Grown Up

I am certain that you are wondering, "I wonder whatever happenned to what's-her-name?" Well, I'm still here. I guess I owe you an apology for it being so long since we've talked. So...I'm sorry.

Now that that's out of the way, let me just tell you that life is going full-speed. A lot has happened since that cold day we captured our love story. First of all, the pictures from that day? Amazing. Seriously. Let me just tell you, the cold weather that took my breath away...totally worth the breath-taking pictures we have to show for it.

While pacing around in the world waiting for those pictures to be placed ever so sweetly into my hands, I managed to finish up college. Yes, you heard right. I graduated! Four and a half years after I walked across that stage as they called my name in high school...my name was called again. This time, I was surrounded by my classmates (some still unknown). It wasn't the people that I walked the school grounds with that I was sad to leave on December 18, 2010. Instead, it was the welcoming arms of my family and friends that I was relieved to see. Thank you.

Momma and Daddy- Thank you for supporting me for the past twenty-two years of my life. Thank you for showing me unconditional love despite some of my poor decisions. Thank you for never holding a grudge, but rather holding me to higher standards than I had for myself. You made me a better person. You truly are the greatest parents a girl could ask for. You were my guide when I needed you, and yet you gave me the freedom to spread my wings and fly. Thank you for helping me make it. I love you.

My big sis- Thank you for being my best friend. We have had our ups and downs, but I can still count on you. You have helped me through struggles when others let me down. You were strong enough to tell me what was wrong in my life because you wanted it to be right for me. You loved me enough to teach me from your experiences and love me despite making some of the very same mistakes. I haven't just grown up, I am thankful for growing up (and closer) with you. I love you.

Gramma, Pawpaw, Tracie- Have I told you lately, I love you? You three have never, ever let me down. You are always there for me, no matter the cost (or the weather). I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me to have you standing beside me (and in every crowd) through all of my accomplishments. You never fail me. I love you!

Joshua- Wow. What can I say about you? I think the best question I can ask myself is, "When have you not been there for me?" Despite the distance over the years, I know that you are so near and dear to me. You make me feel real love. (Weak in the knees, get mad and makeup, never known how much I could love until I loved you...love). Thank you for pushing me to get my homework done :D Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving me through thick-and-thin. Thank you for making these past two years feel like a lifetime, and thank you for letting me spend my lifetime with you. I cannot wait to marry you someday very soon. I love you!

All other family and friends- THANK YOU! I would not have (could not have) made it here without you. You do not know how much I truly, sincerely appreciate each and every one of you being in my life. Some of you I have grown away from, some of you I have grown closer with, some of you I cannot even name by name. However, I am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for every part that you have played in my life. I love you all!

Love Song

I remember when I was a little girl, I dreamt of the day that my prince charming would show up in my life and sweep me away from my village and into his own castle. Over time, I realized how sad I would be if I had to leave the kingdom I had come to love. Thus, God gave me the amazing gift of hometown love. Twenty-two years of living within miles of one another, my prince finally took the right turn.

Have you ever watched one of the "knock-off" fairytale movies? You know, the $5 Walmart Cinderella instead of the Disney version? Well, that's what I feel like love has been in the past to me. You still go through the same events...feel the same warm-fuzzies...watch the happily ever after (and even believe it)...BUT there is something about experiencing "the real deal". Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of times in my past that I felt that spark of love in a relationship. However, when Joshua Tyler Bailey walked out of the cold and into my life in January of 2009, something magical happened. The lackluster love I felt in years prior transformed before my eyes. For once in my life, I had something...someone...worth risking everything for.

November 4, 2010 our love song was written. With the brisk, Autumn air of Oklahoma welcoming us into the sunlight, we walked hand-in-hand through the streets of Route 66. A path we had driven numerous times before soon became the setting for our very own love song.

Young love blossomed as the day grew colder. A girl embraced by the arms of her forever love overlooked the beautiful water as they stood together on the old bridge. Not wanting to leave one another, they pulled over to the side of the road where the gravel met the grass. An old piano...symbolic of the songs played before, rested in the midst of the field. The two walked together as they listened to the sounds of the city disappear. As the sun set in the west, the two faced one another. The wind sweeping through the tall trees around them, preluded to the song of the keys. Abandoned and left to rot, something beautiful came from that old piano that day. And once again, it played a song as it did for decades before. This time silent to those around them, yet the young couple heard the sound loud and pure. It was the sound of love written just for them. And in the quiet of the field, they knew they were meant to be forever.

The Bundt Bakery

As most of you know, I LOVE to bake. Cooking on the other hand...not so much. Mostly due to the fact that I'm not a huge fan of the feeling that comes along with touching raw meat. However, I do not mind it one little bit to touch some fresh dough or watch ingredients come to life.

On a whim, I came up with the wonderful idea of baking a bundt cake a month. Silly? I'm sure it may be a little, but there is something special about baking with family and friends.

Today is the day before Halloween. Honestly, I don't tend to get into this holiday. I'm not one to go spend a fortune to dress up like someone I'm not. Nor do I want to have a contest at the local parties of which girl can look the slushiest in a skimpy outfit when it is starting to get bitter cold outside. With this being said, our plans for this weekend involve a lot of family time (typical of every weekend). I am so truly blessed to have a family that I can consider some of my best friends.

Last night, Momma and Daddy invited us over for our own "shrimpfest". Every now and then, we get the crazy idea to get together and randomly cook whatever we can think of. After spending the afternoon shopping with my mom for the last of the groceries, we picked up my adorable niece from pre-k and headed back to the house. The menu for the evening consisted of fresh salad, asparagus tips with olive oil and sea salt, grilled shrimp, seasoned scallops, and my own fried rice.

After the kitchen was cleaned, I started my bundt caking adventure. To stay in the "pumpkin" theme, I decided on a delicious pumpkin spice bundt cake with my own twists. 65minutes in the oven and "How to Train a Dragon" later, the cake was fully baked and ready to cool. Unfortunately, I was ready to cool down in a comfy bed as well. Therefore, we covered the cake and decided to postpone the decorating until...today.

Mr. Wonderful and I made it over to the fam's house just a little after noon. With my fancy glass cake dish in hand, I was ready to dive back into cake mode. Being the forgetful gal I am, I forgot the final touch...the stem! My amazing fiance' (supporting my crazy ideas) hopped to the store. Moments later, he was back with the last of the decor and the cake was complete.

October's Pumpkin Bumpkin Bundt Cake

-pumpkin spice bundt cake with a creamy cream cheese glaze

Just call me...the bundt lady.

One month down, eleven more to go!

Fairytale

First of all, let me say this: my momma is the most amazing woman I have ever met. After years of total dependence on this woman, there is something to be said when you wake up and realize you're no longer a little girl. I am a woman...a strong, independent, loving, compassionate woman, AND I am who I am because of her.

Secondly, the day that you walk into that store, walk into that room, step in front of a mirror in a breathtakingly white dress, and she's there...that's a milestone. From birth to bandaids...she's been there for everything. She's watched me make mistakes and learn from them. She's picked me up when I didn't think I could get up. She's cried with me, laughed with me, and shared with me. 22years of learning how to love from her, she has welcomed someone into our family as if they have been there all along. She has shown me that love doesn't fade, it multiplies. As I slipped into the most beautiful gown, lace enveloping me to the ground and beyond, I could look to her. I am so blessed to have my momma in my life.

Lord, thank you so much for my fairytale.

Baby Krew

Future-hubby woke up me up with the news at approximately 7o'clock in the morning. His sister's water had broke at 4am, and she was at the hospital. I rushed out of bed, hopped in (and out) of the shower, and dressed as quickly as I could. Mr. It'sgoingtobeawhilebeforehe'sborn, however, did not rush around quite like I did. Poor guy, I wouldn't even let him stop for breakfast.

Never the less, the drive to the hospital was a beautiful one at 8:30am. Fall decided to stop in, and the sun was out with a chill in the air. Camera was in hand, and I couldn't wait to take pictures of the arrival. Minutes after we showed up in the waiting room, I stepped back into Jayme's room to take pictures of the moments before. She was amazing and calm. Contractions were close and she was dialating as planned.

We walked down to the cafeteria for some warm food before getting the news that she was fully dialated. Then...he stopped. Mr. Krew decided to sit and get comfy in the belly. It wasn't too much longer that they rushed Jayme over to surgery for a c-section. One LONG hour later, we were welcoming our precious baby nephew into the world. It was then that their sweet family of three grew love unimaginable. Honestly, you could feel how much that little boy was loved as a father bent to touch his soft skin, a mother held him with pride a mile wide, and a five year old sister crawled into her daddy's arms to see the tiny bundle of joy. God is so good.

