A weekend that I needed

37 hours. 37. Hours. That is how much time I spent from Saturday to Thursday last week working on my thesis. I don't know if you know me and my study patterns, but applying that much time and energy in a single week to an academic endeavor just isn't how I roll. As I get older I've done a lot better about procrastinating my projects, but I just don't take 37 hours to do anything. When I get to work, I get focused and I generally get things done pretty quickly. I think this stems from 2 driving forces from my childhood.
1) I procrastinated so I had to get things done quickly and I had to do them well so I didn't get bad grades and my dad wouldn't take away my ability to go play. He's a strict old man.
2) I always preferred playing to homework so I worked quick, efficiently, and got my butt out the door and up some tree that I didn't pre-plan how I was going to get down so I would yell and yell for my dad to let me jump into his arms and free me. He's a soft old man.

I tell you all of that so you can understand that when I say I worked 37 hours in 5 days on my thesis, I can impress upon you that this is completely out of the ordinary for me and utterly exhausting. I went to Stillwater the Friday before last and my advisor said a few choice words that lit a fire under me to get cracking on my thesis. I was under the impression I had been following the time line appropriately (especially since I created it). I was slapped back into reality and told to get with it if I wanted to graduate (which I do!). I spent every iota of energy working on this project so I would have something worthwhile to present this past Friday. I was tired, grouchy, and overall not that much fun to be around.

I also missed my honey. So we planned a weekend to meet up at his parent's home. It's about a 3.5 hour drive for me and a little over 5 hours for him. He likes driving more (or hates it less) than I do, so we'll call it about half way for each of us. I got there before he did and went with his parents to the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy there is. Or the best I have experienced. I threw my simple carb ideals out the window and ate straight carbs and loved every minute of it. We watched the Thunder go into double overtime and WIN and about 30 minutes after Matt arrived I went to sleep (remember, long week!).

On Saturday we registered at a couple local shops in his hometown for the shower we are having in April. Seems a little early, but I have no idea when Matt and I will both be in town at the same time again. The shops didn't seem to mind a bit. Registering really is awesome for stores, because we're advertising for them. Even telling people specifically where to go. I really wish I could make a list of all the random places I wish people would go to get us gifts (if they were so inclined) but I can't just register for a single item from 10 stores. I also don't think people want to buy us random stuff off of my Amazon wish list (see how I cleverly slipped in "us"?). 
After lunch we went through about a gazillion (seriously!) baby pictures of Matt for a slide show I am putting together. We got some great ones, but we worked for it! Now I have to take all of these prints to Walgreens to put on a CD. Oh the digital age.

I got to see my precious puppy who is getting so big! Do you realize how many people would buy dogs if they would stay tiny puppies (house broken, of course) for ever? I guess that's genetically unfair and doesn't help promote the survival of the species, but man I wish he would stay tiny.

The weather could not have been better this weekend. It was just absolutely wonderful to get a break from all of the awful weather, but sadly it's coming in strong for the next couple of days. Maybe the school will actually close and we'll get a snow day without having to take vacation. I'm stingy with my vacation hours.

I took some pictures of his hometown signs and his church that he grew up in. I have a fun idea for a guestbook at the wedding. I really need to stop all of these "DIY" projects, but they're fun and I think will make the day more special. Ask me if I still feel this way after I put ribbon on each of the wedding invitations.

This weekend I didn't think about my thesis at all. I just enjoyed good company and worked on wedding stuff. Oh- we had to assemble our wedding favors which I guess it must have been in the fine print that they didn't come assembled! A little team work got it done quickly though.

Hope the week treats you well. Stay warm!

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The Dumbest Thing I have Seen in a While

Warning: If you in your heart of hearts think there is EVER a circumstance where children should pay for the mistakes of their parents stop reading now. If you keep reading, it's your own fault and I will not be held responsible for your anger.

Here's a facebook post I have seen in my newsfeed multiple times this week so this isn't directed at one person, but a concept in general:

"Kentucky just passed the best law ever. To be on Food stamps, Medicaid, or Cash Assistance for your Children or yourself You have to pass a DRUG Test. Now, every other state should do the same. If you agree re-post. People that work have to take a drug test, so should they."

