Thursday, December 31, 2009

Here Comes The Rest Of Our Lives...

Despite the snow messing up some holiday plans, I've had a very enjoyable season which included seeing my parents :) Very happy about that! My NYE plans involve a lock-in with my youth kids so this will be fairly brief. New Year's is actually one of my favorite holidays! I have a tendency to celebrate with people who miss the countdown (WHICH IS THE WHOLE POINT OF NEW YEARS IF YOU ASK ME!!!) so I will be sure to keep my eye on the clock this year! In case you are curiouse, my other two favorite holidays are Thanksgiving and St. Patrick's Day (Erin go braugh!). I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. I'm going to leave you with not just a review of this year, but also a review of the last 10 years. Being fairly young in 2000, I won't remember many major world events, but I will give a brief recap of what I remember to be important ;) Happy New Year's to you and yours!

2000
I spent NYE at a church with my friend Kim. With all the Y2K worries behind us, the world presses foward. My grandpa on my mom's side dies suddenly and we go to his funeral in Iowa. I sing at OMEA with my school choir and the concert brings me to tears. I sing in the first ever Oklahoma Junior High All-State Choir and have a blast. I also sing in the SWACDA, 7 state, Honor Choir with two other choir mates. We have a wonderful time and I meet some amazing people. I'm casted as Aunt Eller in the school music "Oklahoma" and discover my love for performing. Spend the summer hanging out with friends. Mikey and I go to Hope for a short visit and my mom and I go to Iowa to clean out my grandpa's study (the man never threw ANYTHING away). My 9th grade year starts and I enjoy the last year at the junior high building. I don't make the regional honor choir, my grandma on my dad's side dies and I also am casted as a really small part in the school musical. My mom takes me on our infamous "mental health day" and I feel much better. I end up making the all state choir again as well as a national ACDA choir! I made the junior varsity volleyball team and have a blast playing.

2001
I become a baseball manager at school to earn a PE credit and have tons of fun meeting and hanging out with the baseball boys. I perform in the two honor choirs I made and turn 15 years old. I was talked into trying out for the flag corp for marching band and end up making the team. I represent the drama club in the Ms. Titan pageant and have fun with all the other reps. I end up winning a choir award at the end of the year and graduate from junior high. I spend the summer talking about high school and talked my mom into letting me highlight my hair. I go to band camp, (haha, not literally a camp, just meeting at the school for practice before school starts), and meet my first boyfriend. My parents are president of the band boosters and my brother is the drum major so we have lots of family time during marching contests and football games. I start hanging out with a new group of friends and getting to know my boyfriend. The tragic events of September 11th happen during marching band practice, but I was in geometry by the time the towers were falling and watching the events unfold in class. Living near a big military base, we have several bomb scares for the rest of the year and have to evacuate the building several times. I have my first kiss :) Got in a car accident with my boyfriend that I almost died from. Had a black eye from the wreck for my first homecoming parade, but my mom and I got special make up to try and cover it up. Started taking driver's ed and passed my test the first time :D I end up not making all-state but knew it would be harder than in junior high. At the state championship game for football, we find out my uncle died. The Titans win state for the 5th year in a row. The band goes to the Cotton Bowl for contests, end up winning all the awards and go to an awesome NYE party in a barn thrown by the Cotton Bowl managers for the competing bands. I had the most magical NYE kiss I've ever received.

2002
Spend my first Valentine's day with my boyfriend. Have a quiet birthday, but I did get my license on the first try and can now drive legally :) I go to my first prom and have a wonderful time. Mikey graduates high school and I spend the summer hanging out with my boyfriend. We take a road trip to LA to move Mikey into USC for his freshman year. When school starts for me, it's a little harder to adjust to life without my big brother. My boyfriend and I break up, then get back together, then break up... several times. I date two other boys for about 2 weeks each, but one acts afraid of me and the other was saying "I love you" after 2 days of dating. A friend from school dies in a car accident the day before Thanksgiving. I'm told over the phone by another friend because I chose to go to Dallas while the rest of my family stayed at home. I go to her funeral on a snowy day. My brother gets to come home for Christmas and we have a good time as a family again.