Once they were settled into their room, the new daddy walked out to get his baby girl, no longer the baby of the family. I had the amazing honor of photographing every detail of that day. The sunshine behind the building, the elevator ride to a floor where parents waiting once again to became grand-parents, the silent prayers while sitting on benches, the room where a couple looked in each other's eyes holding hands, happy tears streaming down the faces of a family, and most importantly a daddy walking hand-in-hand with a little girl down a long hallway that led to a new journey.

Being the only other person in that room was such an amazing gift of watching love unfold. As Jayme handed Krew to her husband, he took him in his arms, smelled his skin, and kissed his forehead as he placed him into his daughter's arms.

Minutes later, people flooded the room as they began to hold Krew for the first time. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and then...there was us. We waited for everyone to get a chance to see him before we took him into our arms. There is something about a little boy that makes you melt. Someone so tiny, so vulnerable, that will one day grow stronger than you...there's just something about that. Then, there's something about watching the man you love more than you ever thought possible...holding that same baby. I fell in love with him all over again. I am getting such an amazing husband and future father of my children. I am so blessed.

Let's Play Catch-up

Okay, okay. I know it has been forever long since I wrote on here. Truth-be-told, I just haven't made time to write out my life (I've kind of been living it :D). HOWEVER, I will attempt to catch-up on lost blogs by starting to take the time now to back track on what all has been happening. The missing weeks will come to me with time, and as they do...I'll write them. With that being said, be very patient with me.

Until then, just know that things have been going great. Mid-terms are coming up very soon, and I'm getting ready for symposium (already). The house is coming along, and it may be put together by the time I get to move in on our big wedding day! Speaking of which, wedding planning is...well...coming along (SLOWLY but surely). My momma and I are going first thing tomorrow to pick out our event tent and colors for the reception site. Immediately following, we will be meeting at a bridal boutique to START TRYING ON DRESSES! I cannot believe it is already that time. Honestly, I'm learning that I am very behind on getting my gown ordered! Not to fret, I'm taking it at my own pace and working on the guest list (that seems to keep getting bigger and bigger every day). Engagement pictures are scheduled for October 21st, and I cannot wait to see all of the ideas come to life. Believe me, they WILL be GOOD. My photographers are working hand-in-hand with us to create something that I cannot seem to find anywhere in pictures before. Don't even try to ask...it's a secret. They will be posted as soon as they are completed!

I've been rummaging through some of my favorite, old tunes for the pre-ceremony music. You can hear a few of the songs from the compiled list on this very page! However, the ceremony will be TOTALLY different from this style. I cannot wait! BUT, you guessed it, that's a secret too. Not to mention our amazing reception that will be unlike anything you've ever been to. Oh, you should be excited...I am. Actually, WE are. That is saying A LOT when the groom is involved and excited for the big day as well.

As far as this guest list, it will soon be transformed into personalized invites for the people I love the most. When I say personal, I do mean personal. This fall/winter my beautiful and talented sister and I will be handcrafting each of the 200+invitations. As a matter-of-fact, I just mastered the art of embossing. Sincerely, one of the most beautiful ways to make a page come to life (but that's just my opinion).

With all of this wedding talk, I realized I should be working on it instead of blogging about it. Therefore, I promise to do my best to keep up with this nifty little blog of mine as well as plan the wedding of our dreams. I cannot wait to share such a huge day with all of you. You are what will make this day come to life, and I am so very blessed to have each of you in my life.

Until next time,
B.

One Fair Day

Today was a beautiful day (and hot). To begin the day, we decided to head out to good old state fair.

After driving over grassy hills, we managed to get a decent parking place fairly close to the side entrance. Then, we walked.

First stop: A&W Root Beer in a Jug
Isn't it funny how going to the fair turns into less of an event and more about eating the older you get?

Second stop: Double-sized Corn Dog (with extra mustard)
Approximately 4 bites in, I called it quits and handed the stick to Future-Hubby to finish off.

Third stop: Some random building with air conditioning and a million-and-one people
We literally did not look at a single thing in this building. We simply walked in one door and out.

Site seeing: Insanely unsafe carnival rides
As we watched the matching insane people hop onto each of the easy-to-tear-down rides, we continued to walk through the crowd without stopping.

Fourth stop: The giant fake horse in front of the arena
We picked up some random people with a really cute little girl to walk around the fair with (AKA my Aunt Tracie, big sis, and adorable 4yr. old niece.)

Fifth stop: Crowded building with people making a fortune selling things people really don't need
Yes indeed, we managed to make it through this building without purchasing a single thing.

Sixth stop: Made in Oklahoma building with farm animals
How odd that a person would put a wine-tasting in the same building as the children's area. Is this the message we're sending our children...oh wait, THAT's a thought.

Seventh stop: Tater twirls (A giant potato twirled on a machine that makes thin chip-like twirls and then deep-fried like a french fry)
All FIVE of us ate on this heap of a fancy-french-fry with ketchup...and STILL didn't finish it.

Eighth stop: Achy feet + fried food that isn't good for you= call it quits for the fair.

Therefore, we headed out the gate and back into the real world. What a way to spend a Saturday...I love my life.

I Absolutely Love You...

Today was absolutely gorgeous outside...by far the best weather of the summer. The school parking lot, however, was NOT so pretty. Since I had to purchase my textbook for my Monday/Wednesday class, I showed up to the University almost an hour early (predicting the parking situation). After driving through the east parking lot, the northeast parking lot, the north parking lot, back through the northeast parking lot, around to the southeast parking lot, and back into the east parking lot...I spotted someone walking straight to their car. I pulled down to the aisle and turned on my blinker.

*Blink, blink.
Blink, blink.

I waited for almost ten minutes before he decided to actually leave the parking place. I was NOT complaining though. Then, I walked to the U.C. Spotting my former co-worker from the "shoe room" days, I stopped to chit-chat for a few minutes before walking into the bookstore. Thank goodness there wasn't a line. I grabbed the best "used" book off the shelf (still $124 as a PAPERBACK) and checked out.

Still a little early for class, I walked to the nearest computer lab and printed off my syllabus and powerpoint for day's lecture. This came in VERY handy as I was able to write on the printed pages and follow along with the information. Before I knew it, class was over. I made my way back to a computer to check my mail and catch up on this lovely blog of mine. Since it's the first week of classes, we have the traditional "stampede week" where organizations set up booths to recruit newcomers. I even got to see my dear friend, Mandi (of Mandi-isms). Then, I found some fellow-FLEers and talked for a while before making my way to lunch.

Why yes, yes I DID enjoy Qdoba for the THIRD time this week (only a small portion)...AND I treated myself to a dollar's worth of yogurt, granola, and fruit at Pink Swirls. A filling and nutritious meal for less than $5...I think I did well.

Since I had a couple of hours to kill, I went back to my apartment and watched a little TV while cleaning up the place. Then, I drove back to campus for my final class of the day. Boy, oh boy, did I NOT want to go to class. When I said how gorgeous it was outside, I meant it. It was SO nice out that it made for the PERFECT picnic weather. I was so sad that the love-of-my-life was already off work for the day and I was stuck inside wasting daylight.

The class wasn't a total bust. My professor was great and really passionate about helping people (which makes me like her all the more). You can tell she wasn't one of the typical, "I'm here because I have to make some money and my education makes me know so much more than you". No, she definitely wanted us to learn the material to be on the same page as her when it comes to helping to prevent/educate people we serve in our field. However, the video she selected to inform us of this WAS a complete loss. I don't think I've ever had THAT much trouble being attentive in class. On top of the 80's hairstyles and monotonous voices, I did not see how in the world the material could have been retained at the rate they were talking. I was SO thankful that she released us minutes early.

As soon as we could see one another, we drove to pick up sandwiches and cruise around with the windows down. Let me tell you, evenings fly by when you actually want to enjoy them. Before I knew it, it was dark out and the warm air had officially retired.

After driving me home, I immediately got ready for bed. We talked for a while before I finally turned into bed. Jokingly, I asked before going to sleep, "Are you sure you love me?"

"I absolutely love you," he said.

And those words were the perfect ending to wrap up a beautiful day.

Meet...Endorsement

Bright and early Sunshine!

Morning came VERY early when all I could do was toss and turn last night. However, I had to refrain from hitting the very tempting "snooze" button and get ready for a long day. After scarfing down what little breakfast I could manage to eat at 6o'clock IN THE MORNING, I hurried around to finish getting ready.