It took everything in me not to comment directly to these people, but honestly we live in Oklahoma and that's just the thought process around here and I don't want to go off ruining relationships with people based on what they post on their facebook because it's theirs and they can post what they want (run on!). Well this is my blog and I am going to say what I want about it.

Now I can get on board with people believing that passing a drug test should be a requirement to receive government assistance, especially in the form of cash. That doesn't mean I agree with the concept because it's not really practical, will cost the government money to conduct said drug tests, and it's demeaning to the people who aren't abusing the system and don't do drugs and just need a leg up in life. But I'll be fair and say that I can see where people are coming from. I imagine that the state of Kentucky will spend more money with this new practice than they'll save kicking people off of government assistance, but whatever. What I CAN NOT get on board for is this: people who are my "friends" on facebook just said loud and clear to their whole network that they firmly believe that every state should adopt a policy that would remove benefits from CHILDREN.  These same "friends" who post a scripture as every other facebook status said they believe that CHILDREN should suffer for the mistakes of their parents. Are you going to adopt these children if their parents are denied all forms of assistance including Medicaid which is FOR CHILDREN? No, you'll probably say, "Aw man, those poor  kids are starving and sick in Kentucky. Someone should figure out a program to help them out." THEY DID AND YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT IDEA TO GET RID OF IT!!!!!!!

You can actually read the bill here.

I don't understand the big hang up with people and government assistance for lower income people. Do you realize how many people this system actually benefits? Do you also realize how little money you actually have to make to be eligible? Wanna swap lives with these people? Yes, some people abuse the system and that's really irritating. If you actually know a person abusing the system and it makes you that mad, report them! People also cheat on their taxes, why aren't people up in arms complaining all the time??

What's even more irritating to me is that people seem to want to cut programs that don't pertain to their circumstance. "Well I'm not on welfare so they should just get rid of it!" Well sorry, but the world doesn't revolve around you.

Put things in perspective. Tax time is coming up. I have a feeling that Bill Gates isn't reading my blog so I think I can make a generalized statement about my readers. Look at your W-2 and see what you paid in taxes this year (especially State). Do you really think that your little contribution (may seem big to you, but in the scheme of things, it's probably not that big) paid for every road that you drove down, every water quality testing, regulation, YOUR NOMINATED OFFICIALS SALARY, public schools your children may attend, police & fire protection, food subsidies so that you can have more affordable food, research, the list goes ON AND ON AND ON,all of these service you use daily? Which one of these would you like to cut if you're so concerned about taxes? Are you starting to realize what a small portion of the pie is taken by government assistance?!?

I don't get mad about taxes because I appreciate the services that our government provides for me and I use them every day. I don't like giving my money away, but I'm really making a payment for services I use. Just like I pay my insurance and tuition and every other service I use.

If you want to be mad about taxes. Then get mad. Write your congressmen. Come up with better ideas and present them at public forums. Make your voice heard. But don't put on facebook that you think children should suffer for their parents mistakes because it's not their fault and I'm gonna blog about it.

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Life is Loco

The past week has been LOCO! I went to Midland last weekend to see Matt. It was fantastic mostly due to the fact that we did very little. Most often when I go down there we run all over creation and it's really fun but leaves little "us" time. So this weekend we ordered in, rented several Redbox movies and just hung out.

Is that little puppy not the cutest creature you have ever seen? Here he's climbed up to the back of the couch and it looking over the ledge because we're in the kitchen and he doesn't like to be left out. He's a little scraggly in that picture. Last night he got his first hair cut. I'll try to have a picture of that later. Some how I can't get it to post because it's from a text message and after 6 months the iPhone still confuses me.