2003
I continue to go back and forth with my first boyfriend. I start to hang out with other friends and we go to lunch off campus together every day. I start to bring my grades back up after my rough semester at school. I join the prom committee. I have a fairly quiet birthday, but had fun with my girlfriends. I take my best guy friend, Brian, to prom, where I end up getting back together with my first boyfriend. My boyfriend graduates from high school. I have my first summer job at Burger King where my dad proceeds to have LOTS of fun tormenting me. I have a big fight with my boyfriend and I break up with him for the final time. I get in the best shape of my life thanks to a new colorguard instructor who makes us sprint every practice. I'm passed up for being colorguard captain, despite being the better person as far as talent and leadership goes, due to a false rumor. I still am treated as the co-captain and still have a great time with all the new and old girls. I start practice for a winterguard team, but the instructor tears her ACL and cancels the team for the year. I get invited to join the National Honor Society and finally make all A's before Christmas. I spend NYE with some good friends at a friend's house.

2004
I tan and tone for my senior prom. I sing in the all-state choir and continue being a leader in church as well as school. I have a boy I'm interested in, but things never seem to go anywhere past close friends who flirt a little too much. I go to my senior prom with a large group of friends and have a fantastic night. I start a Xanga page. I audition to the music programs at Oklahoma City University and Tulsa University. I was accepted at OCU, but received $0 in scholarships. I end up agreeing to going to TU with a $6,000 scholarship, despite being my second choice school. I FINALLY graduate from high school :) I spend the summer working at a local community college and getting hit on more than I ever have in my entire life! lol Didn't date anyone though. Met my college roommate and was introduced to Phil on AIM. We start talking everyday at least 2 times. I go to NYC with my family and love it! I start school in the fall, but get very homesick since I don't know anyone but Phil and my roommate. I join a sorority via Continuing Recruitment and I have fun in the laid back marching band at TU. I voted for the first time and the Red Sox broke the "curse" and won the World Series! I end up failing my English class and have to fight with the dean. I end up with decent grades by Christmas. I spend NYE with Phil and we miss the countdown :-/

2005
Phil and I start to get serious. I move into my sorority house and end up getting elected as the VP! I retake English and have a B by the end of the semester. I become close with Carrie who gets engaged during Spring Break! Phil gives me a promise ring for our 8 month anniversary and Carrie moves to Colorado. I spend the summer hanging out with high school friends and working at a local grocery store as a stocker. Summer is really hard for me when my favorite aunt, 3 people at church I was close to as well as another friend from high school all die within a month period. School starts again and I start drinking heavily. Phil and I start growing apart, but stay together through the holidays. I go on my first mission trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi to help clean up after Hurricane Katrina. I have a life-changing time. Phil and I visit Carrie in Colorado for New Years.

2006
I break up with Phil as soon as school starts. I continue to drink more than I should and I start skipping class more than I should. I date another guy, but hate not having a solid boyfriend. I go back to Bay St. Louis with my dad's church over Spring Break and have another incredible time. We mutually break away and I start to miss Phil. Phil graduates from TU and I go home and admit I need help with my drinking. Phil and I get back together after his birthday. I get a great job at the summer camp I used to attend and have a great summer. It really helped me get my life back together. I start school again, but things are different for sure. My "sisters" stop really speaking to me and I start to miss Phil. Phil moves to Norman to attend grad school at OU. I have a hard time with my classes and try to push forward. I get engaged! Shortly after announcing my engagement, my dad announces he has a new job that will separate him and my mom for about 18 months. I'm elected president of my music fraternity. Phil spends Christmas with my family since Christmas Eve would be my dad's last service as the pastor. NYE was pretty quiet

2007
I turn 21 and have a super awesome party, complete with chocolate fountain :) I perform in the Opera Scenes at school. I get into another depression bout and realize I need to transfer. I have a disasterous audition and decide to just move home with my mom and go to the local community college. After another awful semester, my parents help me move home and help me get the assistance I desperately needed. I live with my friend Abbey and work at the local bakery until my trip to Scotland with the Presbyterian Leaders and Scholars group I was apart of at TU. It was my last TU event and my first trip abroad. Once I got home, I started working at the same grocery store again. I have a breast reduction surgery and start school again. I have a much better semester at school and start planning my wedding. Spent my first Christmas away from my family and with my future in-laws.

