:00

Just another Monday night at the Lovell home.
Or, as our dear bachelorette Ashley would say, a perFACT night.

Musings for a Monday

2011-06-13T14:47:00.000-05:00

Good weekends make for rough Monday's
We really mastered the art of staying busy, yet equally lounging around this weekend.
To the point that by the time we finally sat down to rest on Saturday, we couldn't even remember everything we did before hand.
That's how into our lounging we were.
And it was heaven.

I felt like I went shopping in my own closet this weekend.
It's amazing how a little organization can make one feel like she (she being me) has a whole new wardrobe.
I could probably go the entire year without wearing the same thing.
But I won't, because I forgot the things I had for a reason.

At what point is it ok to throw out old clothes?
If I said I found stuff I've had since the beginning of high school, does that mean it's time to go?
I think so.

But then I think of all the things I could turn my old clothes into.
So, I hold on a little longer filling my ever so tiny closet a little fuller.
Thank goodness I married a man whose entire wardorbe consists of a few t-shirts, some shorts/pants, and scrubs.

Note to self: The next house I live in will be built in this decade, not one from the 20's or 30's . They didn't understand the need for closet space back then.

However, I will note, that two years in a row, living in two different houses, both with NO closet space, hasn't slowed down the expanding wardrobe.
Clearly no closet space doesn't deter me.

I try to apply the saying, "make do, or do without" to most things in life (kind of), but no matter how hard I try to apply that to the clothing department, it just doesn't work. Unless going without clothes is an option, which I'm afraid it isn't. Too bad though, perhaps I'd enjoy this 100 degree humid heat a little more.

Did you know?

2011-06-06T10:54:00.001-05:00

Rumor has it that Oklahoma has more shoreline than any of the other 48 contiguous states. I've even heard it said that Oklahoma has more shoreline than the east coast and gulf coast combined. Almost to crazy to believe, I know. But people say it's true, so if it is, there's something you can add to your database of pointless facts.

True or not, Oklahoma does have more man-made lakes than any other state. Which means, in a matter of 30 minutes or less, we can visit 5 or 6 different lakes.

So, visit the lakes we do on our Sunday night strolls.

No Girls Allowed

2011-06-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

This past weekend John and some of his buddies had the grandiose idea of having a night of R&R away from their wives. Camping and fishing were on their agenda, and we weren't invited to tag along. At least not seriously invited anyway. So, while the boys went out to play, my friend Rachelle and I decided to get together and have a little fun of our own.

Fun that involved making homemade jam. Catching up on the Bachelorette. Eating boston creme pie. And a little ear candling action. Which, by the way, I'm now a firm believer in.

Growing up my mom always had homemade jam in our freezer. Looking back, I feel like I was spoiled by that, considering store bought just doesn't do justice. I kind of despise store bought actually. I'm a homemade jam kind of girl, and now knowing how simple it is to make, I will never buy store bought again. Never! My future children will thank me for that.

Side note: John also thinks I should never buy tortilla chips or salsa again, apparently he thinks mine is better than any we can get from the store. He sure knows how to make a girl feel good about her cooking.

We tried the jam out on some homemade rolls tonight with dinner. Pure deliciousness, just like I remembered!

I'm feeling very domestic these days. If only I could stay at home and bake and cook all day long, life would truly be near perfect.

I told John when we open our own dental practice in the very very very very very very very distant future, instead of having a cute little boutique/gift shop/pharmacist attached, I'd like to have my very own bakery. The business approach of it all would be genius in my humble opinion. Now you all know my little secret for how we're going to have a very successful dental practice some day way way way way way way way down the road.

Memorial Weekend Success

2011-05-31T14:14:00.000-05:00

There's something about Memorial Weekends always turning out to be better than expected. At least that's been the trend for the last four years, and this year was no exception.

We knew we were in for a good weekend the moment we arrived in Austin at the Salt Lick for dinner. We thought we stumbled upon a family reunion, at least that was John's assumption the moment we turned the corner after a desolate drive, in what seemed to be, the middle of nowhere. Texans don't mess around when it comes to BBQ, so it was no surprise they had the county sheriff out directing traffic into this place, a live band for entertainment, and some serious white trash going on in that joint.

Yes, I think that sealed the deal for knowing good times were ahead.

Then, it was off to San Antonio for the next three days, where, despite how much we ate, we probably all lost a good 10 lbs of water weight from sweating alone. I thought I'd experienced humidity in my east coast days, but I'd be wrong. I've NOW experienced what true humidity feels like.

And I'm not a fan.

We fit in as much as we could:
the Alamo...

test driving river boats...

checking out Lackland Air Force base, you know, just in case we ever find ourselves back in San Antonio paying back our dues...

being true tourists, hanging out on the River Walk...

and eating good food while we were at it...

then squeezing in a romantic moonlit riverboat tour...

and being seranaded by the mariachi band...

watching the men and their handy dandy skills in changing a flat tire,

and then witnessing them being even more manly, chilling in the middle of the ocean together...

and playing in the sand together...

Dental school has a way of bringing individuals close together, what can I say? One can only assume that all of those days spent in clinic and classes together does that to you.