So how did the simple carbs adventure go being with Mr. eat-whatever- you-want-don't-suffer-consequences-guy? Well I wasn't perfect, but I wasn't horrible either. We had friends over one  night and I made pasta with whole wheat linguine, but I couldn't find whole wheat tortellini, so I went with it. I also had a few crackers....and pizza. Yes pizza. We had Chinese food one day and I switched out the rice for steamed vegetables. So, I'm still trying to focus on eliminating simple carbs, but it's a little harder than I originally thought. Just gotta stay strong!

We saw True Grit which we both really liked. That was probably the biggest "outing" we had the whole time I was there. I had MLK day off so I got to stay for a long weekend. I woke up bright and early to catch my plane Tuesday morning. As we were flying into Dallas we hit some turbulence and we were going down really fast and I wasn't too scared, but still said a little prayer for the Lord to be with the pilots and that we would be okay. And then I saw this:

Yep, that's a rainbow. What a reassuring promise from God that everything is going to be okay. That made my heart melt a little bit.

Then I looked at the other side of the plane and saw this.

Maybe it's because I have more time to think when I am on airplanes, but it always seems like a time when I really count my blessings. How blessed am I that I get to fly to see Matt every month or so, so that we may spend time together and preparing ourselves for our future lives as husband and wife.

(As a result of flying to see Matt, I'm also broke as a joke ,but life's a trade!)

I sat at the gate for over an hour before our plane took off to Tulsa. I wasn't really mad that we had to wait (although it made me late for work). I figure that I'd rather sit at the gate while they fix a problem than get a call mid-trip over the intercom "Passengers, we have a problem" WHAT?!?!? Where's the rainbow?!? Sir could you open your window, I need to check for a rainbow!!!

So then I was late to work and work was crazy because we're opening the clinic this week. Then yesterday I woke up to a winter wonderland. I hate snow though . It's not so much that I hate snow, but I like snow to be voluntary. I like to travel to the snow and ski down it. I don't like snow to come to me and rob me a of vacation day because I live out in the boonies. I also had a lot of stuff to do at my office. I wasn't happy about the snow.

What did I do with my free day ? Well I worked on a few pictures that I took at Joe's basketball game. Turns out that I have A LOT to learn about sports photography. It was a good learning experience though.

                                        

This is my favorite shot that I took from the night.

But as you can see, it's a still photo and I'm not very far away. So this isn't really a skilled shot.

I like this one, but I have to work on the lighting. It's hard to get my shutter speed just right because they're moving too fast, but I don't have enough light so the picture gets blurred or it's too dark. So I need to work on that. I also need to get an external flash. Photography aint cheap though! I would also like to get a better software for editing. See homeboys right leg in the left bottom corner? That needs to go. I would also like to play around with some effects. Maybe one day I'll get really good at photography and you can say that you knew me when...

I also spent my free day going to Danielle's house. We tied orange and red bows on little bells that we're going to put on the tables at the wedding. We don't really  have a great opportunity for the big exit because we're staying at the same venue where the reception is, so I think we're going to do something fun with bells because bird seed and bubbles are going to be a no go.

The invitations also came in yesterday. They weren't supposed to get here for 3 weeks, but they came in about a week and a half, so that was a pleasant surprise. I stuffed the RSVP cards into the envelopes and put the return address labels on them (to send them back to my parents, I didn't want my mom's hand to break off writing our address over and over). I figure I should do it while I'm excited and not wait until the last minute when I am dreading it.

I also packed up a few boxes of stuff I don't really need right now to send to Midland. If I move a little bit of stuff at a time, it wont be such a hassle when we get back from the honey moon. Speaking of which, I need to make a call on the honeymoon and I was supposed to do it a few days ago. Gotta go! Will try to update soon!

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Carbs? Who needs Carbs?

Who needs carbs? This girl. I would require a medical statement from a doctor stating the absolute and dire necessity that I eliminate carbohydrates from my diet before I would ever consider it. I like carbs. They make me happy. Seriously, I'm grumpy with out them. I also can't wrap my head around the idea of eating endless amounts of bacon and cheese and that being good for me without consequences. I'm not knocking low carb diets, I've seen them work (temporarily) for people and to each his own, but they're just not for me.