2008
School happens again, another good semester. I start to learn that I love politics thanks to my amazing professor. Spend spring break with most of my best friends in Colorado and have lots of showers for the wedding. I FINALLY get married and have the best honeymoon ever. period. Come home and work at Walgreen's until I get my current job with a man that I go to church with. My parents announce they are moving to Minnesota together and I have a hard time adjusting to the news. I start what I think is my final semester before I earn an Associate's degree and try to sort out my life without a parent nearby. I vote again and feel great about it! I spend Christmas in Minnesota and have my first white Christmas :)

2009
I have a good birthday despite not seeing my parents and spend Spring Break with them in Minnesota. I have a disasterous first Valentine's Day with my new husband, though it gave us a good story to tell ;) I transfer schools, but find out I still need to have 1 more class before earning my degree. I enroll in a half-semester night class to earn my degree. I become the volunteer youth director at my old church since they can't afford to pay for one. I finally graduate from the community college and have a nice graudation party with both sets of parents. Mikey graduates from OU! Phil and I go on a great trip to Arkansas for our 1 year anniversary and I got to show him my hometown of Hope :D I get pregnant and have a miscarriage in June. The rest of the summer is kind of a blur after that. I did go to Minnesota again to see my mom for her birthday. I start another semester at UCO and I should graduate this time next year. I am officially diagnosed with PCOS October 29th and start taking Metformin. It makes me sick, but I'm starting to deal with it much better. I spend Thanksgiving in Kansas City and see my last remaining grandparent, my grandma, in Iowa. Despite having a blizzard in Oklahoma, I have a great holiday with both my in-laws and my parents who still braved the roads to see me :)

Love you all!

Peace to you,


"Best Days" by Graham Colton

Thursday, December 24, 2009

We Hear The Christmas Angels, The Great Glad Tidings Tell

Here's a quick update to let you know I'm still alive :)

First of all, Merry Christmas Eve to you all! I hope you are enjoying some much needed, and deserved, time off from work and that you are with your loved ones in a nice warm setting!

Sunday was pretty busy for me since I had church, make some cookie dough, had the youth group Christmas party and finished picking up the apartment for the big clean the next day. Monday I cleaned ALL day, picked up our wedding photo book from the photographer, (it's BEAUTIFUL!!), baked and iced cookies for my presents and took my brother to dinner since he'll be home for Christmas instead of joining us in Tulsa. Tuesday I worked in the morning and then Phil and I went up the turnpike to T-town :) I just want to say that I have THE best job in the world. I love the work and I love being told, not just at Christmas, how much I'm appreciated. I think it helps that I go to church with my boss so he runs a very loving office. It's helping promote good skills for the future and I love the perks I get, including not having to battle for days off! :) Yep, best job ever. No arguments to the contrary will be entertained now or ever!

We're under a blizzard warning, but it seems that home, OKC, is getting the worst part of this storm! They've already had 4" of snow and the Christmas Eve service at church was cancelled around 11 am! Phil and I traveled to the in-laws and we're having Oklahoma snow for now. I call it Oklahoma snow because it is basically ice pellets that looks like snow once enough as accumulated. My brother was able to call in at work, but that also means he wouldn't be able to make it up here because the roads are awful :( I hate that he's alone on Christmas!! Also, I saw some facebook updates that there was a 50 car pile-up in Midwest City that included 2 police cars and an ambulance!! If you're driving around, PLEASE be careful and get home SOON!!! No one should be out in this awful mess :( If you're doing last minute shopping, I'm sure your loved ones will understand if you can't get they something until after. Just remember, your safety comes first! If your loved one doesn't agree... maybe you should re-evaluate your relationship!

With the weather being terrible, we went to our family Christmas dinner around 2:30. It's a good thing because the drive home was pretty rough. We ate at Charleston's and had an nice time together. Now we're just trying to find stuff to watch on tv. I should get to do a video chat with my folks tonight so that'll be fun! Even though I won't get to see them as soon as we originally planned, I'd rather know they'll be safe then have them here either hurt or constantly worrying about their trip.

Despite the weather and delaying family time, I just want to talk about how wonderful this time of year is. Even though my in-laws do not specifically celebrate the birth of Jesus, (it was explained that their church celebrates the birth AND death of Jesus every Sunday of the year), I want to express how thankful I am for the greatest Christmas gift ever given: the birth of Jesus Christ. Without his birth, the ultimate plan God had would never have played out. I am forever grateful to have a God who loves me so much that he would sacrifice his only son so that I may come home to him when my time on Earth is over. He is wonderful and loving and His name be praised NOW AND FOREVER!!!

If that offends you, know that is not my intention. However, I do not apologize for this is the joy in my heart and with this being my blog, I feel that I needed to proclaim this good news, if nothing else, for myself! When you have joy in your heart, you just got to let it out!

Peace to you,

"Oh Little Town of Bethlehem"

Saturday, December 19, 2009

We're Movin' On Up To The East Side...

