Easter Recap

My sister Jordan got to come in for a few days before Easter, so we had to do a few fun/festive things :)

We each painted a Pair of TOMSJordan, Josh, Mom, Jon, & I dyed Easter eggs. Aren't they the brightest, most fabulous you've ever seen ;)

We also got a pedicure, which was a very unpleasant experience for me. Seriously! I always end up with some oriental GUY that either pulls out a potato peeler or a cheese grater & goes after my foot like it is a hunk of Parmesan cheese! Really my feet aren't that bad, by the time he was finished my feet were as tender as the skin of a grape. I made the mistake of walking 2 fast miles the next day & got two really big blisters. I might have whined about it a little.... I might have made the statement that I am not going back to one of those torture parlors for the rest of the summer... Jon, being the sweetheart that he is got me a Migi nail art kit for my Easter basket so that "the mean nail men" can't hurt me anymore ;)

Our Royal Wedding Party

Who says you had to be in London in order to throw a Royal Wedding Party? My Mom, Aunt Jamie, Cousin Morgan, Me & Jon (for part of the night) had a real shin dig! My Mom is a master when it comes to throwing a party. Together we did all of the cooking for mine, Jordan's, and a couple other wedding receptions, we've done baby showers, wedding showers, birthdays, graduations, swim parties, wedding rehearsal dinners, going away parties, Christmas parties... You name it, we've done it! Being the only child still living in town, she has made me an apprentice. When we found out the date for Wills & Kate's wedding, we decided it would be a great excuse of a girl party. It was a blast! We laughed, ate, looked at magazines, dressed up, and watched the wedding. As a little girl I fell in love with Princess Diana, she was a real live honest to goodness Princess! Not just one out of fairy land, but the real thing! I remember feeling sick when I heard she was in a bad car accident, and I just couldn't believe it when she died. I felt like someone I knew had passed away. My Mom & Aunt Jamie both remember staying up to watch her & Charles get married, and we all stayed up to watch her funeral. (I wasn't born when Di & Charles got married, or I'm sure I'd have been watching too!) So, yesterday we watched Diana's son marry Catherine, and now the world has a new Princess.

Never too old for a scolding from Mama

Just a word of warning to any and all kids out there who think that one day they will be too old for their parents to get on to them... IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!! Let me give you a little background. I'm 27 years old, I've been married over 6 years, I have my own home, car, and pets. I've got a high school diploma, a college degree, and a master's in hospital administration. I vote, recycle, clean house, sing in the church choir, don't smoke, and last time I checked there was no was no warrant out for my arrest. Hey... as bad as I hate it, I've even stayed on top of the laundry for a whole month without getting behind! You would think that ought to help me qualify for a few minor shortcomings. I believe that shopping should be fun. The only fun grocery store is Whole Foods, and the closest one of those is 3 hours away. So, I don't like to buy groceries... I'd rather buy a new pair of shoes, or a purse, or a shirt, or anything but groceries. Seriously, last time I looked at Jon and myself, I didn't see any signs of malnourishment. The way I see it, we need to lose 20 lbs. I was doing us a favor by keeping the cabinets and the fridge empty, see no evil, smell no evil, eat no evil. :) This brings me to my mother. She came over to my house Saturday to paint while Jon was at work, and around 1:00 she says, "I'm starved, it's time for a little lunch." Most days I eat a spoon of peanut butter for lunch & go on with the rest of my day. She began opening cabinets & fridge doors, and the next thing I knew she was giving me an ear full like when I was 12 years old. I wasn't too thrilled with her assessment of my grocery situation, and thought surely there's something to eat in there. I was wrong, as bad as I hate to admit it we were down to "delicious stuff" like Saltines & Caribbean Jerk Sauce with a side of tomato sauce, & Golden Grahams (without milk because we were out) for dessert. So Monday I went to the grocery store & bought $174 worth of stuff that we can actually eat. I can't believe groceries are so expensive! I knew as I swiped that debit card that I was saying farewell to all sorts of precious darling things that I would have rather bought. It's not easy being a material girl when you have to buy food. To soften the blow I did get a few things to compensate for the pain of grocery shopping.

Happy Hearts!