BUT I did tell you about my new year's resolution to eliminate simple carbohydrates. I gotta tell ya, so far so good. At first I struggled because I wasn't sure what to eat and I didn't have a lot of time to plan out my meals. I made a little trip down to Whole Foods on my lunch break the other day and picked up a few things that will satisfy my need for carbs, the good kind. I got some 100% whole wheat bread to make sandwiches. I also got some whole wheat pasta. I picked up some other odds and ends because I really like that store. It is the best smelling grocery store that I have ever been in.

I also found this yogurt that I am kind of in to. The brand is Siggi's. It's organic, non fat, has 120 calories and 16 grams of protein. It is a little thicker than a traditional say, Yoplait yogurt, but I think I can get used to it. It was on sale and I had a coupon, so it's about $1 each. Yoplait is usually about $.50 each so it's more expensive, but probably more than twice the nutrition benefits. A lot of people are all over the Greek yogurt craze. I haven't been able to jump on board yet. It's more expensive and I think it tastes bad. I also made the mistake of getting the plain kind and didn't add any type of flavoring or fruit to it and I guess that's a novice mistake in the Greek yogurt world. It's not bad in a smoothie though. It changes the consistency a little bit, but I can handle that.

Whole foods is a cool store but I always feel like such an idiot in there because I go by myself and I really have no idea what I'm doing. They do things differently than traditional grocery stores. I'm a big fan of the buying in bulk section, but it's almost ironic to call it the bulk section because I buy such tiny quantities. I highly recommend trying out some Quinoa in the bulk section because it's really good for you and there's a lot you can do with it and it's cheap. It's currently my experimental ingredient of choice. They also allow you to buy spices in tiny quantities which is cool because I'm usually cooking for one (my parents don't like the random weird things that I try to make). Spices are expensive! One time I tried to buy some Oregano and I got such a small amount that it wouldn't register on the scale so they just gave it to me. I was willing to pay the $0.12!

Anyway, back to simple carbohydrates. I'm doing alright so far. Just planning ahead and bringing my lunch like I normally do anyway. We only have subway and some little burger cafe on campus and I can only eat so many sandwiches. AND I don't think Subway has the kind of bread I am looking for. I like a good salad, but not every single solitary day. It also concerns me that the chicken at Subway always looks exactly the same. Makes me think it's fake food. Just being honest.

Here's the part where this simple carbs gets tricky though. Tomorrow morning I will jump on a plane and go see my beloved. (Ha ha I promise to never say "beloved" again I wanted to see if I could make it work). Well this man of mine really has no concept of diet, nutrition, or restrain. He's one of those annoying people that have been really thin their entire life no matter what they eat. AND HE'S A REPUBLICAN! Just had to throw out the things I don't like about him. Although he's probably going to register into the Party of Shanna before too long. We could be the Party of Matt & Shanna. The name isn't important. Maybe we'll make up a new name. Like the Party of .... well never mind I couldn't think of anything that wasn't offensive. So all that nonsense being said I'm a little nervous about this weekend. Matt tempts me with things I shouldn't eat all the time. I told him that I'm giving up beer until the wedding (going strong since September!) so he has offered me beer at least 2938 times since then. Why??? WHY!??! Because he's a punk. That's why. There has been exactly 1 occasion when I have visited Matt and came back weighing less than or equal to the amount that I left with.

So, I'll let you know it goes. I would hate to break my New Years Resolution a mere 5 days after I start it.

Tonight it baby brother's homecoming (although he's a junior). Tomorrow I get to see my child. I will take pictures of all of these happy events and post soon!

Thanks for being a loyal reader. I think you're awesome. I hope my blog doesn't make you crazy. I hope you don't read my blog despite it making you crazy because that means that you're addicted to the punishment and I don't want that for you!

Oh- one last crazy thought. I just recently realized that I can see how many people read my blog (obviously not who specifically) and what country they read it from and all that good stuff. Turns out that someone from Alaska regularly reads my blog. I hope it's not Sarah Palin because that would be a horrible way for her to start her day. Or maybe I do hope it's Sarah Palin 'cause maybe she's learning a thing or two. If you see her on TV and she said something about conforming her policy "To the Party of Shanna Don't ya know!" we'll have our answer!