What a day today!

I woke up early and got ready for my Weight Watchers meeting. I didn't go last week because I was so exhausted from finals. I get on the scale and I'm surprised to hear that I lost 1.4 pounds which brings my total weight loss since August to 21 pounds total!! Very excited :) After the meeting I ran home to change and went down to Norman to help my brother move! He's been living in a, *ahem*, pretty awful apartment since May. He was hoping to have a job before now and thought he'd move out around the same time. Unfortunately, archetecture interships are hard to find right now. I'm so happy he found the apartment he did. In fact, here are a few pictures I took for my parents that I'll share with you!

Here's the outside of the complex!
He has a really good view! You can see the top of the stadium from the walkway

The living room. We kind of just threw his stuff inside, but it's pretty spacious, I promise :) He's new apartment is about the same size as his old one... maybe just a hair smaller. Trust me, it's a definite upgrade ;)

He has new carpet, new paint and he has tile that isn't cracking! lol

His little kitchen. Luckily he doesn't do *much* cooking yet so it's not too bad for him. Plus, I bought him some shelf paper as a "house warming" gift and installed it before I went home.

The dining area with Phil looking right at the camera ;)

The little nook that leads to the bedroom on the left and bathroom on the right. Also, his thermostat is there and he has working heat!!

The bedroom

The closet! It's not real big, but then again, he doesn't have as much clothes as I do

And the bathroom! I think they were fixing the tub so the shower doors are on the wall for now. Again, definitely an upgrade from what he had.

So there you go, my brother's new apartment and what I spent my day doing. I wanted to go to a Christmas party in Tulsa, but by the time I would have gotten ready and up there, it would have been over, or near that.

I hope your day was good and if you had snow, I hope you're staying warm!

Peace to you,
"Movin' On Up" The Jefferson's Theme Song

Friday, December 18, 2009

Got No Money In My Pocket, But I'm Already Here...

My energy has officially been zapped by the sinus infection bug...
My nose has been runny, my chest has been congested and my nose is starting to get chapped from all the Kleenex I've gone through. I partially blame Phil since he had something similar he just got over. It's probably a mixture of sinus stuff and something he brought home from the pharmacy. I keep telling him he needs to buy some hand sanitizer and disinfect himself before he gets home. Maybe now he'll listen to me!

I had a pretty cool day at work yesterday! You see, I work in an office as a sort of middle man between plumbing manufacturers and distributors. I've worked here for almost a year and a half and I have never met any of the people I speak to on the phone, nor have I see some of our products in person. So, with school being done, one of my bosses took myself and ms. co-worker lady ma'am around to a few showrooms and offices around the metro area. It was so much fun getting to meet people and see our products! I had lots of info thrown at me, but I think I retained *most* of it. You know when you see pictures of toilets or faucets, sometimes really fancy stuff, and you just think.. "oh, that looks nice". Well, once you see it in person, it's much more effective and I finally got to get product names and numbers with a mental picture of the product! Also, none of the people we met looked like what I thought they would! All in all, it was a fun day :) Then I went home and just relaxed. That's always a nice feeling! I also got to have a video chat with the folks. I can't believe they'll BE here in just 9 days!!! I miss them so much...

Today I'm at work for the morning before running lots of errands and putting a roast in the oven for dinner. This should be interesting to see... Oh, and about 30ish minutes after getting to work, our internet AND phone lines went down! How on earth do you run a business with NO lines of communication?!? Well, my job got REALLY easy there for about and hour. We called Cox and they said they already had someone out there working on it. We were finally back in business around 10:15 or so. Now it's crazy day since people are expecting to get stuff fast and with only 1-2 more business days before an extended holiday for our manufacturers, that's going to be pretty hard to accomplish. Ah well, we'll do what we can :)

Hope your last weekend before Christmas isn't too crazy and that you take time for yourself, (even if it's just for 10 minutes), and just breathe and relax :)

Peace to you,

"Tik Tok" by Ke$ha

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

If There Is Love In Your Heart And Your Mind...

Nothing, no nothing, could ruin my mood today. Nope, not even burning the tip of my finger while roasting chicken for dinner tonight. Why am I in such a happy mood? I got my grades today for the semester. Even though I only had 2 classes this semester, I had many other obligations that took up a lot of my free time, plus I had many health issues to deal with. Despite all of this, I got an A and a B! My semester GPA is a 3.5!! My grades haven't been that great since summer of 2008! So so happy and proud of myself :)

Now I kept checking the website before I had work this afternoon. Around 11:30, I checked one last time before making the 30 minute drive to work and I saw I had one grade up. It just so happened to be the State & Local Government class I'm retaking and I got an A!!! I literally squealed and Phil thought something bad had happened. LOL Silly boy! He gave me a hug and I had to throw my coat on and run out the door.