Not documented: scoring great deals at the outlet mall, playing in massive waves at the beach and sun burns, despite using sunscreen...on me anyway.

Poor John, I want to accuse him of being a little melodramatic, but when one thinks he can outsmart the sun, and the sun wins, I know it's not just a show he's putting on, when moving merely an inch causes him to groan out of severe pain.

Lesson learned.
Hopefully this pain will give us a nice golden shimmer in a few days, not skin cancer, then it will all be worth it.

Other lessons learned from this trip:
We need to live in a big city,
I need to live close to great outlet malls,
and a king size bed needs to be in our near future!

And did I mention, San Antonio = awesome!

Minimizing the tabs

2011-05-27T10:12:00.001-05:00

I don't know if any of you are like me, but as soon as I open up my computer and start browsing the web, before I know it, I have 50+ tabs open of all things I love, want to try, need to make, must own, and the list goes on and on.

I rarely shut down my computer, because hello, I need my tabs open. I've been mocked for how many tabs I have open at once. But I embrace what can be found online and thought nothing of it.

But then Pintrest came along, and saved me from the loss of great ideas, websites I admired, and images I couldn't get enough of, all because I closed a tab too soon. It's like all of internets goodness in one place. Minimal tabs needed. Amazing!

And it gets even better knowing that, not only can I share my internet finds, inspirations, dreams, etc. with others, they can share their goodness with me, too. That deserves another, amazing!

I know this whole Pintrest thing isn't new to most of you, but I only joined a few weeks ago, and I think I just found the next best thing next to cheese curds.

A few of my boards:

Do any of you use Pintrest? If not, you really should. And then you should share your inspirational finds with me. I'm really good at being inspired by others.

Enjoy your Memorial Weekend. We're headed to San Antonio for ours, and we might just sneak in a little beach time, too, even if it means another two hours drive. That close to the beach, how do you not go?

I'm not too sure when I found a love for escaping to Texas, but alas, Texas excites me these days.

And I lied, the love instantly sprung the moment I moved to Oklahoma!

All is well in OKC

2011-05-25T11:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we survived the outbreak that was tornadoes yesterday. I'm sure you're all well aware that OK is not on my top 10 list of places I'd like to live, but somehow, I've ended up here anyway thanks to a certain someone I call my husband.

One of the tornadoes that moved across the state yesterday

Thankfully, school makes it only temporary for us. However, why anyone chooses to live in a state that is known for producing "conditions perfect for tornadoes", is beyond me. Alas, I am summoned to living in such conditions for two more years, so two more years it will be.

Two more tornado seasons.
Two more hot/humid summers.
Two more cold winters.
Two more years of hoping we don't get taken out by a deadly twister.
Two more years of stress.

John and I left campus mid-afternoon yesterday, thanks to encouragement from the school to let us all go home early, fully expecting to go home, cuddle up, and keep our eyes glued to the news. But after better consideration of sitting at home, in an old house, with no storm shelter, no place to comfortably hide out just in case, we opted to go back to campus where storm shelters are available, and hunker down until the worst of it was over.

So hunker down we did.

And we weren't the only ones who had this idea in mind, either. Slowly but surely the Student Union began filling up with groups of people, individuals, families, cats, dogs, and the like. Poor Tobias, we just left him at home to fend for himself.

Thankfully, after watching tornado after tornado take out neighborhoods, streets, telephone poles, semis, etc., and hearing siren after siren go off, warning us tornadoes could be getting close, the storm passed by, leaving OKC basically untouched. I wish I could say the same for the surrounding areas.

Once we felt safe enough to leave, we literally raced home, because HELLO, the season finale of The Biggest Loser was on, and seeing that this is the first season I've ever actually watched, I HAD to see the ending.

Only, we got home to realize that wouldn't be happening tonight, instead, all that was on TV was the aftermath of the storms. Instead, we listened to a tear inducing story of a mother whose son, ripped from her arms, has gone missing, and a day later, is still gone. Instead, we watched families arrive home to nothing more than a pile or rubble.

I feel sad for the state of Oklahoma today. For anyone who was affected by the tornadoes yesterday, and for the lives that will forever be changed because of what they now have to deal with.

For most, life is back to normal today. For some, they're so used to tornadoes that this probably means nothing much to them. In fact, I'm almost positive we were the only ones in our neighborhood who even thought to take cover yesterday. But for us, we rather veer on the side of overly cautious, rather than overly sorry.

This post has turned into something far more sentimental than I intended, when all I really wanted to say is, all is well in OKC for the Lovell's. Thank goodness for that.

Oklahoma City at its finest

2011-05-24T12:32:00.003-05:00

After seeing what happened in Joplin, MO. the other day, not to mention the hundreds of other tornado outbreaks in the U.S. within the last few months, I feel VERY justified in saying that the map below doesn't make me feel very at ease with living in Oklahoma at the moment.

Neither did watching the movie "Twister" prior to moving here, and this is exactly why...

I mean, what's the likelihood of anything too serious really happening, right? But let's get real here, I'm sure the people in Joplin said the same thing, and look what happened. It's sad. And scary. So we've gots to be prepared people!