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Being Engaged

Well folks, I started this blog with the intention of letting people into the going ons of my world without having to regularly call me, because well, I am blessed with a lot of lovely people but we can't be calling each other everyday because we'd get nothing done and I wouldn't have anything to blog about. I also try not to get too personal because I hate when people just spew their life out on the internet. Facebook statuses that say "You'll never know what you missed out on!" with the full intention of letting the guy know what he's missing out on 'cause he's gonna read it in his news feed just make me sad. And more power to the people who do it, I'm not sayin it's wrong, but if I ever decide that having kids is a good idea, I'm not going to give you full detailed explanation about how they came into the world. It's just not how I roll. (However, I do know that people do this because I have read these stories by other people. More than once. Obviously the 2nd time was voluntary).

Now that we're a little over 4 months from the "big day" (the Knot tells me 128 days to be exact and regularly sends me emails reminding me) I'll share a little about how it's going.

First, I have stinkin cool bridesmaids. They're chill, but willing to help wherever. I like that about them. They don't stress me out, which in my experience in dealing with girls in any number, girls can be stressful. I've got 5 bridesmaids, a scripture reader, and 2 guestbook attendants, not to mention the awesome chicas in my life that just like to be helpful.

We have bachelorette party stuff underway. At least the parts I am allowed to know about. This is going to be insanely fun and I can't wait.

Weddings just have a lot of details. I feel like after you plan 1 wedding, you should be given a certification as a wedding planner. I feel like it only takes 1 and then you're on your way to a profession. I bet there's a lot of wedding planners out there that would disagree with me, but they'll just have to write about that in their own blog.

We ordered the invitations the other day. Talk about anxiety. I ordered them online, so if anything is wrong with them, it's my fault. I read it over and over to make sure it was exactly what I wanted. I'm still nervous. Surely they'll turn out great, right? If they don't, no one will care but me. Right?

You want to know what is hard about being engaged? It's really really hard being 9 hours from the person your going to dedicate the rest of your life to. I don't recommend it. Our situation is kind of unavoidable in order for us to both reach our goals for ourselves in our personal lives, but it is an effort every day. I have been sooooo blessed to get to see him every few weeks or so, but it's still really difficult.

I regularly look at my engagement ring and realize how foreign it is. I love it. I love it so much and it's perfectly what I wanted. I just can't imagine that this very new piece of jewelry will feel so comfortable and old news one day. I think women always cherish their wedding ring, but like all things, it will become another part of life that I am used to. I'll feel weird if I don't have it on one day.

Well that's all that I have the energy to muster up in the engaged department right now. There will be more, I promise. Now I have to go do wedding stuff!

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The Seinfeld of Blogs

I can't tell you how many stories Matt tells me that have opened with "Did you ever watch Seinfeld?" Seinfeld ran from 1989-1998 and was one of the most popular sitcoms of my "time." Probably airing during the peak of my television watching days. Pretty much EVERYONE has seen Seinfeld. The fact that Matt has asked me these questions more than once as a prelude to whatever goofy story he is about to tell, makes it even worse. Yes Matt, for the 100th time, I have, indeed, seen Seinfeld. Yes, I know what episode you're talking about. I think the reason he does this is because he only has about 5 shows in his repertoire. One, as previously discussed in a blog, is "This Old House," apparently "Seinfeld", "Home Improvement", a couple of other shows that none of us have probably ever heard of. Probably on the hunting or HGTV channels. He has no idea what Bobby's World is. I don't think he ever even watched Power Rangers. Seriously, the kid's favorite show currently is called "Black Gold" and it's based out of Midland. Luckily, I find this to be an endearing quality about him. He can also build some really cool stuff. The house is coming along quite nicely (minus the shuffle board).