Just a side note, I REALLY miss my puppies when I leave the house. Honestly, it makes the pit of my stomach ache to know that I cannot take them everywhere I go. I know that they really wouldn't be a bother. Laila LOVES to cuddle with me and she wouldn't dare leave my sight. And Bailey? Bailey is such a people-dog that she would make everyone instantly fall in love with her when they saw her bouncy self. But, the reality of this life is...I HAVE to leave them. With that being said, I typically stall as much as I can by rubbing their sweet little bellies and loving them before being the meanest person on the face of the planet and making them stay ALL BY THEMSELVES for the day.

Okay, back to my day. Today was a BEAUTIFUL, rainy day. I say "beautiful" not because I think that car wrecks on the highway, or not being able to see the person ahead of me through the blinding raindrops is beautiful, BUT because we NEEDED the rain. So, I didn't complain one bit when it took me over an hour and a half to drive 45miles to meet my supervisor. The great news is, I left early enough to allow plenty of driving time and managed to get there more than 15minutes before I was scheduled to arrive.

Once at her house, I helped load all of the meeting supplies into the car before driving for another hour to our final destination...Stroud.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure of driving through this lovely little town, you should. Please make sure that you do not blink while on the turnpike though. Otherwise, you'll miss it (and the true gem of this town...The Rock Cafe').

Unfortunately, we had a meeting to run before getting to take part in an amazing lunch at this little-known hole-in-the-wall. BUT the meeting went GREAT. The day before, I had the privelege of spending approximately 2hours using my creativity to make a "map" of the meeting. Literally, I created a HUGE room-sized map of roadblocks and villages that could be used to describe exactly where the membership has been and where we need to go. This map included things like school zones, storms, construction zones (with the well-known cop car placed behind a nearby tree), forks in the road, and speed bumps. All-in-all, this mapped out the entire day's topics on the agenda and turned into a wonderful visual for introducing the newest member of the Facilitation family...Endorsement.

You see, my supervisor had this BRILLIANT idea to turn our branch of work into something that everyone at the meeting could relate to. So, she put on her straw hat and broom skirt as she showed off our brand new baby girl, Endorsement. Thankfully, we work for a state agency that provides simulator babies to teenagers to teach the responsibilities of being a new parent. This means, we had a "real" baby to nurture throughout our meeting as we explained the role everyone shared of helping to "raise Endorsement". She was complete with a diaper, real cry, and emotions that could flip like a switch (just like the course our agency travels within this field).

Using "Endorsement" to gain a vision for the program, everyone was open to a fresh view on what it takes to make this as successful as possible.

After wrapping up the first half of our day, we called it a morning and headed over to enjoy our anticipated lunch at The Rock. Although this greasy cafe' is completely against the nutritionally balanced meals I have been trying to consume to be healthy...it was SO worth it. This once-in-a-long-while meal consisted of anything but the usual menu selections. I COULD have had anything from alligator to buffalo or german food...but I was good. I only ate small portions of a burger and okra and SHARED my fried apple slices cased in breaded pockets with gooey filling and sprinkled powder sugar with a delicious scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh man, it was SO GOOD.

Lunch may or may not have been a good idea. By this point, I was so full that I could have immediately fallen asleep if it weren't for the laughing that was going on in the meeting. I love my group. Honestly, we have such a diverse group of professionals that are passionate about people and families...it just works.

Oddly enough, we finished strong (and early). Note to my (small) audience, "finished", "early" and "meeting" NEVER are in the same sentence. However, it happened. We wrapped up the meeting and loaded into our cars with minutes to spare.

Driving back to town, I had the opportunity to reflect on the meeting and discuss concerns that I had. I felt so great about how things were ran that there really weren't any negative points of discussion. This made for a quick trip back. I picked up my car and headed back to meet the person that I am really beginning to miss in the midst of this new schedule.

We immediately hopped into the pickup and headed over to the future in-laws' house. My future hubby is such a handy man. He rented an aerator and ran it over his lawn, the neighbor's lawn, and his parents' lawn. His sweetness paid off and we were able to enjoy dinner with his dad at somewhere I have been craving for days and days, Cracker Barrell.

Wholesome breakfast
A cup of yogurt
Fresh strawberries and blueberries
Granola with almonds and dried cherries
Blueberry muffin
2 scrambled eggs
3 slices of bacon

Honestly, it is divine. I only ate the parfait and eggs really. It is so much food! I enjoyed ONE slice of bacon (which is hard for me considering it is one of my FAVORITE foods), and I took my muffin and extra bacon to have a hearty breakfast in the morning.

As soon as I got home, I hopped in the shower and was in bed before I could think about doing anything else.

Tomorrow? Schoolday.

First Day of my Last Semester...

Well, I have finally made it here. I successfully finished up my first day of my last semester (in my bachelor's degree program). Let me be honest here, class was the easiest part of today. I woke up at approximately 7:45am. After throwing my hair in the all-familiar pony tail, pulling on some old painted gym shorts, matching a pink t-shirt, and slipping on some not-so-comfy tennis shoes, I packed my toiletries into an old bag and started to get ready to head to the gym on campus.

While I munched on a freshly made PB&J (something I haven't eaten until the last few years of college), I determined the amount of time I would need to work out.

Hmmm....Problem.

IF there is a problem parking on campus (which I could guarantee there would be) I would be driving for approximately 20minutes in circles. ONLY to have to rush to work out, take a quick shower, change into my first-day-of-school/work clothes, and drive back to the east parking lot to drive ANOTHER 20minutes before walking across campus, picking up my parking pass, and making it to class on time...nah.

With this conclusion, I changed out of my workout clothes and hopped into the shower. After doing a load of laundry and talking with my dear, sweet Momma, I dried my hair and curled it. Then, I grabbed everything I could need for my first day of class.

Bum deal...I forgot my lunch.

Thank goodness I was running early though. After driving around the parking lot (and gracious for the farthest parking place possible in the lot to become available as I followed a fellow-college goer) I hauled my little hiney to the University Center to get my parking pass before rushing to class.

45minutes later, I made it back into the parking lot just in time for the lunch-hour traffic of Edmond. Monday=99cent Qdoba day. Therefore, I drove around the parking lot and settled for the "walking place". You know the one. It is the parking place that you finally determine, "I am NOT going to keep driving around waiting for someone to leave when I could simply park across the parking lot...and walk." Too bad it was every bit of 100degrees outside. Walking seemed like a much better idea when I was INSIDE my car.

Minutes later, I was inside. Not to fret! I was only the thousandth person in the line at Qdoba. So...I waited (and waited). "One soft taco with rice, black beans, fresh lettuce, steak, and shredded cheese." Ymmm.

After wheelbarrelling through my lunch, I walked back to my car and began my journey across town to my intern site...with 2minutes to spare!

THIS began the real portion of my day. After working steadily until 4:45pm, we loaded into my supervisor's car to make it to the conference room we had reserved for our VIM, Very Important Meeting.

HOURS later, we left to go back to the office. Preparing for ANOTHER meeting the following day, I finally left the office promptly at (a little past) 8o'clock that evening.

Dinner...I NEEDED dinner. So, I voted for a second helping of Qdoba for the day to ease my hunger pains. Before I knew it, the day had slipped away.

All-in-all, I had a good day being a big-girl.

Now...bed.

Catching Up

As you can see, I have been terrible about blogging lately. For that, I am sorry. However, I have a very valid excuse...summer class.

You see, I am finally wrapping up a journey that has taken four and a half LONG years. While I was away from my blog, I took part in various, all-consuming courses. The first was entitled, "The Family". Where you would typically have seen me sitting in my car listening to my burned CDs during my lunch hour during the summer, you would most likely have seen me with my nose stuck in my book reading the latest articles on family matters between 1pm and 2pm Mondays through Thursdays throughout the month of June and July. Article reviews every day, a test or two a week, and article critiques mingled together made up the syllabus.

The plus side? I successfully managed to make straight A's on each and every test and paper in this class! Therefore, I can officially say that my test anxiety has lifted (after four years of college) and I feel confident that I will not have to take the G.R.E. 7 times like I did the ACT. Speaking of which, I am officially starting to study for this dreadful exam. Thanks to a very sweet classmate (and fellow-bride) I have been provided four very heavy study books.

Prior to receiving these books, I completed two more classes. One discussed the issues and "answers" related to adoptions, and the second allowed me to legitimately be certified as a Family Wellness Instructor. If you're needing someone to help guide you through some of the most amazing family curiculuum out there, I'm your gal!


On top of that, after 3 years of working on the basement level of the UC...after no windows...after answering hundreds of phone calls a day, numerous emails, and setting up countless appointments...it's over. I am no longer an employee at the University. Reflecting on these last few years, I can honestly say that of the 16,000+ students that have walked through my office doors each year, only a handful can honestly say that I addressed them with anything less than a smile. You see, typically I am a very "happy, peppy person", but I find it unfair to treat someone differently because of their family's status (ie. parents are doctors, lawyers, etc.). Those are the very, very rare cases in which I would stand up for what is right for everyone without judgment.