Have you ever been driving down the road and noticed a nearby driver dancing? It could be as simple as bobbing their head to the music, playing air drums, or full out making up choreography to a song you cannot hear. Y'all, I was one of those people on my way to work. I turned the radio on and it was already on the all Christmas music station. This station happened to be playing the song "Feliz Navidad". I was full out dancing and singing as loud as I could. I was shimmy-ing and waving my jazz hands in the air. What happened next has only happened to me a few other times in my life. The circumstances around those instances were a) when I had curlers in my hair on my way to church, a solo contest or just me running behind and b) the one time I wore my oversized, heart-shaped sunglasses the 90 mile trek down the turnpike just for fun. I was passing a large tow truck on the right side while having my private concert full of spanish flair. As I'm about to pass him completely, the truck starts to speed up in order to watch me just a little more. Yes, my semi-private show suddenly had an audience. No matter to me. I feel like, if I can be someone's funny anecdote for the day, then by golly, I'm honored :)

After that, I had celebrated enough and focused on getting to work. The problem with working anywhere within a 5 mile radius of a mall, (let alone within a 10 mile radius of TWO malls), there is never an easy route to get to work. Luckily I got there right on time and I continued to check the website for my missing grade. I am fortunate enough to work at an office that lets me have internet access or I would have gone nuts! Since we weren't very busy today, I watched the movie The Holiday and finally got notified about my other grade at about 3:30! Of course, after that, my day couldn't be ruined :D I got home and stuck a chicken in the oven. Despite being burned on the tip of my finger from trying to rotate a piece of squash cooking and the chicken taking longer than expected to cook, it was delicious and totally worth the wait!

I then hung our stockings and last curtain rod so that I can make the two remaining curtains necessary for my parents post-Christmas visit! With Christmas being 10 days away, I thought all of my gifts were taking care of. However, my loving and wonderful husband reminded me that we haven't gotten gifts for each other! Ooops! Sorry baby :( So now I'm on a mission to find a nice gift for Phil... that's under $20. Wish me luck!

I hope all of you had a wonderful day as well and that all of your presents are either purchased or at least picked out ;)

Peace to you,


"Where Are You Christmas" by Faith Hill

Monday, December 14, 2009

You'd Better Not, In A Pear Tree...

Can you believe Christmas is in 11 days?!? Crazy...

My weekend was busy again, but I was happy to have it that way :) Friday I had lunch with Jess and we ran around to do some errands for her. It's been awhile since I've seen her and it was good to have some female friend interaction :) After I got home, Phil and I went to my junior high alma mater, (which is now a middle school), to see the band concert. We got there a little late, but it was... fun? HAHA As fun as a middle school band concert can be ;P We mostly went to support 2 of the kids in my youth group who did a great job! After that, we ran to McDonald's so Phil could have a cheeseburger, despite us having had dinner before we left the house. We then played the new Silent Hill game on the Wii. It's kind of ridiculous in parts, but whatever. Also, a girl from my high school got engaged. When I went to congratulate her, I noticed she mentioned they were going to get married December 26th of THIS YEAR!!! HOLY MOLY! I guess her fiance is from Florida and his parents will be up for Christmas and they decided to just get married when they're in town. Wow... ok, if that makes you happy. I know I wouldn't have traded my wedding day for anything :)

Saturday, Phil and I took 6 of my youth to the Presbyterian Urban Mission Santa Store. You see, during the summer we go to PUM and make food boxes for families. In December, they have the Santa Store where parents get 2 gifts per child, the children pick gifts for their parents and the family gets a food basket. I've been a volunteer at the mission since 6th grade and it just doesn't feel like Christmas if I don't help out with the Santa Store! It was lots of fun, but it was pretty busy. I always solidify my wish to know Spanish in this instance. I felt bad not being able to talk to a few of the families. I did love seeing all of the parents leaving with a smile though :) After the mission, we took the kids to Taco Bell since they worked through the lunch hour. Once they all went home, Phil and I took a nap! HAHA Who knew teenagers could be so tiring?! We got up around 4:45 or so and freshened up for dinner. We had dinner, then fro-yo with Phil's brother Mike and his new fiance Jessica! We had Hideaway pizza and the company was pretty good too ;) It sounds like they're looking at an outdoor wedding on June 4th. So far, I have 4 weddings to go to and at least 2, maybe 3, in the works (aka no ring yet). I offered to help if she needs it. It'll be very exciting to have a family wedding :)