Anyway, I tell you all of this because I assume that you know what Seinfeld is. Well, I regard my blog, to really be the Seinfeld of blogs. The blog about nothing. There truly is no running theme. Each post you get whatever pops into my head as "blog-worthy". As of today, from February 24th, 2010 I have had 1406 blog hits. I have posted 83 times for an average of 17 reads per blog entry. My highest viewed blog was hit 58 times about my (Mis) adventures in Texas.

After learning all of this information (I only learned about 4 days ago that this information was even available) I ask myself, should there be a purpose? I am opening myself to let people into my thoughts and opinions, should there be a take away point?
I aspire to one day have a blog like The Pioneer Woman. She's my blogging idol. Check her out here. She has all of these cool subsections so her blogs are more organized. One day my friends, one day. I don't plan to ever make any money off of my blog, publish books, or do anything other than just air my thoughts, but who knows? It's a crazy world out there! If I could ever produce something that was in the slightest bit conclusive, people might even buy in to this whole thing.
But in the mean time, is there a take away point? Something that will leave you with a thought? Something that will change something about you, my loyal readers? I guess that's up to you. But the answer is: probably not. But if you do find some revelation from my posts, you're gonna have a random time getting there. Because this is, indeed, the blog about nothing.

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My Resolution 2011

Well it's January 10th but I have decided what my New Year's Resolution is going to be. Something hard, but not too hard. Something I can see myself doing. Last year, I gave up aspartame. It was hard at first, but I Shanna, have gone an entire year without a diet pop, sweet-n-low, and well that's basically it. These are my resolutions and I'm really only accountable to myself, so I make the rules. But I did it! First resolution to ever be completed!

Now for this year. Are you ready??

I'm giving up simple carbohydrates.

I'll give you a few insights from the "Skinny B**ch" book (Hey, I didn't name it but they have some serious points!)

- "Simple carbohydrates suck and are as nutritionally beneficial as toilet paper."
- "S**tty simple carbohydrates include white flour, white pasta, white rice, and white sugar."
- "These are the bad boys that give all carbs a bad reputation"
- "The most irritating thing about the low-carb craze is the resistance to eating fruit. Fruit is, quite possibly the most perfect food in existence. It is unique in that it barely requires any work to be digested.
- "So shout it from the rooftops until everyone of your dumb-*ss misinformed friends hears "YOU CAN EAT BREAD AND FRUIT!"

That book is hilarious. It's a no non-sense approach to telling people what to eat. They go off the deep end regarding vegan what not, but I just skip that chapter. For some reason I always imagine that if my friend Anna wrote a health book, she would write it like this one. But seriously, people do need a little honesty in their lives. Literally sugar coating everything is a reason why America is in (or out of) this shape. Me included.

So there is it. I have a lot of secret readers out there, so if we're going to dinner together sometime and I reach for the bleached not good for me bread, make me stop! You don't have to swear at me like they do in this book though.

Tonight I am going to go to Whole Foods and pick up some staples. I've actually done a pretty good job of avoiding spending my 401k there.

I recently bought the "Hungry Girl" cook book by Lisa Lillien. Tonight I am going to make:

Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo

1 pkg Tofu Shirataki, Fettuccine Shape
1/2 wedge The Laughing Cow cheese, Light Original Swiss
2 tsp reduced fat Parmesan style grated topping
1 teaspoon fat-free sour cream

microwave noodles 1 minute
Drain excess liquid, slice noodles in fettuccine-length pieces
Add cheese, grated topping, and sour cream, mix well. Microwave 1 minutes and then stir.

Makes 1 serving

81 calories, 3g fat, 242 mg sodium, 9g carbs, 4g fiber, 1 g sugars, 4g protein.

I'll probably throw in some grilled chicken and a salad. If this is a terrible experience I promise to blog about it.

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The Night That Almost Wasn't

To my loyal blog readers, by now you should know that Danielle is my best friend. I have some awesome people in my life whom I adore with all of my heart, but Danielle, well she's more than just my best friend, she's my sister. I have the most fun with her, no matter the circumstance. She knows me better than anyone. We used to go to concerts together all the time. She's such a good sport, she would have no idea who was playing, and there she would be coming along ready for a good time. It had been too long since we've gone to a concert together, so when I heard that The Band Perry was coming to town, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to rekindle the good 'ol days. I kept singing her the lyrics to their most recent single and she said yea yea I know who they are, let's go!