All-in-all, it's been a good run. It wasn't until this last few months that things started really taking a toll on me. The recent budget cuts of the "little people" while the rich kept getting richer made my heart ache. How can someone be so selfish? The more I'm in "the real world", the more I despise it. I am utterly frustrated with the way our society believes that the only person that matters is "me". With that being said, I am so excited to embark on this journey of serving those around me.

Furthermore, I can now focus on what is to come in the next few months...school? Yes, you guessed it...more school. I am going into my third week of practicum already to serve 150+ hours within my field. In the meantime, I am trying to get as much done as I possibly can before graduation, the holidays, and MY WEDDING! Wow, I STILL haven't finished THAT blog. However, as you can see...I'M GETTING MARRIED! Not only is there a beautiful (BEAUTIFUL) diamond ring placed on my left hand, but I have an even more BEAUTIFUL (inside and out) blue-eyed boy to spend the rest of my life with (he's actually the priority, not the ring). So you see, I DID have a very valid reason for not keeping up with my blogging. And, with that being said, I have got to get back to that very same blue-eyed boy as he is getting off work in approximately 30minutes.

Until next time,
B.

Continuing Mandisms...

j) isn't "j" the next letter after "i"?
k) I don't really want anything with a label on it, because I don't want to fall into the routine of things again. You know? I miss spontaneity!
l) I love meat and veggies.
m) I'm going to get both of them. It is so NOT a quesadilla. I mean, quesadillas are two flat ones on top of one another. This one is folded.
n) Xavier Malachi
o) False

Forever Young...

...is officially one of my new favorite movies.

The End.

Half a Mile...

While driving in the car, "boyfriend" and I heard this song on the radio. Funny enough, he started to belt out the lyrics as "Half a mile..." I couldn't help but giggle. He pulled a "me"...hehe.

I was born in the arms of imaginary friends
Free to roam,
made a home out of everywhere I've been
Then you come crashing in,
like the realest thing
Trying my best to understand all that your love can bring

Oh half of my heart's got a grip on the situation
Half of my heart takes time
Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you
That I can't keep loving you
Oh, with half of my heart

I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else
I made a plan,
stay the man who can only love himself
Lonely was the song I sang,
'til the day you came
Showing me a better way and all that my love can bring

Oh half of my heart's got a grip on the situation
Half of my heart takes time
Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you
That I can't keep loving you
Oh, with half of my heart
With half of my heart

Your faith is strong
I can only fall short for so long
Time will hold, later on
You will hate that I never gave more to you than half of my heart

But I can't stop loving you
But I can't stop loving you
But I can't stop loving you with half of my...

Half of my heart
Half of my heart
Half of my heart's got a real good imagination
Half of my heart's got you
Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you
That half of my heart won't do
Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding to a bride with a paper ring
And half of my heart is the part of a man who's never really loved anything
Half of my heart

Where are you Sunshine?

Sunday, Sunday...you weren't very "sunny" today. This morning I got up and around to enjoy a phenomenal sermon (as usual) at church. Luckily, I got to see my best girl-friend and share birthday wishes with her (and the pink-daisy, day-by-day women's Bible we had seen last time we went to the local bookstore together).

After church, we rode together to the nearest b-double-dubs for our favorite wings. Ironically enough, the place wasn't crowded but it was slower service than normal. I didn't mind it so much though. It gave us a little more time to talk.

We drove out to the house immediately after lunch in order to see the latest updates. After admiring my new chandeliers (still in the box, currently) and the installed archways, we started to walk out to the car to head out.

*Insert loud, obnoxiously, scary siren noise (while the sun was shining) here*

As Miss Adele started to walk to her car I told her that I guess we had to go back inside. Hellloooo, the tornado sirens are going off. (She thought it was the 12o'clock whistle...it isn't Saturday, silly). Therefore, we ran inside and turned on the television. It was perfectly sunny out!

Then, the storm hit.

I tell you what, I don't think I have ever seen so much cottonwood blowing in the wind. It literally filled the sky with white puff-balls to where it looked like we were in the middle of a blizzard. Soon after, the hail hit. Tiny ice chips turned into coin-sized balls...then the balls got bigger...and bigger. The trees started to crack in the distance and the sky turned black.

We turned up the t.v. and waited it out. Luckily, the heart of the storm passed over us, and we made it out without so much as a scratch on us (or the vehicles).

Days like this I realize how truly blessed I am. God is so good. I pray for all of those that lost a part of themselves (or even their very life) in these storms. Thank you, Lord for taking care of me and my family...

Happy, Happy Birthday!

So, it is official...I am twenty-two years old.

Back in the day, I remember when I would wake up the day after your birthday and think, "I feel the same today as I always have." However, I am realizing that the older I get...the older I feel. I mean, I am about to graduate college. Four years of dedication filled with hurts, heart aches (and head aches), lost and found friendships and relationships, and long nights of studying...in a blink of an eye- gone.

Looking back, I realize how much has happened in the past four years. Ultimately, I came out of it a different (better too, I hope) girl than when I first began.

Thursday evening I enjoyed some me time as I pampered myself to look pretty. Afterwards, I stopped by the house and talked to my guy. While I was there, I received a phone call.

"Heavenly Hands" flashed across the screen, and I was immediately confused as to why they would be calling me.

Mr. Itwassupposedtobeasurprise immediately grabbed the phone from my hands in frustration and talked to the voice on the other end. As soon as he hung up, I could see his heart drop from his expression and he explained that I had an appointment the next morning at the spa. I wasn't supposed to know about it until tomorrow, but he wanted me to start off the day right since he had to work. I freshened-up my soft, pink-polished fingernails and took a semi-long bath before the water turned cold and headed to bed.

The next morning I woke up ready to relax. I immediately went to the spa and enjoyed the morning with Emily (one of my new favorite people). Literally, my body felt so much better afterwards.

Since the weather turned out to be so beautiful, my sweet boy came home from work early and decided to have a last minute garage sale since the entire neighborhood was. He tossed boxes into the driveway and sat outside with the puppies. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I had to laugh. I gave him a great big hug and he told me to run on inside to get my birthday gift...he claimed he got it on sale at one of the garage sales...he lied.

As soon as I stepped inside I saw these beauties:

For the entry-way...

Beaded and crystal-drops chandelier with iron finish (it doesn't have the bronze that's shown)

AND
For my office...
Petite chocolate crystal chandelier with iron finish


How cute are they? I'm doing the office in a soft beige color (called cafe au lait) with dark chocolate brown satin curtains and leopard-print accents. We're laying down wood floors and I plan on using deep reds to offset the brown. We already have a desk and credenza that we are refinishing!

After enjoying a little squealing time from the shock of my chandeliers, I pulled a lawn chair into the garage and started garage sale-ing. We had to call the water utility company to get our number since we planned it last minute.

The day was gorgeous. I almost didn't want to go inside...almost. After a while, my stomach got the best of me and I was anxious for dinner. I took a good long hour to get ready before heading out for my birthday dinner.

Since our first date consisted of more talking than eating, we went back to try for a second time. The place was packed, and we had to park down the street and take the shuttle just to get there. Once they dropped us off, we put our names down and waited. Ironically, it wasn't that long of a wait for just the two of us.

They sat us next to the window where we could overlook the sunset near the lake. Appetizers consisted of ceasar salads and fresh deviled eggs with a side of ripened avocado. Then, I dug into my delicious sirloin with burgundy mushrooms and red-skin mashed potatoes...ymmm.

After dinner, I was too full to do much more than walk to the shuttle. The driver dropped us off at the pickup truck and we started to drive to a chocolate shop. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and ended up getting back on the highway in the opposite direction. Thus, we made the decision to head back to the house. While there, I started my usual weekend laundry and called it an evening.

The weekend consisted of the usual yardwork, housework, and breaks for food and family. Too bad I ended up getting sick on my actual birthday and traded in fun for a three hour nap...boo. All-in-all though, it turned out to be a nice birthday.

Oh the simple things...

Good Day, Sunshine

So this morning I hopped up and about to head out to my parents' house. After rushing around to get ready, I loaded up my pup and hit the road. Once inside with my Momma and niece, we dropped the dogs off to get groomed at Barkingdale's down the street.

Then, we pulled back into the driveway so I could go through my car before heading to the repair shop. I left my car at the mechanic's and we stopped at the salon and spa to get manis/pedis before my Momma's trip to Florida with work.