Sunday Phil and I went to Central since it was the big choral extravaganza! I was also liturgist that day and I was a little nervous since I didn't get all the details before the service. Despite having a rude and horribly upsetting encounter with a fellow choir member who is just down right mean sometimes, I made it through the service. I ended up screaming at the top of my lungs in the car, (sorry Phil!), because I was so angry and then started to cry because he hurt my feelings so. Since my mom has had to deal with him before, I called her and she made me feel much better :) It's not important what was said, but I hope this doesn't happen again.

Moving on, Phil and I attempted to beat the last castle in the New Super Mario Bros game for the Wii, but it's really stinkin' hard! We tried for almost an hour to beat just the castle. Then Phil had to go to work so we had to stop :( I stayed home and relaxed a bit. Then I realized it was in the mid 60's outside so I went for a little walk/jog! Obviously everyone had the same idea! LOL I can tell it's been quite awhile since I've done this since I couldn't walk 1/4 mile then jog 1/4 mile for 2 miles. However, I was able to jog the first half of the 1/4 mile then walk to the next marking. I think I got roughly a mile's worth of jogging, but I do need to keep at it. Despite giving me a headache, and now a slight chest cough, I felt much better after getting out of the apartment :) I made a grocery list, went grocery shopping, had dinner then baked some carrot-walnut bread for my mom. She wanted to give it to her former secretary since today is her birthday, but my mom couldn't get it there in time. I offered to make it and deliver it on my lunch break. I hope it tastes ok, but it definitely made the apartment smell good!!

Now I'm at work all day. I'm pretty tired and a little sore from yesterday. I may just sneak in a little nap before dinner tonight ;)

Funny side note: I guess they've been playing the same songs at my brother's job because his facebook status the other was... "not trying to be a humbug or anything, but next person to sing 'santa claus is coming to town' in front of me dies." HAHA my poor big bro! Hopefully he'll get a break soon. I know I hate hearing the same version of the same song over and over, but if it's different artists, that's ok with me. Is there a Christmas song you really don't care for?

Happy Monday!

Peace to you,

"The 12 Days of Christmas" by Straight No Chaser

But I Realized Some Bigger Dreams Of Mine...

I was given my first blogging award from The Mrs.! Thank you so much :) The rule for the recipient of the Happy 101 award is to list ten things that make you happy, then ten bloggers who brighten your day.

Ten things that make me happy.

1. Family. I cannot express how much my family truly means to me. Through everything I've gone through in life, they've always been there. I am blessed beyond belief with the people in my life I call family :)

2. Hearing an old song either on the radio or my iPod that takes me back to a specific memory of happiness. Right now, "Fifteen" by Taylor Swift is making me relive some moments that make me smile. Nothing like reliving a moment through music!

3. Driving in the car on long road trips. I know most people say they love to drive, but I really do! If I'm really stressed out about something, I just imagine driving down the highway with the radio up and no one in sight.

4. Warm drinks. I love the warm-all-over feeling I get from drinking a hot chocolate, green tea (or chai tea) latte, homemade tea, etc.

5. Rainy days that I can stay home for. I love cuddling on the couch and watching movies when it's raining outside. It makes me content enough to make me fall asleep


6. Planning weddings. I have wanted to be a wedding planner since I was 14 years old. I love finding old traditions, blending them with new traditions, and just celebrating love. Weddings get overwhelming if you get too caught up with all the little bitty details. That why I love explaining this to future brides and helping them sort through everything so they can focus on the true meaning of their wedding day, pledging to spend the rest of their life to their best friend :) Aww... who doesn't love true love?!

7. Surprising people with gifts. I love Love LOVE to give presents to others and I always have. I love the look on their face when you give them something great, (or really unexpected in my dad's case with his ice cream cone hat!). Even when I went on out of state trips for choir, I'd buy one nice thing for myself then spend the rest of my money on other people. I love to spoil my loved ones, as long as I have the money ya know ;)

8. Jamaica. Oh my goodness I want to go back so badly. Phil and I had such an amazing time on our honeymoon, we vowed to go back every 3 years. Only 1 year, 5 months and 9 days until we can go back :) It's just so beautiful, the food is amazing, (fresh fruit plate anytime you want!), and if it rains, it's not even humid afterwards!! Take me back please

9. Church work. Despite the things that go wrong or the times I've felt used and unappreciated, I love being active in church. I love giving up most of my Saturday to help at the local mission's "Santa Store". I love being a youth director even if I don't get paid. I love being liturgist on the Sundays I know what I'm doing. I would never trade my activity level at church for anything. Besides, if you put nothing into it, what will you get out of it?