One of Danielle's most endearing qualities is that she, like me, is a planner. She asked me a couple of days ago if we should go ahead and get tickets. I said nah... it's Cains. I highly highly doubt that they'll sell out. It's not that big of a show. I packed my bags, got all ready for the night (I also got to eat lunch with one of the most precious people in my life, miss Lauren... you probably know her as Lo). Perfect day right? Well Danielle calls me at 3:45 and after I sang with her ring tone (Glee version of Lean on Me) I answered. She tells me she has bad news. The concert is sold out. What??? I can't believe it! No way! It's Cains! There are no seats! Sure enough, I jump online. Sold out. What are we going to do!???

Well, you know me. I like to maximize an opportunity and I'm almost shameless about it. Earlier in the day I had sent a message to KVOO radio station saying "Hey my best friend and I want to go to The Band Perry tonight, we would really appreciate tickets if you've got 'em, we're both college students, bla bla bla". And then I forgot all about it. Well as I am talking to Danielle trying to figure out an alternative plan, I get a message back from KVOO. "I think we can help you out. Are you still interested?". I replied YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we exchanged back and forth. If I could make it to the station before 5, two tickets were waiting on me. I jumped in the car (I have a cool supervisor) and got our tickets!

You want to know what's better than going to a concert with your best friend? Going to a FREE concert with your best friend. I think we turned out even because we bought unanticipated celebratory cocktails.

AND we have a video that I think is too funny.

Did you notice at the end I say "Over and Out" and Danielle says "Where?"
We may have had more than 1 unanticipated celebratory cocktails.

I also have a video of them singing "When I Die Young," but I myself am singing so loud (and poorly, couldn't hear myself!) that I have chosen not to share. It's for your own good.

What a great night. I'm very tired at work, but it was worth EVERY moment. Have a great weekend!

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The Top 10 of 2010

Yea Yea it's already the 5th and 2010 is long gone, but that video blog took me forever to upload so I was a little burned out on blogging for a bit. But to celebrate the year, I thought I would do another "Top 10" and we'll do it for the entire 2010. These are in chronological order, not order of significance. Here goes:

10. Going to Vegas with Matt for Valentines weekend was too much fun. It was our first big trip together. We had so much fun and it was a great opportunity to realize that we love doing things like that together. I also made my first sports bet and won. Go Pokes!

9. Watching the 2 sweetest babies grow into 1 year olds has been such a blessing. I consider myself an aunt to both of them. Serenity is my best friend's daughter and Ian will actually be my nephew in May (Ian is Matt's sister's son).

8. Completing my course work for my graduate degree was awesome. I really felt accomplished and gained a great deal of knowledge that will be very beneficial to my future. I am glad that spring 2011 only holds my thesis work. I am using the term "only" rather loosely, I'm probably going to be an enormous ball of stress before too long.

7. Getting Engaged!!!! (If I were ranking these in order of significance, obviously this one would be #1). Planning a wedding has had it's ups and downs, but knowing at the end of it all, I will be marrying Matt makes every thing else seem small.

6. Going to Costa Rica this summer was incredible. The 1st part was educational, and not only taught me a lot about science, but also a lot about relationships and who you can trust. I learned some important life lessons on that trip and learned them in the most beautiful place in the world. I will never forget backpacking for a week. I really proved to myself what I am capable of. I was really blessed to backpack with the 2 people who went with me at the very last minute. They are brave humans!

5. My Big's Wedding. My big in Alpha Delta Pi, Krissy, is extremely special to me and I knew the moment she told me that she was engaged that no matter where it was, I would be at her wedding. She got married in the mountains in Keystone Colorado. It was the most beautiful ceremony. I also had the opportunity to stay with some great friends (and fellow sisters) in an amazing condo. The place was nice, but the fellowship was incredible. I walked away from that trip with a memory of a life time. What ever it cost, it was worth every penny.