I halfway relaxed as I watched my three-year old niece while sitting in the massage chair for my pedicure. Once they had successfully dolled up my feetsies with a very Springy coral-color, I watched my niece get polka dots and flowers on her teensy fingers and my Momma enjoyed a mani-pedi combo for the beach preparation.

Daddy met us at our local chinese restaurant on his lunch hour and we picked up the pups shortly after the buffet.

Poor Laila. They shaved her and left her poor little face in a froo-froo cut with a pony tail. She doesn't even look like my Laila, and I had to attempt to redo the bow placed directly atop her little head.

Now, I'm sitting with her soft self at my prettily polished toe nails before heading out to have the rest of the afternoon with my neighbor as her personal organizer. She's cleaning up her house and sorting through her life. Sometimes Spring cleaning isn't just designated for the dusting of windows and knick-knacks. Sometimes, it's more about enjoying the blessing of a life renewed. The rain is gone and the sun is here for the rest of the day. Good Day, Sunshine.

Mandisms

So, I have a friend named Mandi. She has to be one of the quirkiest people I have every met. Honestly, she is hilarious. Any time I get to see her throughout the week, it makes me smile. She gives the best hugs when you're having a bad day, and her heart has to be made of pure gold.

If you have not yet been graced with her presence, you just won't understand the personality Mandi has. Today, I ran into her in the hall before going to eat lunch. During our less than 30minute visit with one another, she decided:
a) Cardiovascular activity is bad on the heart
b) My boy has something special up his sleeve for my upcoming birthday. Like 1) He has been working on building me (yes building me) a cake, 2) he's getting me a horse, or 3) he has been building me a lifesize cake shaped like a horse for the past three weeks.
c) It was better to take the elevator up to the 4th floor so we didn't put stress on our knees, but it is best to walk down the stairs because the decline is good for the heart.
d) Starbuck's can make any day better.
e) Apparently if you read a sign aloud at Starbuck's while with Mandi, she is going to purchase whatever it is that you read. (Ie. The sign for today said, "Dark Chocolate Cherry Mocha. Admit it, you want one.") So...she got me one.
f) You can never go wrong with a "Grande"...unless it has laxitives in it (verbatim Mandi).
g) Mandi owns a "magic bullet blender". (I know this isn't a Mandism, but it's a fun fact about her).
h)It's best to scoop off the icing on my lifesize horse cake so that I can eat the cake underneath, re-cover it with the removed icing, and save it for next year. ("This would be good for Earth Day")
i) Apparently Mandi says so many "Mandisms" that you cannot even remember them in the amount of time that it took you to walk from the door of my office to the desk...aka. 10ft.

All-in-all, I am now enjoying a Tall, Dark Chocolate Cherry Mocha Frapuccino (courtesy Mandi) before strolling to class for the day. It's going to be a great day :D

The Food and Fellowship

Apparently I tend to write a lot about what I eat. To continue with this trend, my day was filled with enjoyable moments of food and fellowship.

After a long morning at work, my stomach was starting to tell me that I shouldn't have skipped breakfast. About the same time, my phone moved in my side pocket and my sister asked if I wanted to meet her for lunch.

Well...of course I did! I pulled around the corner and picked her up from work to head over to Spicy Pickle. For those of you that haven't experienced the joy that comes from biting into a delicious slice of Heaven-on-Earth pizzetti from the "Pickle", you're missing out. Somehow the yummy goodness of freshly grated mozzarella, warm artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes, and feta cheese make up for the $9 I was planning on saving by eating my lunchable.

After lunch, we stopped to look at a new boutique next door. I was shocked at how expensive everything was. Close to $200 for a froo-froo skirt for a little girl. I can make that myself! Which is why my big sister and I have decided to create our very own store. No, we haven't got a business backer to spend mega-bucks to put our name on things; And, we don't have a pretty store front to decorate. However, we are crafty people and fully capable of making a few simple pretty things that others would enjoy.

Lunch ended all too soon, and it was back to work for the two of us. Reality.

I managed to fully redo filing systems for two of my co-workers. I guess it was beneficial to both of us because I received a gift card for appreciation in doing so. I like when people are grateful that you exist...and sometimes I don't feel that.

After work, I headed to class for the evening. Biology. Honestly, the professor makes me somewhat look forward to the learning experience that comes along with the drawn out lectures every Monday and Wednesday evening.

I walked (and walked) to my car which I intentionally parked at a greater distance to counteract the entire pizza I demolished at lunch. After almost breaking a sweat, I hopped in the car and drove out to meet my boyfreen. Yes, he has been working the day shift lately (and I'm spoiled rotten because of it).

Oh a whim, we decided to drive out to Eischen's to eat with a friend that lives down the street and his "date".

Again, if you have yet to experience Eischen's, you need to. Their chicken and okra are to die for (literally, I think I clogged an artery in the process of enjoying dinner).

As we wrapped up the lefProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ve you aluminum foil to place over the cardboard containers for "to go boxes"), we twisted the foil into the shape of a swan. Well, sort of. It ended up looking like a dragon at first. Then, it transformed into a beautiful...turkey?

We practically crawled to the pickup we were so stuffed, and we started the dark drive back to the house. Once we dropped off the neighbors, we were pretty much to the point of exhaustion from being so full (I think it was because of the chemical that's in turkeys...at least that's my excuse). We called it a night and I finally enjoyed a full night of sleep for the first time in over a week.

Thank you, food.

WANTED!

This flower for my garden: If spotted, please let me know ASAP.


Seriously, is it not the prettiest flower, ever?

The Grass is Greener...

...because we've been watering it.

Actually, we've been doing a lot around the yard lately. We decided a couple of weeks ago that we were going to crack down on the yardwork and start babying it. You could tell that it really hadn't been touched in...ummm...20 years. Therefore, we put in a little tender loving care and started pulling weeds.

First off, we moved the large rocks away from the front archway and down to the curb. With "big trash day" coming up in the neighborhood, it was crucial that we pull everything up and out so they would haul it away.

So, we moved onto the "monkey grass". At first glance, I sincerely believed we had onions growing in our yard. Have you SEEN monkey grass roots? Seriously, they look like onions...and lots of them! It took us two days to pull up the three 10ft. sections of gardens because there were so many bulbs. After struggling with the weeds, we raked up the gardens and watered the yard.

The lawn/landscaping guy came out our second round of fertilizer and treatments, so the yard is starting to perk up...a little. Truth-be-told, it's the lack of lawn that is still struggling. Apparently Mr. Ed had allowed weeds to take over so much that when we killed off the weeds, half the lawn went with them.

With Mr. IreallyhopeIgettoworkdays getting off early from work Thursday and Friday,we made a couple of phone calls and literally ran out the door to make it to the competitor before they closed...Home Depot. Ironically, they were less expensive than Lowe's was on a set of french doors that we were interested in so we could replace the sliding glass out back.

The next morning, I received a heart-wrenching phone call from the neighbor. I threw on some slouchy clothes and made it there as fast as I could. We talked for a while, and I decided to let the girls across the street stay with me for the day and help plant flowers. Well, it was really only one flower since I didn't want to put anything into the ground until we dug up the bushes and got the grass to come back to life.

So, we ventured out to eat lunch and stop by our favorite weekend stop. You guessed it, Lowe's. Since we're regulars, we knew some of the in's and out's of their policy. Basically, they would match the competitor's price AND take an additional 10% off of the price.

Also, I was convinced that I was going to find some of my new favorite flower (special thanks to my big sis for introducing them to me). However, everyone else must have had the same idea because all of them were gone. This led to the girls helping me pick out a pretty PINK flower for my flower pot out front. (The fact that it had to be pink was really the only stipulation).

We picked up a potted, coral-pink geranium; a set of french doors, single-paneled with blinds; and distressed door levers and locks. Then, we headed out the door to load it up...thank goodness for good people. As soon as my guy stepped a foot out the door, three men asked him, "Son, are you doing that by yourself?" Then, they started to lift the doors off the cart and into the bed of the pickup...bum deal. Apparently with the casing and everything, the doors wouldn't fit in the truck. Plus, we couldn't lean it on the sides because it would either break the glass or scratch the truck. So, I ran in for help.

Spotting a friendly face, I asked Steve if he had scrap plywood or anything that could help us out. He immediately grabbed two 2x4's and walked with me to the car. He slid them under the doors and they propped them up perfectly to avoid damage. (Again, this is the reason I LOVE Lowe's.) The boys strapped the doors into the truck and we started truckin' along...very slowly.

Low and behold, my parents were sitting on the front porch just waiting to save the day. I stepped outside and planted my geranium with the neighbor, painted her nails, and baked a few chocolate chip cookies before she loaded up into the car to go with her family for the night.