10. My job. Now trust me, I don't love it everyday. However, I love knowing what I'm doing. I love having to problem solve different issues instead of the same ones over and over. I love that, if it's slow, I can surf the net or watch a movie! I love that I know my boss and coworkers well enough to feel comfortable around them 95% of the time. I love that my boss is incredibly understanding about my schedule and never tells me I can't be off on certain days. I seriously have the best job ever!

For my ten bloggers who brighten my days, this may not do much since I don't have 10 that read me regularly (that I know of)! I'll link to the blogs that I enjoy (minus The Mrs. who gave me this award in the first place ;P). This award is now yours...

7. Kelly
10. Hubby (who hasn't updated since he joined unfortunately =P)

Peace to you,

"Fifteen" by Taylor Swift

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

They're A Part Of The List...


Phil and I had breakfast at Prairie Thunder Bakery this morning. We don't have much food right now, (yeah for finals week =P), so we went to breakfast! If you live in, or for some reason ever visit, the OKC area, you should definitely check out this place! They have great breakfast and lunch items and the staff is always friendly :) They even sale loafs of bread! It was a nice way to start the day with one of my favorite people.

This is mostly for my mom. *waves* Hi mom! ;) This is a link to my Amazon wish lists. You can look as well if you are curious. However, I should warn you, I do have quite the lists of movies, tv shows and random items. As I've gotten older, I've noticed that I have a hard time asking for things. Even if it's my birthday, I feel selfish asking for things, especially if I know they're expensive. I started a running list of movies and tv shows I wanted on DVD for my own sake. Then, I decided I should start a list of things I want, no matter how expensive they are. This way, I don't have to ask for anything. If someone is curious enough to look at the list, then they'll know what I would like :) Made sense to me at least!

Now I just have to get through church potluck, choir practice then studying for my first final tomorrow at 11 am. It's American Foreign Policy and I feel pretty good about it. I just want to make sure I get at least a B in both my classes!! It'll be a long 48 hours, but I know it'll be worth it to finally get the degree next year :)

Despite the freezing temperatures today, I've had a decent day. I hope you had a pleasant day too!

Peace to you,

"Part of the List" by Ne Yo

Friday, December 4, 2009

And We Will Put The Lonesome On The Shelf...

Here's our decorated tree! We have our few other decorations up, but the apartment is still a little messy. I might post a picture of the others a little later.

I immediately light up the tree when I get home just to watch it glow :)
And of course, we got goofy with our holiday hats!

;)
Oh, and I forgot to mention, my brother in-law just got engaged on Wednesday night! It's very exciting in the Coghill family and I'll give more details once I find out! I hope y'all had a good evening
Peace to you,

"You and I" by Ingrid Michaelson

Dreams Are Calling Like Bells In The Distance...