I hope you have all had a wonderful fun Valentine's Day with the ones you love. My sweetie got me flowers, a balloon, chocolates, & a couple other cute little things, but my main present was the Pandora Wedding Cake Charm. I was not expecting it, but I have really liked that charm for a while, so I was very excited. I can't stop long, I'm off to set up with helping my mom photograph a wedding tonight :) Hugs & Kisses to you all !!

January 2011

This has been the LONGEST month of my entire life. It feels like it has been January for at least 90 days. I don't know why that is, maybe it's because we've had a full week of snow on the ground, and then yesterday it felt like Spring... even my Easter Lillies are trying to start coming up!
This is just a quick post, but I had a brilliant idea recently. I was putting Christmas card photos that we'd received in a photo album, and I remembered that we didn't send a Christmas card the first Christmas that we were married because we were so busy writing thank you cards from our wedding. Remembering this, I couldn't help but think of an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Next Christmas I could send a picture of us from our first Christmas because there are quite a few good ones to choose from, and 6 years ago we were cuter, thinner, & younger. I wouldn't have to say the picture was taken in 2004, and people that don't get to see us often would think, "Dang, those two must be living in the fountain of youth!" Here are some of the options ;)

A Christmas Carol

My favorite book of all time is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It was originally published in 1843, but somehow this story has stood the test of time with a message that is as vital today as it was when it was first printed. I remember my dad reading this story to my mom, sister, and me when I was young. Since then I've read it at least 5 more times. I've seen most of the movie versions including animated, real, and puppet. They are all really good, but believe it or not I think my favorite version is the Muppet version with Kermit the frog.

My favorite part of the story is when Bob Cratchit has just returned home from church with tiny Tim, and his wife Martha asks him how Tim behaved.

"As good as gold," said Bob, "and better. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see."

I'm sorry folks, it just doesn't get any better than that. No wonder Scrooge was so touched! How can anyone create a better character that so much embodies what we should be mindful of at Christmas and throughout the year!

Our family had a great Christmas, I hope yours did too.

It's Football time in Oklahoma!!

On my birthday weekend we got to go to one of my favorite places... Norman, OK to cheer for my Sooners. My cousin Paul who's actually more like a brother got to come with Mom & me to the OU vs. Colorado game. We had a lot of fun, & of course you know we had to eat at Ted's Escondido. If you're ever in the OKC or Norman, you've got to eat at Ted's. They have excellent Fajitas & Queso :) I've been on the road a lot lately, & we're off again this weekend. We're going to see the Big 12 Championship at Dallas Cowboy Stadium, and Jon is taking the day off so he can come too! Jon works 6 days a week, and very rarely takes off. He did take off 2 days for our anniversary, he was off on Thanksgiving day, & now he's off this Saturday... I've been very happy getting to have him with me lately.

September 1, 1982

28 years ago, a 14 year old girl whose name we don't even know did one of the hardest things a person could ever do. She gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and gave him up for adoption. I know that where ever she is, and how ever her life may have changed since then, I'm certain that September 1st is a day that always stands out in her mind. If I could, I would love to tell her, Thank You for the choice you made, Mickey & Jan are great parents, and they raised him to be an amazing man. I couldn't ask for a better friend, and I'm so happy to call him my husband. He loves the Lord, and does so much to help others. So... since it's his birthday I thought I'd share a few pictures of the love of my life through the years....

This is the first picture in Jon's baby book. It all started with a phone call September 14th (the phone booth Mickey was at when Jan gave him the news... "We've got a boy!")

September 15 At Edna Gladney in Fort Worth, the nurse brought out Jon & gave him to Mickey. This is the 1st picture of Little Jon! What an awesome moment, we all get teary eyed everytime we hear the story.

Love at first sight! You can tell Jan can't wait to get to hold him for the first time!

Jon & his little brother David doing their daily wait for Dad he's on his way home.

The Boys

A robot & a dinosaur for halloween

Little bitty Football Player!

Jon & his first ride... The Amigo!High School Graduation

Our Wedding Day

Jon being "Michael Corleone" on our 1st Anniversary

At Amy & Brian's Wedding

Jon's College Graduation - Cum Laude Honor Grad

At the Peabody in Memphis when we went to a friend's wedding.

Mom & Jon in London

Giving our friend a boost so she could sit down in Paris

Jon in Pisa
Jon on the Isle of Capri, in Italy