In no time at all, the door was hung, locks were in place, and we were ready to celebrate. We took my parents out to eat as a Thank You...their choice. To our surprise, they started to drive out to Okarche, Oklahoma...Eischen's. Two fried chickens and two orders of okra later, we headed back into town to call it a night.

After church the next day I mowed the lawn/dirt. I admit, I was a little bitter due to the fact that I was eating dirt the whole time from the absent grass patches. We took a quick break to enjoy dinner with his family at McAlister's, only to come back and finish up the final touches. We removed railroad ties, raked the backyard, put down some bug treatment, spread some fresh grass seed throughout the dirt-spots. and watering the grass until it was thoroughly soaked.

Cross your fingers that it grows!

Oh, I Hope I Win, I Hope I Win...

Check out this great giveaway! Love-stitched is giving away a Scentsy warmer...yay!

http://lovestitched.blogspot.com/2010/04/guest-giveaway-scentsy.html

Hawn-da, Hawn-da, Haaaaawn...Hooowwn-d, Honda

Oh rainy days make for the best sleepy days...too bad I had too much to do without sleep being involved.

Saturday morning we had planned on getting up and making our way to Momma and Daddy's for a belgian waffle breakfast with everyone before my little niece was scheduled to attend 2 Easter egg hunts. Morning rolled around and the snooze was hit (more than once...or twice. Okay, okay...I hit the snooze for almost an hour).

When the phone rang to see what my plans were, I was only slightly grumpy before telling my sister that I would call her back in a little while. I dialed my parents' number only to find out that we were rescheduling our big breakfast. Therefore, I decided to pass on the first egg hunt and meet up with my family.

Not too long after, my body told me that it was not going to let me fall back asleep. On top of that, Mr. Ican'twaittodothelandscapingforSpring was planning on meeting his parents for breakfast and to start hunting for a new lawn mower.

With my newly open schedule, I was invited to join him. This resulted in getting ready in five minutes before heading out the door.

We met his parents at the "old house" (they're currently building a new home) and sat down to enjoy a warm breakfast. As soon as we finished, we were back in the car and on our way to scope out mowers.

As I stepped outside, I thought about how dreary it was and how it was too cold for a 3yr old to be out and about hunting eggs. I talked to my sister and requested that we postpone the festivities until next week's events. Then, we kept on trekking.

After 4 or so stops, we made the logical determination that we were going with a Honda. Don't ask me why, but all of the "goods" it offerred was better than the Snapper, Cub Cadet, and the many others we researched. Also, we enjoyed a yummy hot dog from the 50th anniversary cookout at Smith's place...I like them.

We dropped of his dad before heading back to the house. Mr. Handyman started texturing the ceiling until we had to rush out to Lowe's to pick up some more texture and wall paper stripper. Surprisingly, we ran in and ran out with only what we needed (or so we thought).

We rounded the corner for Buffalo Wild Wings when we noticed multiple parking lots were full. Then, we kept driving on until we hit the local Taco Cabana...tortillas and queso...ymmm.

We took it back to the house so that we could work and eat at the same time. That's when it hit me that I forgotten to grab the wallpaper remover from the checkout stand at Lowe's. He worked his arms to death while I worked my mind going through brochures and magazines for hours. Soon enough, he had finished the entire living room and I had officially picked out the color pallette for each of the rooms in the house. The inspiration was an article called, "Vintage Chic" which featured soft corals, sages, and chocolate browns with creams. I cannot wait!

Homebound

Checkout at...1pm? Woo hoo! I got to sleep-in! There's nothing quite like the feeling of waking up and realizing you don't have anywhere to be, anything to do, and you can close your eyes and go back to sleep. Am I right?

Taking advantage of my sleeping-in rights, I slept until noon. Then, I showered and prepared for the longish ride ahead of me (honestly, it wasn't too long after a 10hr. drive previously).

A donut shop? Open past noon? Yes, we stopped for donuts for brunch before we were back on the road. It was sort of cute that we went to the same donut place that my parents used to go to "back in the day" when they were still dating (30+years ago).

Call me crazy, I was looking forward to the trip home. Not only was it a mere 2.5hours away, but I was getting used to spending the time together with my someone. I think we managed to listen to every CD he owned on our Texas trip, but I can't remember anything but those long conversations on nothing. It was wonderful.

Okay, I fibbed. It was unintentional though, honest. It wasn't a 2.5hour trip home from Dallas. No, apparently it was a 6hour drive home due to "construction" (with not a trace of construction), traffic, and a "blizzard". Did I mention there wasn't a trace of snow on the ground by the time we made it across the state's border? Because there wasn't.

This gave me the greatest opportunity to scope out all of the gorgeous places along the road that I want to take pictures of in the future. Stop...and go...stop. For 3 hours we screeched through hoping we had enough gas to make it to the next station.

By the time we were back in town, I wanted nothing more than food and my pretty little puppy. So, we enjoyed some yummy chicken spaghetti (courtesy of my mother) and went to get Laila Kay.

Appreciating our "getaway" we were even more appreciative of the chance to get back home. All-in-all, our conclusion was this:

We cannot wait to go on another trip...NOT in Texas.

and...

We have yet to decide on a stain for our wood floors.

Goodbye Spring Break, Hello World.

Baby Blue Masarati on a Rainy Day

After a great night in a super cozy(non-air mattress/tent) room, we packed up all of our belongings and headed down to checkout. Since our stomachs hadn't seen an ounce of nutrition in a day or so, our options were a)drive less than a mile up the street to IHOP or b) pay for the overpriced somewhat "homemade" breakfast at the hotel. Since we could have IHOP any 'ole day of the week, we took a seat in the lobby. (The scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, and wheat toast with strawberry preserves made my tummy happy.)

We waited forever and a day for our check, paid and hopped in the car to make our way back into Austin, TX to pick out our wood floors. I punched the address into the GPS...12345...(This sounds a little fishy.)

Numerous twists-and-turns through the highway system directed us towards a side-street.

Convict Rd.? Really, Sweetheart?

"Turn right in 800yds."

Okay, Jane. You better not let us down. Here we are in the middle of NOWHERE driving on a backroad. I called my parents to give them the address and let them know where we were at. At last, we spotted the location. (A nearby truck had the address posted on the side of it, so we knew we were in the right spot.) We dialed the given phone number.

"This is Ben."

We were informed that the owner of the company was on his way and were told to "go ahead" since his business partner was already there. So, we ventured into the building to find the flooring we had been looking for! Yay!

Handscraped, locally manufactured, gorgeously stained to look just how we wanted it. Once Ben arrived, we got to look around the warehouse and see everything "behind the scenes". We couldn't have been more anxious. However, we were waiting for a lovely check from the IRS to be sent back in the form of a tax refund in order to cover the large investment we were deciding on. Although Ben offerred to let us take the wood now since we made the trip down there, we felt that it would be more comfortable for him if we waited until the funds were available. Therefore, we narrowed the colors down to two different stains and went on our way.

...but wait!

As we were leaving we noticed a beautiful, baby blue Maserati in the previously vacant parking place. So, we had to ask about the owner. Sure enough, Mr. Ben himself was the proud driver of the gorgeous car in front of us.

Once back inside the vehicle, we chit-chatted about the stain choices and started to get more and more anxious. Knowing that the industry legitimately existed set our nerves to ease, and we went back-and-forth between ideas trying to make up our minds.

Since our families had informed us that they were experiencing a snowstorm back home, we make the informed decision to start driving as far north as we could without hitting the state's border. This meant, Dallas.

Trusting Jane, we took her turn-by-turn directions to find our favorite steakhouse, Chamberlains. We had the opportunity of eating there a few months back to celebrate the big 2-5 for Mr. Wonderful and couldn't get it out of our stomach-minds.

"Arrive at final destination on the left."

Excuse me, Jane. That is a lake...NOT a steakhouse.

I was forced to call the restaurant for the address and location. Unfortunately, that didn't help us any with the GPS. Thus, we headed back to the highway to try to find the nearby mall we had visited back in September.

Finally, we arrived for dinner. Let me tell you, this is the one place you can get me to shut my little lips up. The food is incredible, and the only thing you can say is, "Yummm."

Then, it hit. Immediately, Mr. Iapparentlycannoteatsteak's stomach started fighting back. Over the past year or so, we have noticed a certain "sickness" that occurs everytime boyfriend eats steak. Sad day.

We stopped at the local Walgreen's for some Pepto goodness before finding the closest hotel available to get him tucked in for the evening. And yes, it was snowing outside. Fortunately, the same hotel we stayed at before was right across the street with plenty of availability. I ran into the front lobby, checked us in, picked up what little luggage he let me carry in, and slipped onto the elevator...floor 10.

