About Me

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We were married on June 18th surrounded by all our friends and family. We live in Oklahoma and love it. It is beginning to feel more and more like home. I love the trees, our church and the people! Everyone has made us feel so welcome and a part of this community. We both have great jobs, that we love going to every day! Life is good, God is good!!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Life Long Valentine

I want to be one of those girls that says "Valentine's Day is over rated!"
I actually tried to say that... I didn't make it...
I love it. Everything about it. I love the colors. I love the hearts. I love the smiles. I love the cheesy cards. I love the flowers. I love the chocolate. I love the kisses. I love the extra special reason to celebrate those that you love.


Someone in our small group told us that her mom always made Valentine's Day a family day. Each child was shown how much they were loved by their parents. Because of this she doesnt see Valentine's just as a reason to celebrate Romantic love, but rather a special day to show everyone that we love them. This is something I'm saving for when we have kids. I want my kids to know this kind of love everyday, but I want to take that one day out of the year to shower them in special love.



The hubs and I did want to do something special this year. We decided to make a trip to Tulsa and hang out. This started with going to one of my favorite places... SAMS! I love that place. There is enough space to casually move about with out bumping carts. There are things everywhere. This is good for an ADD person, Or what I can SOS... Shiny Object Syndrome.There are not only things but their are BIG things, their are BRIGHT things... and they are ALL OVER THE PLACE. I love it. It makes me happy. OH and while we shopped the Hubs got the tires on his 4Runner rotated. Now how is that for great?

After Sam's we headed to Maccaroni  Grill where we split a yummy Shrimpy Chickeny Creamy thing and lots of bread! It was yummy, and our waiter was fantastic and really fun.

Then we headed to Barns & Nobles! My favorite!! We wondered around, read books and laughed. I found this childcare's book about how babies are made... I do believe it taught me something. It was VERY anatomically correct and the pictures were quite vivid. I would almost suggest this book other than a small paragraph at the beginning that says "There are two types of love, heterosexual and homosexual. Heterosexual is when a man and a woman love each other. Heterosexual is when two women or two men love each other. Both types of love are acceptable and right. We have no way of deciding how we will love. It is just how we are created." WHAT THE @#$%???? If you know me then you know I do this strange thing when I pick up a new book or magazine. I start flipping at the back then work my way to the front. This is how I skim. Then I know if it is something I'm interested in or the things I want to make sure and read. Its just what I do. I thought this book was kinda interesting and would be a good resource to have in 30 years when I'm having to teach my kids about the "birds and the bees". (Ironically this book was narrated by a bird and a bee... get it?? BAHHAHAH) But when I got to the part at the beginning... I went from being amused to being FURIOUS!! Now I'm worried about the crap that my kids will be hearing in the future... the world just isnt the same as it was 20 years ago... pretty sad. OH well... We did end up buying a book. Its called Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff. We laughed so hard at some of the things in there but one of my favorites was that it is ok for a Christian to watch a R rated movie if it has violence or gore but if it shows skin - we wait for the censored version to come out on TBS. This is our new coffee table book. We love it. It lightens any mood. And if you speak the love language of sarcasm ... then this book will warm your soul.

After Barns & Nobles we went to QT to fill up with gas and have a coffee treat. About half way home we realized it was about 10:30 pm. And we were drinking mass amounts of coffee... folks... I'm a sleeper! I love to sleep. I need to sleep. One of the first lesson's my hubs learned about me in the beginning of our marriage is that I need sleep and I'm a happier person when I get sleep and he is a happier person when I'm a happier person. Therefore... he does everything he can to make sure that I get the right amount of sleep... if not more. We were both still wide awake at 2am Sunday morning. I should have gotten up and done laundry and cleaned the house. I don't know when I finally went to sleep but I do know that my alarm went off at 7:45 to get ready for early big church and I snoozed approximately 5 1/2 times. And then I remembered my hubs hats when I snooze. However, I don't think it bothered him... he was still sleeping when I fell on the floor in my last snooze attempt.