I'm just trying to pass the time today. Work is fairly slow and I show this Christmas meme on Holly's blog. I'll do another quick post when I get home so I can include the picture of our tree! We decorated it last night in honor of Phil's final class ever being done!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I usually end up using gift bags because I run out of time. However, I don't mind wrapping gifts. I just wish I was better at adding embellishments to the presents
2. Real tree or Artificial?
*sigh* It's artificial right now. I miss having a real tree so I use this to help me pretend :) Once we have real jobs... and a real house... we'll be getting a real tree again!
3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually we wait until after my dad's birthday (Dec 7th), but I told Phil we could do it early this year
4. When do you take the tree down?
The 12th day of Christmas of course! My family has always kept the tree up until Epiphany. In case you don't know what that is, Epiphany is the 12th day after Christmas and the day the Wise Men from the East finally made it to Bethlehem to see the newborn King.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes! When I was younger, my mom would always taste it at parties to make sure it wasn't "adult eggnog". If it wasn't, I got a cup! I also like cider, but eggnog will always be my favorite :D
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Oh my... probably my Talking Family Dollhouse, even though I saw it before Christmas. I was the only one home when the UPS guy delivered it and of course it wasn't wrapped up yet. My poor mom was not very happy. The days leading up to Christmas, if we had any guests at the house, I would point to the large box wrapped up and say "that's my dollhouse!" lol
7. Hardest person to buy for?
Phil's dad for sure! He never even really has a wish list to give to anyone
8. Easiest person to buy for?
Phil. He loves just about anything I get him
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes indeed! It's not a big one, but it suits us for now :)
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Snail mail! It's so much nicer to get those kinds of cards amongst the bills and circulars.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I don't think I have one. Even if I didn't ask for something, it was at least something I needed
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, White Christmas, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, The Preacher's Wife and Miracle on 34th Street :)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
It varies. Usually after my dad's birthday unless I see something early and have the money for it
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Just cheap Secret Santa gifts
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Christmas potatoes! HAHA My mom makes some delicious mashed potatoes that we call "Christmas Potatoes" but it drives her nuts since she has made it other times throughout the year =P Also, my family usually has a Christmas Eve Smorgasbord which consists of all our favorite finger/snack foods. We did this in-between my dad's 7pm and midnight Christmas Eve services when he preached at a church. We had little smokies, shrimp, Velveeta chips and dip, crab legs (for me) along with fudge, homemade sugar cookies, eggnog and cider :)
16. Lights on the tree?
White lights. Both my parents' and our trees are prelit. My parents' tree has twinkling lights (because I picked out the tree about 5 years ago), and our tree just has regular lights
17. Favorite Christmas song?
WAY too many to name. However, I can safely say that "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" always bring a smile to my face :)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Used to stay home and possibly travel the next day. However, now I have to travel no matter which side of the family we stay with
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph! :D
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star, but we have angel ornaments that are towards the top
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
In the morning! The rule at my house was, you can look in your stocking and open the present from Santa (located underneath your stocking) no earlier than 7 am (and you can't set your alarm). Once everyone has woken up (and you can't got wake them) and looked at the stocking, then we read the Christmas story in the bible and pass out gifts.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
I don't know how started the rumor that everyone is extra nice and happy because I'm always surrounded by people who are in a hurry and very angry.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I don't think I really have a preference...
24. Favorite memory of Christmas?
Always being with my family. We'd stay in our pajamas all day and just relax together :)
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
My family! And maybe a pair of cowboy boots ;)
Peace to you,

"Believe" by Josh Groban

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

You And Me Could Write A Bad Romance...

Holy smokes! It's already December!!

I think I've decided to leave the Project 365 postings to my facebook. When I have time and energy to update this, I usually don't have my photo yet. To make things a little easier, I'll just write posts and throw in a picture or two here and there :) You can always friend me on facebook if you really want to see them!

Part of why I haven't posted so often is because the medicine I'm taking for my PCOS makes me nauseous. In fact, I'm finally getting to the point where I can make it through the day without feeling awful 80% of the time. I know it's working, but it really was hard for my body to adjust. Luckily I'm doing better now :D

I've put up the Christmas tree, but it isn't decorated yet. Once Phil is done writing his 14-page paper, we'll have time to do it. Plus, we've been playing catch up with the DVR. So far the DVR has been winning, but we're getting there. I'll definitely post pictures when we're done decorating.

My dad's birthday is coming up in 5 days. I have his present in mind, I just have to figure out how to get it to him on time. Actually, I had a creative idea, but I may run it by my mama first. Oh, and my folks are coming down here for Christmas this year! I don't know how long their staying, but having them here is going to be great! I'm already planning a nice, big, fancy meal for the entire family!! My poor little apartment kitchen doesn't know what's coming... ;)

Finals week is fast approaching and I'm hoping to come out alive. I only have 2 tests, but they'll both be pretty challenging. I think I may change my voicemail again this semester so people don't think I'm just ignoring their phone calls. I met with my advisor this morning, (8 am! Yuck!), and I basically need all Bs with a least 2 As in order to have the gpa required to graduate. Surely they wouldn't make me retake 1 class and graduate a semester late just because my gpa is a 2.49 instead of a 2.5 right?! Right?! Well, I better not give them the opportunity to debate that point. So from here on out, it's buckle down so I can graduate!! If all goes according to plan, my graduation date will be December 18, 2010! 6 1/2 years... I'm told it's worth it so here we go...

I hope your weeks are going well and that you stay warm!

Peace to you,

"Bad Romance" by Lady GaGa

But I Know What It Feels Like

This post is going to be awfully vulnerable and hard for me, but I really want to finally say it out loud. I got permission for my daughter ...