After an hour or so of resting his belly, we went downstairs to enjoy the warmth of the spa for a little while until it closed. I'm telling you, I think I'm a misplaced fish sometimes. I mean, I love going to the lake, swimming, doing anything with water, AND I can make a pretty killer "fishy face"...just look at the pictures from my sister's birthday! Too bad the water was BOILING and I had gotten sunburnt the day before...it hurt! I was ready to get out before he was, and that's saying something.

So, off to bed we went. I couldn't even remember saying goodnight because as soon as my head hit the pillow...

...zzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZZ

I've Got Sunshine....Before a Cloudy Day

*Tweet, tweet

Morning came all too soon Friday. However, my stomach was awake long before I was...growling the whole time. I'll admit that it was nice to hear the wind blowing around me and the trees swaying. The lake was gorgeous at sunrise, and the air felt nice after curling up in a tight ball all night trying to stay warm. I zipped the tent shut as Mr. Upandaround headed out to help some guys unload trucks off of trailers.

After slipping on my jeans and a t-shirt, I threw my hair into a bump-it & pony and stepped outside. Using a water bottle from the nearby cooler, I wet my toothbrush and enjoyed the minty clean feeling from my favorite toothpaste. I was ready to go.

I met up with Mr. Let'sgetyousomething to eat and we hopped into the truck to head to the closest McDonald's for breakfast. Where's that you ask? Brenham, TX was the verdict. Therefore, I plugged it into our handy-dandy GPS, Jane, and waited for her to locate us. "No valid GPS signal"-great.

We browsed the iphone to see if we could find it. Driving around in the historical part of Brenham, we ran into a mailman an hour later on a oneway street and asked for directions. His response was, "You are a long ways from McDonald's." The sweet blue-eyed, white-haired man gave us turn-by-turn directions that led us straight into the parking lot. On the way there, I got to see places like this:

Food...ymmm.

Once we pulled through the drive-thru, we made it back into Somerville to stop at a grocery store for lunch meat and drinks. Ham=$5, Cheese=$4, Bread=$2.50, Chips x 2= $8, Fruit snacks= $4...Seriously, it came up to $60 when we added in ice, drinks, and lysol to clean the porta-potty prior to using!

Back at the campgrounds the rest of our crew was starting to get hungry. With that being said, we offerred to take them back into town (since we knew the way there this time) so they wouldn't have to pile into a tiny truck one of their friends had driven. This time, we went straight to Walmart (which was apparently across the bridge from McDonalds). Man, we could have saved a fortune!

After they checked out, we stopped by Jack-in-the-box so they could get "cat food tacos"...don't ask. Then, we drove back to the campgrounds, again.

Warm and sunny...a perfect springtime day. Only, it was the last day of winter, and we were due for a blizzard the following day. We walked (and walked) the show, looking each and every truck over...twice. Then, we were bored. We sat in the pickup and ate our sandwiches with the windows rolled down, contemplating what to do about our current situation. After a day at the show, we were ready to go...already.

We pulled the truck down by the lake and I kicked off my boots to let my toes see the sunshine. It's been a while! We watched the people around us and talked to each other while sitting on the tailgate. Then, we drove around to the other side of the campgrounds to see the other cars that were there. Not too long after, the wind started to change and the sky turned gray.

Clouds.

Growing up in Oklahoma, we were both used to the wind. However, we had never experienced weather quite like we had back in December. So, when the weatherman said a storm was moving in, we wanted to get out.

We asked some of the people around us that knew the passengers we brought down if they could find someone else to pull the trailer back. Immediately they said that they would do it. One of the guys said his Avalanche had a trailer hitch on it and he wouldn't mind at all. Plus, he could give one of the guys a ride home and would find a way to get the others back with the rest of their friends. Man were we relieved! We called the guy that had told us to go pick up the trailer in the first place and let him know that we weren't planning on staying the whole time when we started out. He told us, "Man, it's not your responsibility. You've got other plans. I'll find them a ride home. Thanks for helping out!" We left him with the trailer hitch and headed out 90miles to Austin, TX.

The ride there was definitely one of worry. We didn't want to leave the guys hanging, but we hadn't planned on driving a trailer back to town either. Besides, the main reason we had made the trip was to check on getting our flooring from a manufacturer down in Austin. We couldn't really afford the extra gas of hauling a trailer AND driving back 90miles to pick them up and go back home.

After speaking with Jake (the guy we left the hitch with), we felt much better and decided to let it go. So, we followed Jane's voice to get to the city. Little did we know, it was some rock week down there and everyone and their dogs decided to come. Hotel after hotel, we received the same response, "Austin is booked." This left us searching...for 3 hours...for a place to sleep.

Literally, we were looking up nearby hotels, calling the ones that were up ahead of us so we could make it in time, and continuing to drive after we were rejected. Hungry and sleepy, we kept on going until we heard the yes...

We finally found a place to stay in Temple, TX. Too bad this was over an hour and a half north from where we needed to be the next day. Again, no dinner. Oh well, at least we were blessed enough to find a place. (And the bathroom sure beat the porta-potty)

Until tomorrow...sleep.

Keep on Truckin'

For my last Spring Break, we decided to enjoy our first big roadtrip together. Yes we were officially driving approximately 9hours to the south of "home" for a truck show and to pick out some flooring for the new house.

After sleeping in, I finally got up and around and packed my bags for the trip. It wasn't until Thursday afternoon that we finally had everything loaded into the pickup and we got the pups taken care of. Bailey went to be boarded for the weekend while we dropped off Laila at her Mimi and Pawpaw's house.

1pm- We were on the road, Texas-bound!
1:15pm- We were stopped beside the road, just outside the city.

Mr. Ihaveperfecttiming happened to notice a group of pickup trucks beside the road as we were on the highway. Taking a closer look, he realized it was some of his buddies that were going to the same truck show we were planning on making it to. However, they were supposed to leave that morning and we thought we had missed them.

After waiting for the flat to be changed on one of the trailers, we slipped in between the cars and attached to the caravan.

*SCREECH

Mr. Awesomereflexes slammed on his brakes and veered into the median while the cars in front of and behind us came to a 70-0 hault. So much so, that many of the cars experienced near-death accidents around us. Luckily, my safe driver had quick enough reflexes and smarts to pull away from traffic when everyone was stopped.

A few miles down the road, we stopped at a nearby gas station with everyone. Thus, we grabbed a barbeque-burrito from the convenience store for our brunch. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't all that bad. Now, I won't say that a burrito purchased from underneath a heat lamp that was cooked who-knows-when is "great", but it was pretty good on an empty belly.

Once we loaded back into the truck, it was off to Texas!

JUST KIDDING...

As the leader of the pack started speeding 80mph, we started to lose the croud with the rest of the people that didn't want to get pulled over. After making it through construction, we had made it close to Ardmore when we received the phone call.

"Dude, you have to turn around."

The leader had received notice that one of the trucks had started to burn up their motor by pulling a trailer and we were the only truck that didn't have a trailer attached to the back of us. So, we took the off-ramp and turned to the on-ramp going the opposite direction of Texas.

20miles later we pulled onto the scenic route where the truck and trailer was waiting. Little did we know that the driver was going to be taking his truck back to Missouri while the 3 passengers were coming with us...and that he would meet us back in Oklahoma on Sunday evening after the show to pick them and the trailer up. Since we hadn't really planned on staying for the whole show, this put us between a pretty large rock and really hard place.

The passengers did their best to hook on with the trailer hitch, but it wasn't going to last long without replacing it. Then, the journey began.

Stop#1 Gas station...no luck
Stop#2 Flying J, truck stop...no hitch
Stop#3 Wal-mart, really rude mechanic, and a brand new hitch

Back on the road, we made it across the border into Texas a mere 4hours from leaving the city.

Then, we had to stop for one of the trucks behind us to go to the restroom. (This made for the 7th stop so far)

Texas traffic = no fun. However, the sunset was beautiful at our 8th stop, Willie's Place. The convenience store was adorned with Willie Nelson albums, beef jerky, and faux hair-braids. After enjoying half of a Butterfinger just minutes before in the truck, I passed on getting something to eat (bad idea). We checked everything and refilled the transmission fluid for one of the guys behind us.
Waco, TX+construction=dead stop traffic for hours...

Pitch black+behind schedule= bypassing traffic by using detour not listed on GPS.

10:55pm "Arrive at final destination"

Too bad we were starving, they locked the gates on the campgrounds so we couldn't leave, we didn't bring a tent (since we were going to stay in Austin the first night and pick one up later), and we were attached to 6 people that we knew nothing about besides their nicknames. Yes, we had gotten ourselves in a pickle.