This morning on our way into school/work, John and I discussed all possible worse case scenarios that could happen to us, say tornadoes really do hit down in OKC while we're still living here.

We came up with some pretty good worse case scenarios. And, if one can have a favorite, mine would have to have been, having a tornado demolish the dental school, thus requiring us to transfer to a new school, in a new state, preferably one on the west coast, in a city that starts with San and ends with Francisco.

Maybe the wheels in my head were spinning, thinking of the possibility of that actually happening, but I quickly pushed that thought aside and wiped the grin off of my face. Because like I said before, what's the likelihood of anything too serious really happening, right?

A penny saved is a penny earned

2011-05-21T23:36:00.002-05:00

That is a motto I grew up hearing. My mom has always taught me the importance of saving money, but more importantly, never paying full price for anything. And I don't. At least, very rarely. And if I do, it's probably because I can't get the darn thing, whatever that 'thing' may be, off my mind. Sometimes I've just got to have that cute dress, or shoes, or shirt, or pants, or...but like I said, that's very rare. I think...

I'm not a cheapskate, even ask my husband. But I love me a good deal.

So, when my sister started talking to me about CVSing, and all this extreme couponing hoopla, I decided to give it a go. I'm usually a sucker for good discounts on clothes, shoes, and other non-essential items, but I'm now discovering that good deals on groceries and the like is probably a bit more practical.

I may not be the best at it, at least not yet anyway. I'd definitely consider myself a newbie at all of this stuff (does dumpster diving for coupon inserts qualify me as an intermediate couponer though?), as I'm still learning the ropes and whatnot, but surprisingly enough, I'm finding some steal of a deals. And I mean that in a literal sense of the term here.

This week I built up the courage and tried out my beginner level skills at the grocery store, and I walked away with all of this for a whopping $23!

Like I said, I'm still learning the ropes of this game of stealing, at least that's what I feel like it is. But it's stealing I feel ok about, and that's what matters here. Sadly enough, this whole game of what-deal-can-I-score-next, just made grocery shopping a whole new adventure for me.

Any "extreme' couponers out there? I'd love to know your trips and tricks to getting a good deal.

Snap, Crackle, Pop

2011-05-20T11:21:00.003-05:00

Last night we fell asleep to the crackling sounds of lightening, answered by the boisterous booms of thunder. A lightning show was going on outside, and we were stuck right in the middle of it. I love me a good thunderstorm, so I slept soundly last night. Soundly so, that John's sleep walking didn't even wake me. Now that's saying something.

Too bad the storm didn't come yesterday morning, instead of late last night. Otherwise, maybe we could have kept our visitor's for a little while longer. We love having people come visit us, even if it's only for a night.

So much family stopping by our stomping grounds in the last few weeks has been rather nice. It kind of makes us miss living closer to family. We keep telling ourselves, someday, someday in the distant, very distant future, perhaps will live close to at least one member from either of our families. I like to think the odds should be pretty good, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for the one.

Anyone else driving across the country this summer? You're welcome to stop by and spend a night. We welcome any and all visitor's.

Take me out to the ball game

2011-05-16T16:50:00.001-05:00

If camping and a baby shower weren't enough to keep us busy for one weekend, we decided to meet up with John's cousins and go to an Oklahoma City AAA baseball game, too.

Our ticket included a free hat (pictured below), a Taco Bell voucher for $6.00, and the courtesy of seeing my "home" team, the SLC Bee's play, all for a whopping $6.25. Clearly they're in need of boosting sales around here.

Thank goodness we could help them out.

I love me some baseball, even if it's the minor league.

Thanks Kristen and Travis for joining us, we had a blast!

The Joy of Camping

2011-05-15T20:43:00.002-05:00

I didn't grow up in a family that enjoys camping. I appreciated that.
Yet, I was forced to go to girls camp. Hence the dislike of the activity.
I much rather sleep in my own bed.

However...
I enjoy sitting around a bonfire talking with friends.
I love smores.
I enjoy being out in nature...in the right circumstances.

Being married to a man who loves a good camp out means I get to experience things I'm not particularly fond of. It's a give/take relationship. I go camping. He is obligated to take me to the nutcracker every year starting now. It's a win win I suppose.

To "celebrate"-I use that term loosely here-finishing second year, the worst/hardest year, so glad that's behind us, the guys thought camping sounded like the best de-stressing outlet they could come up with. I had other ideas in mind. But, camping it was. So, I did my best to go with a smile on my face. Although, someone may tell you otherwise.

Although I may not love camping, there are a few things that make it a little more enjoyable for me.

1. Sleeping in a nicely made air mattress with a lake front view...

2. Watching John, ever so proudly, hang up his hammock to lounge around on, only to realize sometimes square knots are trickier to tie than one would think...

3. Chillaxing around the camp fire with friends on a brisk spring night...

4. Pretty views...

5. Eating heart-attack inducing foods...

6. And having good friends around who make the idea of camping a whole lot better...

7. And lest I forget, watching John and his creativity in roasting marshmallows...

So, all in all, is camping a bad as I like to make it out to be. No! Would I care if I ever went camping again? Probably not. But I can't start giving in to camping so easily just yet, who knows what he'll try to succor me into next.