Sunday our pastor talked about having a "good enough" marriage opposed to a "excellent" marriage. I'm still struggling with that idea of "good enough" and not "excellent". I'll post the notes soon. It helps explain it a little bit more. I just always wanted to have the "picture perfect marriage"... and I don't guess that is possible. But anyways... someone said that it is "freeing" for it to be ok to have a "good enough" marriage. But I don't know that I want a "good enough" marriage... I want an EXCELLENT marriage. Then they suggested that maybe our pastor used poor terminology. That maybe he shouldn't have used the term "good enough" but rather... a healthy marriage, or a Christ honoring marriage... something like that. Anyways... there are very few sermons that I walk away from wondering if I really believe them... this was just one of them. I'll be spending more time in thought and prayer about this for sure.

Sunday night our Small Group leaders along with their daughter (who use to be a chef) hosted a Valentine's Day dinner for all of us couples in the small group. It was amazing. There was delicious wine, scrumptious food and a dessert that could only come from someone that REALLY knows how to cook. The conversation was great and uplifting. We laughed about things from our favorite cartoons, theme songs to memories that we all had. It was wonderful.

We went home after that and I proceeded to pass out! Poor Hubs didnt... I hate that for him. I wish everyone was blessed with the sleeping ability that I have. I can sleep though most storms, noises and sicknesses. I can even sleep though cops breaking into my house, waking me up, talking to me, and making sure I take them out. Ask me about that story someday... its a classic!!

Well I guess I better get... Here are some pictures that we have taken in the past few days... the pictures that make my heart go pitter patter.

my little love

this big boy LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES his sister!

Catchin some rays

what a STUD!

I made this sign for Andrew for Valentine's day. It weighs 1.5 million pounds. It took both my arms to carry it... it is also, nearly as long as our entertainment center.

My 2nd Valentine's Day craft. Its a yarn wreath with felt hearts... cute. Needs some work. But it was fun.

Our Valentine's day dinner with our small group. And for the record, those are not suspenders, they are bread sticks. I know you were worried.

A sweet friend shared a verse with me today: 
Romans 12:9-12
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

I will end my mushy gushy Valentine's day post by saying that I love my husband more today than I did 8 months ago ( a week prior to us getting married). He is amazing and has loved me through lots of junk. I haven't always been the kindest to him, yet, he has refused to show me anything but endless love. 
Sweet heart - Thank you for picking ME to be your forever Valentine. I love you!!

I'm from West Texas...

So as you know, I'm from West Texas. Its really the only place I remember living. Word on the street is that I was born in the midst of a Blizzard in the Panhandle of Texas. (It also took me 48 hours to make my appearance... perhaps that is why I am typically late... I was born that way!)
Anyways... January 29th the Hubs and I were thinking that we would really enjoy one more snow. I forgot to get pictures of our house in the snow... and I'm doing a cruddy job documenting our first year of marriage in pictures... my memory stinks... so when my kids ask me what our first house was like, what our furniture was, what my hair looked like... I'll need the pictures to reference or who knows what picture I'll paint for them.
Anyways... our wish was granted February 1st. We woke up to a beautiful white covered house and yard. I quickly called the work weather hotline and was assured that we were indeed closed for the day. Rejoicing rang from my lips!! Then I rolled over and slept till mid morning... it was glorious!! (Hubs had the day off as well... he also enjoyed the extra sleep time!)
Here are some video that we got of the kids (dogs) going out in the snow...


{{VIDEO}} 
Coming soon... I can't get it to upload as of right now. 


To answer your questions:
1. Yes I am wearing my comfy robe... don't judge... It was still before noon. (There are NO pictures to prove if I did or did not wear it after noon... so I will tell you I changed... and my robe did did not become part of my attire until the late evening... but I might be lying.)
2. Yes those are our precious babies!! We love them to pieces. We are currently obsessed with them. They hate each other but love us unconditionally.
3. Yes I talk to Cami like she is a baby... a real live baby. Just call it practice. No I'm not embarrassed by it... ok a little... but still... she IS my baby!!
4. Yes... Andrew took video of Buster "tinkling" and yes... he "tinkles" like a girl. HEHEHE stupid dog!