Luckily, one of the guys had an extra tent. Another guy had an air mattress, and we had brought our sleeping bags and pillows. We were all set for the night. As the rest of the group cooked their chicken that night, we whispered to each other about the predicament we were in and fell asleep worried about the weekend ahead of us.

Fundue Party

After lazy-ing around for the rest of the afternoon, I decided to get up and around to get ready for an eventful evening with the fam (This is a new trend in my life lately). I curled my hair quickly, slipped into my skinny jeans, threw on a shirt to match my cutesy boots that Momma got me, and tucked my bangs back with my rhinestone hairpins. Then, I spritzed myself with a familiar bottle of perfume and headed out with my camera to meet everyone.

Since my grandparents had agreed to watch my niece for the evening, we decided that would be the best place to meet up. Much to our dismay, we forgot how traumatic it can be for a 3yr old to watch everyone leave without them. Z screamed and screamed while she pouted that she couldn't go with us. However, we bit our lips and slipped out the door when we could.

Reservations at 6:30pm gave us the perfect timeslot considering the traffic of downtown. We parked a quick jog away and headed across town to get to The Melting Pot.

They sat us quickly in a comfy booth with candles lit. Since my sister was a "first timer" our server graciously explained the menu and took our drink orders.

After looking the menu over, we made a mutual decision to split all the courses to celebrate both Momma and Lindsay's birthdays.

Therefore, we enjoyed:

...and let me tell you. It was delicious! We were so full at the end of the evening, that the brisk walk back to the car was pleasureable and needed. When it was all said and done, we didn't have the energy or enthusiasm to do much else. So, we picked up Zoie and I drove to stay the night with my sister so we could get up and around the following morning to take my niece to "Sesame Street LIVE!" What a day!

I've Defriended Lori

After struggling with my newly pretty tooth, I had to return to see the doctor to find out what was the matter. X-rays confirmed the root canal was a-okay, and I was examined to figure out the problem.

Well, they sawed my already little tooth down to reduce some of the interference with my bottom teeth. Apparently I had been hitting my teeth so much that it caused nerve damage and bruising. Bum deal.

They polished up the product and I was given a prescription for pain. After resting that morning, I headed off to class. I stopped by Hob-Lob afterwards so I could put the final touches on a cutesy baby girl gift for my best friend, Tehia. I was meeting her and her husband the following evening for dinner and was excited to see her baby belly and catch-up.

Morning rolled around and got up and around for an eventful day at school. Well, almost. I made it to my first class to take an exam and decided to head out afterwards since my next class was cancelled.

So, I stopped by my sister's work and met Mr. Inevergettoseeyouduringtheweekbecauseofourschedules in town. We picked out a slab of stone for our new hearth under the fireplace, and attempted to meet my Momma for lunch. Unfortunately, her busy schedule kept her tied down and we were forced to enjoy ourselves without her.

Mr. I'mprettyselflesssometimes let me pick where I wanted to go (even though he didn't like the place). After filling ourselves to the brim, we parted ways so he could go on to work. I, on the other hand, started to clean things up a bit before heading out to meet Tehia and Aaron and baby girl Worley (still in belly).

I had to make a quick trip on my way downtown at Hobby Lobby to return some unnecessary supplies, and they were SO SLOW. After 20minutes in the returns line, I was able to get back in my car and drive to Toby Keith's...ymmm.

One conversation led to another, and we ended up spending a good 2hours chit-chatting away about...well...nothing. (Just life and general, I guess.)

My sister even drove up to meet us there so I could go to a concert with her later that night.

After saying our goodbyes, we drove over to see one of my sister's old classmates play at a concert. I was so proud of her parallel parking skills! We sat in the car for a while debating whether or not we wanted to go in. Finally, I whispered, "Where are you going to put your purse?...Wait, why am I whispering in the car?"

We laughed it out and poked fun at the statement for a while until some passersby walked next to the vehicle. Lindsay reached to lock the doors.

"Linds, mine didn't lock. Push it again."

-Nothing

"It's still unlocked."

-No it's not, I locked it.

"No, you're locking the trunk."

-No I'm not. I'm pushing the lock button.

"Well, it didn't lock."

-Your door is just messed up then.

"All of your doors must be messed up then, because they are all unlocked."

Yes, leave it to us to be pressing the UNLOCK button the WHOLE TIME.

Finally, we opened our doors and walked into the unfamiliar, smoke-filled atmosphere that many college-students have experienced long, long ago. We stopped in the closest ladies' room before heading in to hear the loud, overpowering music that many Americans love.

Let me just say this. I am NOT a fan of smoke...or loud music that makes you feel like your ears are bleeding inside...or being around people that are only out for one thing. Therefore, I had a half-good time.

Good? Yes, my sister is my best friend you can think of. She is the only person that I can stand around for hours with without the pressure of having to talk. I can simply look at her and we both die laughing. We have so many inside jokes that we can't even remember them. She makes me feel better about myself and gives me a reality check when I need it because she isn't afraid of hurting my feelings. Put simply, I love and adore my big sister. So much that I am willing to go to a place full of strangers and listen to rock music because she knew the singer "back-in-the-day".

11pm...yawn.

Yes, we are getting too old (and have real lives) to stay out late. So, we headed out the door to go home, jump in the shower, and wash the smoke smell out of our...everywhere.

Therefore, I scrubbed my body and washed my hair (multiple times) before getting ready for bed and taking my much needed prescription for my lousy ache...Loritabs.

Who would have thought that I would feel the same adverse effect that happens every time I take some type of medication that "causes drowsiness". Yes, you guessed it...it didn't work. Not only did it not work on me, but it made me act like a crazy person that didn't get a wink of sleep all night long.

After much consideration, I made the educated decision to break off any future ties with Lori. It is with great remorse that I renounce our friendship, but the pain I feel of living without her is better than the problems she has caused. I resulted to resting until the pain subsided so I could enjoy myself that evening with my real friends...my family.

Whatabirthday

First-things-first, I got up and around to head to work. While I was driving, I couldn't help but call and wish my Momma a very happy birthday.

-Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Biiirthdaaay dear Mooommmaaa.
Haaaappy Biiiirthday toooo yoooou.

Then, I went on with my day.

After a semi-long day of work and classes, I headed over to my parents' house to go out for her birthday. We already had a great birthday night in the works for the following Friday at The Melting Pot, so we decided to go somewhere simple for the evening.

When my Daddy asked what she wanted to eat, she laughingly commented how much she loved Whataburger. Yes, Whataburger.

On the way there, we spotted hundreds of black birds lining the electrical wires. It was almost eerie how many there were. Then, in her precious 3yr old mind, my niece simply said, "You better watch out! That's a mommy bird and she's about to poop!" After calming my giggles, I asked how she knew that it was a mommy bird. With a frustrated look, I disregarded the question. (I guess I should have understood that a 3yr old...just knows.) Then, she continued by saying, "There's a billy of them!"

Oh...to be three.

Once we got to Whataburger, (somewhere I hadn't been in years) we devoured our meals and decided to stop and get dessert on the way home. ColdStone, Braums, Starbucks...

I asked Momma what she wanted for "D-E-S-S-E-R-T".

-"It's called dessert aunt Brittany."

Wow, she's catching on so fast.

Having tried Pink Swirls and Orange Tree (Now split up and called Orange Leaf and PeachWave...odd), I had yet to try Lushberries. So, decided to stop by and give it a whirl. And?

Taro is still my favorite...and I was a little disappointed that I couldn't have my sprinkles on top of my deliciously nutritious frozen yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, and other yummy fruits. However, the company made up for it.

All-in-all, it was a great night.

*I've learned over the years that I love my family...and ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Birfday at B Double-Dubs

Attempt #2 = Success

After a terrible birthday experience at Carino's, we took my sister out for her actual birthday at one of her favorite places, Buffalo Wild Wings. By the time I made it out of my class and back in town, my family was already there. Altogether there was: Gramma and Pawpaw, Aunt Tracie, Momma and Daddy, Lindsay and Zoie, and me!

After ordering our drinks, placing our dinner order, and receiving our meal in a timely manner, I enjoyed my boneless wings with parmesan garlic and cheese wedges (ymmm). After some killer trivia games, I briefly mentioned the fact that we were celebrating my sister's birthday. The came out with a chocolate cake and ice cream and offerred up a birthday song.

After deciding that she could do without the music, we enjoyed the cake as a family and wrapped up the evening with some great photo opps.

Lastly, I stopped by my sister's house to drop off the cutesy gifts I had picked out. All-in-all, BWW saved the Birfday!