Expect the Unexpected

2011-05-10T12:52:00.000-05:00

I felt like a local here in Oklahoma this weekend. Not only did my parents come out to visit us, but my sisters and her little boy came out, too. Half of my family under MY roof, IN Oklahoma. Yeah, that's something I never thought would happen.

It was so nice to have family come out and visit us, spoil us, and basically take care of me for the entire weekend since John's nose was buried in his books studying for finals...oh, and taking care of securing our money since some dirt bag decided to break into our account and steal our hard earned money. I love honest people!

Our weekend in review, via pictures:

I'm sure getting to see one of their grandsons while they were here was the highlight of the trip.

With a face like that, it was definitely one of my highlights:

My parents being the avid runners that they are decided we needed to run in a race while they were here. Sure, why not, right? A 5k in my book is no big deal, but somehow my dad and I found ourselves running slower than usual. We'll blame it on the deadly wind that is Oklahoma.

The wind didn't slower her down though. My mom got first place in her age group! Ladies in the 55-59 year old age group better watch out when she's around.

Free massages after the race. Yes please! That should be my reasoning right there to run more races instead of logging my miles in at the gym:

Later we headed off to the National Cowboy Museum, one of the few "treasures" of OKC. Surprise surprise, the cowboy museum was a lot cooler than I thought it would be:

John Wayne...one of the few cowboy's names I actually recognized.

They cater to the kids and let you ride pretend horses. Clearly I thought it was pretty cool.

And they even let you play dress up!

Next, we headed over to the Oklahoma City Memorial. I remember when the bombing happened in 1995. I think that was the first time I ever heard of Oklahoma City. How crazy it is that now I live here.

I'm so glad my mom didn't want to spend Mother's Day alone and decided to make the trek out to the great state of Oklahoma to visit me. I need this lady around, and my family in general for that matter.

Love them!

The Civility Experiement

2011-05-04T11:02:00.001-05:00

Kindness has always been something I've had to work at. I guess you can say that about anything. Patience. Love. Respect. Tolerance. Compassion. You get the picture. They're all things most of us have to work for. But for me, kindness has been my struggle. And something I have to work extra hard at. I have too much sass in me, and it's not always a good thing.

I often times wonder, as a female species, the species that is supposed to be patience, kind, loving, full of charity blah blah blah, why it's something I never felt like I was good at. Hello?! Is it hard to be nice, of course not. Wasn't I supposed to be born with these innate qualities? So, why the struggle? Because I'm human. A human who isn't very teachable most of the time.

One would think that after 25 years of being taught valuable lesson after lesson, I'd be a kindness pro by now. Unfortunately, I'm still in the minor league, waiting to advance and go big. It seems like every 28 days or so, I'm back at home plate, striking out time and time again. It's a rather lovely time of the month around our house. Thank goodness life doesn't have a three strikes your out rule. I would have been out years ago.

I love this video. I love it's message. I love that lately, I've been on the receiving end of others kindness. And I'll tell you what, when I'm not always deserving of that kindness, it's like a slap in the face and really does make me want to be kinder to everyone around. So, here's a little pick me up to get you through your Wednesday. Cliche or not, kindness really does go a long way.

Tooting my own horn here

2011-04-29T11:16:00.002-05:00

Did anyone wake up to watch the Royal wedding this morning? I did. But not intentionally mind you. It just so happened that I naturally work up when the clock read 4:58am. And even though I was tried as could be, I thought, what they hey, Prince William and Kate only get married once! So, I jumped out of bed and turned on the TV, just in time to see Kate's father walking her down the aisle.

Through sleep drawn eyes, I marveled at the fact that Kate Middleton was about to become a princess. A princess! That's kind of a big deal. She looked absolutely stunning, didn't you think? And I think it's safe to say, most girls in the world are jealous of her today.

But let's talk about her dress shall we. The dress everyone was trying to make predictions about. What was it going to look like? Would it be extreme like Princess Diana's? Who would design it? Was she going to go with a more modern look? Will her dress become inspiration for years to come? Would she help design it? And the list goes on and on.

Well, I'd be lying if I didn't think the moment I saw it, hey, her dress looks eerily similar to my wedding dress. Minus, mine wasn't a long sleeved dress, nor was the train quite as big. Ok, and mine had a few ruffles up top that her's didn't. But other than that, I liked to think Princess Kate and I have similar style in the wedding dress department.

My dress:

Kate's Dress:

Ok, so maybe they don't look eerily similar, but there are some similarities there that you can't deny. Maybe it's only the lace. But hey, lace and all, I'm glad she decided to go with that elegant and timeless look. There's nothing more beautiful, more classy, and more of a fashion statement than a gorgeous gown constructed out of lace. She gets my stamp of approval!

Happy wedding day to the newlyweds.

Another DIY project

2011-04-27T20:12:00.000-05:00

Since I started getting all "crafty" these days (that term being used loosely here, very loosely), the wheels inside my head have been turning. I've had the idea of turning a dresser into a TV stand for awhile now, it just took finding the right dresser that I thought I could redo for my idea to truly evolve.