Later that morning we decided to fix some delicious soup for dinner... you know one that we could smell cooking all day long!! The perfect kind for a snowy day inside. We decided on Chicken Enchilada soup... which we happened to need several things for.
In my head I heard the hubs say "Babe, you stay here in your snuggly robe and snuggle with our cold babies, I'll trek to Homeland and get the stuff!!"
My Hero... sigh
What was said is: "Babe, bundle up. Its cold out there and we are going to walk to Homeland."
I said, "How sweet of you to offer to go to Homeland so I can stay here in my snuggly robe and snuggle with our cold babies... did you say WE... Walk..."
He said "yes, and yes! Better bundle up!!"

We didnt talk for the next few minutes... this is what happened...

Lace up the shoes... 

This is our door... thats about 3 inches of snow on our porch 

This is our WARM living room... where we SHOULD be staying... 

Must have the warm fuzzy hat... 

Mittens... CHECK

Headband earmuff things. scarf, huge jacket, 3 shirts, 2 pants, 2 socks ... CHECK... 


The snow was up to the bottom of Andrew's 4 Runner

Our porch... about 4 inches deep 

The view into our yard... Winter Wonderland... 

Did I mention I had on polka dot rain boots?  
This is looking across the street... can you tell where the road is?? Yeah... me neither. 

Note that the snow is ABOVE Hub's shoes... 

Snow drift

Looser Cruiser! 

Hubs bundling up

Don't forget the scarf

Yes thats right Hubs, you go ahead and walk to Homeland... alone... 

yes ... you are hot even bundled up. 

my turn to bundle up

Personally I think the jeans tucked into the boots ROCKS

once again... my boots in the snow

This is 3 houses down from our house... and why we didn't drive

Our house is quite pretty in the snow isn't it... 

walking... 

I'm not happy here.. 

deeper snow... 

still walking


he is happy as a clam... who is this man?? 

Finally we arrived at Homeland... we quickly had to strip of all our warmness... it was SOOO hot in there! 


Yes dear, you made me walk in the snow... you get to carry ALL the groceries back! 

he is THRILLED!! Seriously... see the smile?

Its snowing again.. 

somewhere under there is the Looser Cruiser 

The back yard 

MORE snow that afternoon... we are up to about 5 inches on our porch alone... 

More of the back yard.. so pretty 

poor dogs... had a hard time finding some where to tinkle 

So much snow...  
Snow is almost to the top of the doghouse.. 

Snow blocking the way to the doghouse 

Back yard drifts 


Do you see that precious little baby girl?? She is FREEZING!! She won't even sit down on the step because it is so cold...


My car... has never looked better!


This is what I woke up to on Wednesday morning.


They love their daddy!!


Buster is JABBING Hubs with his elbow... hehehe




Get comfy Buster...

This poor little girl...


My sweet baby love !


Handsome Brother!


Buster is just trying to love on Cami... however, she is NOT feeling the love!


Daddy sleeps, Buster sleeps... Cami doesnt sleep...


The second stair from the bottom is Buster's favorite sunspot !


Getting some rays!


The soup was delicious! I doubled the recipe so that we could eat on it for a while. We actually ate it for dinner tonight. It is amazing and ... EASY...

Now we are supposed to get more snow this week. I'll be ok if there is only a few inches... I'm not sure I can handle more than that. Not that I will complain about a day or two off... but good grief.

That was the end of the "Snowmagedon" in Bartlesville Oklahoma.
I'll be ok if we don't see anymore snow until next winter ever.

Being snowed in did give us time to think about our vacation options for next summer...
We are thinking about a cruise.. somewhere warm. Any suggestions?