4. This year has been phenomenal in the relationship department. Matt and I are learning a lot about ourselves and who we want to be as a wedded couple. He has been so amazing and generous. I've loved the opportunity to fly to Midland to work on what will be "our" house. Our home. It's where we got engaged, it's where we will start everything.

My other relationships have thrived as well. 2010 was a great year for catching up with friends. I visited my friend, Amanda, in Denver twice this year. I also have got to love on her sweet baby Claire too. I'm her Aunt Shanna too. That's 3 babies. I also have a cousin Khi that's about 1.5 years now and he makes my heart melt. that's 4 babies! I've gotten to spend more time with my aunt and cousins this year and there's nothing more important than family.

Finally, it's been a great year for spending time with my girlfriends around Tulsa. Specifically Meredith and Hasley. You know I'm so nostalgic, and I really do savor every moment I get to spend with my girlfriends before I move. Even Danielle has moved back to our home town so it's great to just drive a couple of miles to get to see her. I even Skype with little Lo Lo since she moved. Anna and I email all the time.

I have even gotten closer to Matt's family in the last year. It's been really nice to get to know my new family better. His sister is letting my borrow her veil for the wedding and I thought that was the nicest gesture. AND it's beautiful.

3. My baby brother. He gets his own section. I have had such a great year spending time with him. He really is one of my best friends. I love watching him play basketball. He is an incredible human being and I am going to miss him so much.

2. My child! I really do love our dog. It's silly and I would totally make fun of someone for acting this way about an animal, but aw, he's so precious.

1. I woke up every morning this year. I am free. I am breathing. I am loved. I have been so blessed this year, more than I ever deserve to be.

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Christmas Break ROAD TRIP!!!

Wow! What a crazy end to the year! One wonderful benefit of working for the university is that in addition to 2 weeks vacation/year, the whole school is closed from Christmas to New Years. I got a whole 10 days in a row off and it was fantastic.

Joe & I baked like crazy people. We made chocolate covered peanuts, sugar cookies, turtle cookies, macaroons, brownies, cupcakes, and more! It was really fun to hang out with him. I'm going to miss him like crazy when I move in May.

He and I also went ice skating on Christmas Eve downtown. He did a really good job and some how we got a really good discount. Turns out the kids working the skate rental booth were in the Christmas spirit.

Christmas Day was nice and we just had a nice day spending it with our family and we visited my grandpa at the VA.

The day after Christmas I got up bright and early and headed to Duncan to meet up with Matt where we ate lunch and jumped in the car to head to Midland. I got to meet my sweet sweet puppy. Really my child.

He rode in the car so well for 6 hours. He has the best personality of any little creature that I have ever met. He LOVES his Momma and I love him too. I never thought I would get so mushy about a dog. I don't really even like animals that much. He's perfect though.

I spent 2 days in Midland hanging out while Matt worked and we would have fun in the evenings watching movies and eating out. It was nice to relax with Matt and our puppy. Then it was off to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl!

Stopped in Fredericksburg on the way for some shopping and lunch.

Then we came upon a pleasant surprise

We finally made it to the Alamo Bowl!

We won the game!!!!! Always love a good win! I was a little dramatic getting back to the car though.

Of course we got a late start going back to Duncan. Preparing for our 3rd 6-hour road trip in 4 days.

After lunch, getting a little delirious.

Crossing into God's Country! There's no place like home!

We took family pictures with Matt's entire family about an hour after we got to town. That was an adveture in itself, but we got some good shots!

The next day we got up and shopped the big 50% off sale at a boutique in Duncan. We got some great stuff for the house.

Then we enjoyed some time on the "farm"

I got to drive!

We are crazy people who went to Wal-Mart on New Years Eve. We had to get Black Eyed Peas! What ever would we do if we didn't eat a least a spoonfull of gross?!??

Matt didn't make it to 2011

Ian is soooooooooooooo funny!!!!!!

And the end!

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