I've been scouting craigslist for the 'perfect' dresser, but nothing seemed to turn up in the price range I was hoping for. And then I went to some garage sales, and wouldn't you know it, someones trash turned into my treasure. I found this little gem for $20 and I knew I had to have it:

The dresser became even more perfect when the lady sold it to me for a whopping $12 instead. It was all the cash I had on me. Which I've since decided is the key to getting good deals. If you only carry a few dollars with you, the sellers will eventually come down on the price and match your offer. It's a fabulous thing, walking away with a bargain of a deal. At least I thought it was.

I didn't want to just paint it black, and leave it at that. That seemed too boring. So, I decided to add a little stenciling to the mix to spice things up a bit:

And the end result turned out a little something like this. To be honest, I'm still trying to decide how I really feel about it. It's fun, it's cute...I think. But is it a little too much? I'm still trying to decide.

I'd love your thoughts, keep it the way it is, or does it need to be toned down a little? Either way, it's high time we got rid of this retro look. But hey, at least all of this was free. That's right FREE. I got it all back in my DC days, and as nice as free is and has been, it's really got to go:

Wow, just looking at this picture makes me laugh. It's too bad the gameboy on the shelf is hidden in the picture. Yeah, we keep it old school around here. But like I said, it was FREE people. And sometimes free beats out looks, sad but true.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T22:48:00.000-05:00

It's that dreaded time of the week again, Sunday night, when the close of another productive and enjoyable weekend has arrived. After a nice long weekend, (I had Good Friday off, bless living in the Bible belt), it really makes beginning a new work week rather daunting. If only I could stay home and work on all of my unfinished projects...

Today was a crazy day around our house. With it being Easter Sunday and all, I had the wild idea of hosting a big dinner with some of our close friends. Of course I couldn't just have a simple dinner and leave it at that. That would be too easy, and I read way too many blogs. So, I tried to go all out, or at least as all out as I could in our tiny little space called our house. I told John one day I need a big house, if for nothing more than to entertain friends. To which he replied, some day, some day...

It's so nice being married to someone who is artistically gifted. He's always there to help me make things look even better...

And the finished product looked a little something like this, or, I should say, all of the guys cupcakes looked something like this. The girls were a little more normal looking...

The table...

After dinner, we had a chocolate cake cook off challenge, we wanted to see who really knows how to make the best chocolate cake. After a pretty filling dinner, we probably should have opted for something a little lighter, like fresh fruit, but we stuffed our faces with chocolate cake anyway...

I'm not sure whose cake actually won, or if we really even voted, but I do know it was a fun night, and that's all that we were aiming for anyway...

This was my moist chocolate cake. It probably wouldn't have hurt it to have a little less cinnamon in it, but after making cupcakes, cookies, a ham, and decorating my house can one really expect perfection? Perhaps. But I'm just impressed that within 20 minutes of everyone leaving, our house was back to being spotlessly clean. I guess there are some perks to living in a small house...

Piano Man

2011-04-18T13:52:00.000-05:00

I married a man who knows how to play the piano,

and well might I add,

and basically any other instrument he gets his hands on.

Playing the piano is a big part of his life,

and sadly, it's a part of his life I've rarely seen and hardly know.

Why?

Because I'm a terrible wife, and upon moving into our tiny home,

I made John store his talent in the closet.

Honest. There's no room without it being awkward.

Although, maybe if he'd actually written me a song for our wedding like he was planning on,
things would be different...

However, he'll occasionally pull his keyboard out of the closet,
dust it off,

and play away.

It makes me wish our house was big enough for a grand.

He'll probably kill me for posting these,
but what are wives for if we can't embarrass our husbands?

Friday night in our house sounded a little like this:

A few days later I told him I wanted him to play me his best piece yet,

this is what he came up with:

Clearly I've married myself an entertainer,

who knew?
Oh, how this man makes me laugh.

A little thrifting

2011-04-17T12:24:00.001-05:00

The weekend's not even over yet,

Sunday barely started,

and I'm already dreading the ending of today.

This weekend has been fabulous.

From missionaries over for dinner on Friday night,

to Saturday's thrift store/garage sale excursion,

it's been a productive and fun weekend.

My friend and I spent all of Saturday morning/mid-afternoon

cruising from one thrift store/garage sale to the next

trying to score some fabulous finds.

I think we both walked away

with some steals

and new projects to keep us busy for weekends to come.

It'll be a party.

Stay tuned...

Once upon a time,

thrifting used to disgust me.

How quickly it has turned into a passion of mine.

This is my latest DIY project.

It's no thrift store or garage sale find,

but craigslist finds are one and the same.

After months and months of searching,

I finally found the perfect glider bench to adorn my front porch.

Before:

After:

Incessant wind and all,

you'll find us chillaxing on that pretty little thing.

(It still needs a few side pillows, which will be in the works soon)

A little Monday night FHE...

2011-04-13T09:32:00.001-05:00

...turned into Monday night gardening.

John put his trusty skills to work and made me this Monday night:

And now there are vegetables growing in our backyard and I couldn't be more excited:

An old wives tale (according to the lady at Lowes) is to plant marigolds in your garden.

Apparently it keeps the bugs away.
Oklahoma has LOTS, and I mean LOTS of bugs.

So, clearly we bought into her story.

Fresh veggies all summer long?

Yes please!

Fashion statement or faux pas?

2011-04-11T13:57:00.000-05:00

I’m not really the most stylish gal out there. Some clothes I wear I’ve had since high school. Seven years old! I sometimes buy things because they’re cheap, not cute. I wear accessories that I’ve made, which don’t always turn out as attractive as I’d like. I’m trendy. I don’t have my own style; I’m better at coping others. And sometimes, I just hope I can get away with whatever odd concoction I think up next.

For instance, when my dear husband purchased a pair of petite pants for me at Christmas, not longs like I normally buy, I knew they wouldn’t fit. I was right. Unfortunately I’m no petite. And being too lazy to return them, they’ve sat on my shelf ever since. Until the other day when I decided to wear them anyway because I figured, why not. Better get our money’s worth, right? In middle school I would have been made fun of for wearing “floods”. Today it just seems like any thing goes.

So, on went the pants and up went the confidence. I felt like I needed to appear as though wearing pants that don’t fit me is ok. And wouldn’t you know it that when someone gave me a high complement on my outfit, saying it looked like it came straight from a magazine, I thought my idea of wearing petite pants on my 5’8’’ figure was ingenious.

John claimed that she just gave me the complement because she felt bad for my ensemble. But I’ve long since decided Oklahoman’s don’t know much about fashion, so I ignored his snide remark and made him have some fun with me anyway.

Coming to you straight from a magazine...

an outfit

er, I mean, pants

that were made for someone's body other than my own.

(FYI, I was trying to imitate fashion bloggers like this, this and this in my pictures above.

I don't normally pose like that for the camera, nor am I that vain)

So what say you? Let's get some honest opinions here, thumbs up or thumbs down for wearing pants that may be a wee bit too small?

Activity Days

2011-04-07T12:50:00.000-05:00

Every other week I get to spend Wednesday nights hanging out with the 8-12 year old girls in my ward. We do crafts, service projects, and other activities to help strengthen their testimonies of Jesus Christ.

I remember when I was first called to work in the Primary, I felt sick about it. In fact, before I even got my calling, I had been praying everyday that I wouldn't get called to, yep, you guessed it, the Primary. Isn't that awful? They didn't tell me what my exact calling was going to be, just that I would be working with the Primary. So, I'd be lying if I said I was excited about this. In fact, I was so upset by being called to work in the Primary that I cried. I know, I'm a baby. Kids aren't that bad. I get it.

But truth be told, since we were still new in the ward, I didn't want to be taken out of Relief Society and diminish my chances of getting to know other ladies in the ward. So perhaps, I was ~~majorly~~ a little sad thinking I'd be "stuck" in primary every week.

A few weeks later I found out I was going to be working with the Activity Days girls, and I breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed at how worked up I got over a calling that could actually be fun. Then I realized that it meant I'd actually have to be crafty, creative, cultural, serviceable and fun. And then I got nervous again because I'm not really any of those things. So how was I supposed to make these activities fun for these girls? Dilemma.

Well, a few months into it, and I think I have one of the best callings you could ask for. I love getting to hang out with these little girls every other week. They're so funny and full of life. Aw, to be a kid again.

Thank goodness for blogging, I literally get all of my ideas from random blogs. If I didn't have blogs, these girls would be bored silly with me as their leader.

Last nights activity looked something like this, thanks to this blog:

Our lesson was on faith in Jesus Christ,

So, we planted seeds in eggs:

And hopefully in a few days their eggs will look something like this:

Then we chowed down on some delicious edible birds nests,
with Cadbury mini eggs.

Yum!

Looks like Primary isn't so bad after all.

Springing to life

2011-04-01T12:29:00.000-05:00

This morning I drove into work with a smile on my face, while belting out the lyrics to whatever song came on the radio. I was driving solo, but it was still a party. Acting exciting on my way into work? That never happens. So today I diagnosed myself with a mild case of SAD.

Or maybe I've just been feeling sad lately knowing I'm missing the cherry blossoms this year. Aside from all of the tourists that overtake DC, driving the locals crazy right about now, the cherry blossoms is one of the greatest times of the year in our nations capital. And oh how I miss not being there right now.

Last year John came out to visit me this very weekend, and in between sessions of General Conference, the best time of year, we went and wandered around the tidal basin with the millions of other people out doing the same thing. I wish we could do that in between sessions again this year. But sadly, I'm stuck in Oklahoma this time, so no cherry blossoms for me.

So, to all of you who are still in DC, will you go wander around the tidal basin, fight the annoying crows, take lots of pictures and then make me feel jealous I'm not out there to enjoy the beauty that is cherry blossoms in DC? Please, for me!

And for all of you,

I'll do my best to enjoy the beauty that surrounds Oklahoma's State Capital.

Our best attempt at cherry blossoms,

the redbud tree.

While you all may be getting the better end of the deal here,

Oklahoma seems to know a thing or two about beauty this time of year.

Local treasures

2011-03-31T21:11:00.000-05:00

Spring is here, and hopefully to stay. I've been in need of this season for quite awhile now, and after today's run outside, the first in a LONG long time (aside from my one run in Portugal) it's apparent why I've been needing this season. I need warm weather and greenery in my scenery.

Kiss the winter blues away, let the rays come shining down, and the temperatures rise to a jacketless level. Springtime is my necessity. Spontaneous outings put a smile on my face. And so do Thursday night dates with my man.

Sahar's Kitchen. Yes please! These gyro's are something else.

All of that for $5.99.

Now that's good stuff!

I love me a cheap date!

Happy Happy Birthday Mother Dear

2011-03-24T09:28:00.001-05:00

Today is this ladies birthday, and let me tell you, another year older and she's still looking young as ever.

I sure do love this mom of mine. She's one of my best friends in the entire world, and even though I've caused her many gray hairs over the years, I feel lucky to be called her daughter.

I look up to her in so many ways, and I hope that one day I can become half the mom that she is. I've never met someone who is as selfless, considerate, and caring for other people as she is, to the point that I feel guilt, as her own daughter, that I don't have more of those same qualities.

Mother dear, I love you so. I hope you have the best birthday possible.

Happy Birthday! xoxo

P.S. Tobias came home, just in time for your birthday! It's a birthday miracle.

Sometimes I throw myself pity parties

2011-03-22T20:16:00.001-05:00

Today is one of those sometimes.

See, if someone were to ask me how my day is going, they'd probably be sorry they even asked. The typical "It's been good, how's your day going?" wouldn't be today's answer. Nope.

My answer would sound a little more like this:
Well, I've been up since 4 a.m., not to mention I woke up nearly every hour last night. I feel like crap, and I've been feeling this way for nearly 72 hours. I'm hoping it's just food poisoning, because I'll tell you what, I'm getting a little sick and tired of all of these trips to the bathroom. You try visiting the planes lavatory 100 time over again. Being sick in the air, it's not fun. Being sick at work. Also not fun. Major pain in the stomach area. Terrible.

I ate some chicken noodle soup tonight, the most I've eaten since Sunday's lunch. It tasted like the most amazing thing I've ever eaten. And it's from a can. I'm starting to think this is the trick to weight loss.

Oh, and did I mention my cat STILL hasn't come home? I think one of the things I was most excited about after being on our trip was to come home to that little kitty of ours. Call me a crazy cat woman, and maybe I am, but he's a pretty cool cat and it breaks my heart I haven't seen him in nearly two weeks. I was on the verge of tears while grocery shopping tonight. And then felt silly when I went into the FedEx store to pick up our "Lost Cat" fliers I made. Yes, I made fliers. Then I broke down into sobbing tears when I got home. Part of me still hoped he'd come running like he always does/did when we come home. But he didn't. And he doesn't come when I call and whistle for him like he used to either. Again, I'm sure John has wondered what he's done marrying an emotionally unstable girl. Poor guy.

Bless his heart, he's out looking for Tobias right now. And here I sit, blogging, complaining, feeling miserable for myself, and knowing that at any moment now I'm going to need the bathroom (it just happened). TMI, I know. But like I said before, if you were to ask me how my day's going. You'd be sorry you even asked.

So yes, sometimes I throw myself pity parties, and today, the party has been thrown.

Portugal

2011-03-22T11:32:00.005-05:00

How can one go wrong when hanging out with family in a beautiful country surrounded by beautiful beaches? I don't think you can.

Here's a little recap of our adventures:

It wasn't 2 seconds after meeting up with everyone in the airport that my parents were on cloud nine. My dad and this little man were inseparable the entire trip. They're the best of buds! Love him, and them, and the ones who created him!

Here's the Villa that my bro and sil found for us to stay in. Heaven! I think I just might want to travel with them on every vacation if these are the kinds of places they stay in.

Our mornings looked something like this. While Rob and Lorena tried to catch up on some sleep, we'd all take turns entertaining the cutest little guy around. I'm not a morning person, but I'd get up early just to play with him. His obsession with some youtube video's led us to this spot most mornings, and how am I supposed to be his favorite aunt if I don't give in and let him watch what he wants?

Everyday we found a new place to explore and a new beach to check out.

The end of the world, or so it was once thought, was probably one of the windiest places we've ever been, and cold. Not a fun combination.

The only downside to visiting Portugal in mid-March is that the weather isn't entirely ideal just yet. We left warmer weather in Oklahoma for chillier weather in Portugal, but ask us to do it again, and we'd be all over it. I thought John was a little nuts to be fully submerged in the water, but I guess once your body goes numb, cold or not, it doesn't matter.

This little man is a dear devil when it comes to the beach. He LOVED it. Even on the coldest days, he'd jet off to the water ready to play. I can't stop laughing at his baby speedo. He's so European.

If only my sisters, bil, and Jamers were in this picture it would be complete.

We missed you guys!

John being the little explorer here is, found these cool rock formations near the little beach town we were visiting. Pictures don't do justice to how cool these formations really were.

Lisbon:

Everyone left us on Saturday to go back home while we stayed behind a few more days to explore Lisbon. I may have shed a tear or two that day when everyone was gone. John probably wished he hadn't married such an emotionally unstable girl. Too late now. Why is saying bye to family always so hard?

St. George's castle can pretty much be seen from anywhere in Lisbon. This castle is ancient yet they let us explore the entire thing.

Which leg is mine?

Could he be anymore of a tourist?

We were sad to say goodbye.

Sad to come back to reality.

But more sad that our reality is Oklahoma.

Ok, just kidding (kind of).

But it did make me laugh last night

when the flight attendant said to the entire plane

that she's not sure why anyone would want to come here.

Vacation mode is officially over, but we're still feeling the side effects.

Hopefully we'll sleep in longer than 4am tomorrow.

If not, maybe we'll go on another walk to look for our lost kitty.

Beleza

2011-03-18T03:44:00.000-05:00

Dona Ana Beach:

One of the prettiest beaches we've ever seen.

Why is it that life at the beach is always better?

Humpday

2011-03-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

Five days in, five more to go.

Kitty's and such

2011-03-11T13:40:00.001-06:00

What's harder than waiting months, after buying your tickets, for your trip to finally get here?

The day of the trip finally arriving, but then having to work all day, and wait all day for your flight to actually leave.

Oh, and since we don't have kids, we are therefore subjected to defaulting our pets in their place.

So, in this case, leaving Tobias behind is hard, too.

Poor little kitty. I know he misses us while we're gone.

Ok, I'm totally kidding, but I swear he knows when we're going to be gone, and it is kind of sad.

That part I'm actually not kidding about.

Let's talk about Tobias for a moment, shall we, about how funny that little cat is:

(nice transition, huh?)

Like how the moment we get home from work/school, he'll jet across the street with excitement to see us. He'll roll around, and then run up to us, puts his face near our hand, and practically begs us to pet him. It's my favorite thing about coming home.

Or how he's the smallest cat in our neighborhood, but he still acts like the big bully.

John and I get a kick out of watching him pounce on other cats the moment he sees them, only to be the one wrestling to get free. I think last night one of the cats got to him pretty good, he seemed a little sensitive when we were petting him. Poor little guy.

Maybe I should mention that he LOVES to hang out in our bathroom. He'll sit on the toilet the entire time we're showering, waiting for us to get out. He'll hang out in the sink, like it's his bed. He'll even sit at the faucet, waiting for us to turn on the water so he can get a drink. He so much rather drink out of the sink than his bowl. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't admit to all of that?

However, my favorite new thing about Tobias, is that he now invites his friends over to our house. And not just over to hang out in our yard, he invites them inside. That's right. We have a random cat that likes to utilize our house now, too. You see, we have a crawl space under our house, and a small door that leads to the space in our laundry room. We thought it was the greatest thing ever when we realized Tobias discovered this door. We no longer have to let him in and out, he can do it on his own. If he whines at the door long enough, and we don't let him in, he'll go under the house and use the crawl space. Awesome, right? It's like the perfect cat door that we didn't have to install. Until we realized another cat was using this door as well. We came home from school/work one day only to discover that this intruder had been snoozing on our bed. The indentation and black hair all over kind of gave him away.

We've had plenty of good laugh about all of this. But when you hear a cat fight going on in your house in the middle of the night, well it makes our "cat door" not so awesome anymore. Poor little kitty.

He's a funny one, that Tobias. He'll find the most random positions to sleep in:

He'll curl into a ball anywhere he can:

Try to get places anyway he can:

And anything he can:

And yes, I just wrote an entire blog post about my cat, so what? People do it about their dogs all the time. At least we don't take family pictures with him.

Oh wait, yes we do:

Crossing the Atlantic

2011-03-10T13:25:00.000-06:00

For the past few months all I've been looking forward to is tomorrow. Tomorrow is like Christmas for me. Maybe even better. Because following a tough week of tests and long nights for John, and well, a pretty normal week of work for me, we're jumping on a plane and crossing the Atlantic to spend a week with my family. A well deserved vacation in my books. Then again, I sometimes see the need for a monthly vacation, and I always think it's well deserved. I like to travel. It's a matter of fact. John reminds me that's why I work. A brutal reminder, but it shuts up my complaining.

This trip is exciting for a few reasons. Shall I explain?

I haven't seen my brother and his family since my wedding. Skype doesn't count. And that's eight months! My nephew needs me.
I haven't seen my parents since September, which doesn't really count either because it was for a few hours, and then they took off to Sweden and left me home alone. It was sad.
John has never flown across the Atlantic or been to Europe. Hopefully this is our first of many European trips to come.
This is everyone's first time to Portugal. Awesome!
John speaks Portuguese. Totally fitting for Portugal. And totally sexy when he starts jabbering away.
Have I mentioned that vacations just make me happy? I live for them. It's true.
We both need out of Oklahoma for awhile. Sometimes you've got to get away. Away to the beach that is.
And really, I'm just ready for some good quality family time. In a foreign land. Near the beach.

Thank goodness some schools believe in a spring break. Never having had one in college, I'm realizing the genius behind it all.

Entering vacation mode for the next 11 days...