a food poisoning christmas.

J and I were so excited to get down to Austin to spend Christmas with my family and, especially, see our niece and nephew's excitement on Christmas day.

On the drive down, we made the decision to stop at a Dairy Queen in Denton for a late lunch. Ultimately, this would be the decision that did us in.

Feeling fine, we got in to my parent's around 7 on Wednesday night, had a nice dinner and a nice night's sleep. J woke up early on Thursday morning with an upset stomach, etc. Poor guy spent the whole day in bed while my mom and I ran some errands and attempted to get him some medicine from Walgreens. (The Walgreen's debacle is a post of its own, really...) Luckily the meds seemed to work and Thursday night he was able to join the land of the living.

On Christmas Eve we thought we were out of the woods. J felt great and was able to hang out with everyone all day. We went to dinner and enjoyed everyone's company. After dinner is when it hit me. I didn't feel so great. We'd had Mexican and I thought I'd just overdone it on the cheese (queso and cheese enchiladas covered in queso ...). Around 3 am, I got to see it all again. And then around 6, and then maybe 20 minutes later and so on, until about 7:45 that morning.

With a 5 year old and a 2 year old in the house, opening presents started pretty early, but I had to miss the kiddos checking out the stockings and ripping in to all their gifts. I made it out of bed for about 45 minutes around 10 to open my presents with the rest of the adults. But, then it was back to bed for me until around noon.

I was up and down all day, just depending on how I felt. I couldn't even keep water down. And, I haven't even mentioned that J had a bit of a relapse on Christmas day also. He was in bed most of the day, too. Around 7:30 that night (after dinner of course), we both started to feel better, after watching How to Train Your Dragon. (Have you seen it? So cute!)

Needless to say, Christmas day was miserable.

But, since J was feeling pretty good in the morning he was able to take a few pics of the kids opening presents. Maybe I'll post them with my 21 weeks post (which is now 3 days overdue...).

belly business -- 20 weeks

How far along: 20 weeks as of Sunday (halfway ... crazy!)

Size of the baby: banana

Total weight gain/loss: as of my last appointment I've gained about 4 pounds

Maternity clothes: still no maternity clothes, but the time to get them is really creeping up on me, but I've put it off as long as possible.

Cravings: all the bad things -- salty fried food and sweets and caffeine-free Dr. Pepper -

Symptoms: not much indigestion lately (thank goodness)

Movement: I'd say the movement has really increased in the last week. On Friday night I was laying on the couch and the baby was really active. I had my hand on my belly and I felt a really big kick and J said he saw my hand move. He hasn't actually felt it yet, but it'll happen soon

Gender predictions: I've had people tell me they are convinced I'm having a girl and people convinced I'm having a boy. J's great grandmother (who turned 100 right before Thanksgiving) is certain it's a girl and apparently she called all 3 of one of her granddaughter's kids.

We had a doctor's appointment last week and everything was as it should be. The one disappointment was that somehow the doc forgot to get me scheduled for an ultrasound! I'm going back for it tomorrow afternoon (at least I can still take pics home when we go for Christmas!).

My belly is getting bigger by the day (so I think...). One of our friends is due just 3 days before me, and her belly is so much bigger than mine! I'm kinda jealous... haha! I'm sure mine will pop when it's supposed to. At least the doctor wasn't concerned that it was too small or anything.

Oh, J and I spent a couple of hours at Babies R Us last week and finally got our registry going! It was definitely exhausting but I'm so glad we finally got the big items picked out. We'll probably have to go back to finish up what we missed, but having the initial bulk of it done is such a relief!

Unfortunately, we haven't been as productive with the baby's room, but I'm working on it. I finally brought the shredder home from the office and I'm working my way through years of things that need to be shredded (boooooooring). Next on the list is getting some kind of filing system going for important documents and stored in a "safe" place. Sounds so fun, huh? Yeah, it's not.

I cannot believe that we're only days away from Christmas! J and I did Christmas with his family on Sunday night since we'll be in Austin with my fam this year. Not only is it crazy that we're so close to Christmas, but it's also weird to think that this is the last Christmas for me and J as a family of 4 (I have to count the dogs). 

Enjoy Christmas week!

i may just have the smartest brother ever.

This morning my brother DMed me on Twitter telling me to go to some link.

Let me give you a little background on my brother. He's extremely savvy when it comes to technology. And, he's always on the lookout for something that might tickle someone he knows' fancy. I get emails from him fairly often about things he's read that he knows/thinks I might be interested in. He's pretty thoughtful.

When I got the link, I saw Etsy in the address. My curiosity was immediately piqued. My brother knows about Etsy? And, he's shopped on Etsy? No way.

What I found when I followed the link was a little quiz of sorts. Six items were shown and I had to pick the one that was most like me (or hit the little button at the top that said none were like me, move on). I went through the quiz and what did I see? A long listing of things that Etsy figured I'd like. And, well ... they figured right!

I've spent many an hour on there looking for things that I love. I've seen so many other blogs posting about the great things they find on there, and I just have never known how they find the great things. Do they do specific searches? Do they already know of certain sellers that have the goods? I had no idea.

This little quiz really opened my eyes.

If you want to take the quiz, go here.

Below you'll find a smattering (good word, huh) of items that Etsy just knew I'd love (and it's super tiny...whoops!). And you can see the entire list of recommendations here.

Go take the quiz and find out just how well Etsy knows you! 

Oh, and PS -- J and I braved Babies R Us yesterday and finally started a registry (sans argument)!!

christmas card.

Last year, I chose to design my own Christmas card. And, although it was cute, I think the printing left something to be desired (something I plan on working on in the future). So, fast forward to this year and I searched around for something I could just plug a picture into and send out. Sometimes sending Christmas cards is more work than it's worth, but I love getting them in the mail, so the least I can do is keep up correspondences on my end!

There were plenty of cute designs to choose from, but ultimately I chose one from Shutterfly. Of course, I chose and ordered before I knew about the 50 free cards they were doing for bloggers. Annoying! But, I got the cards this week and I'm very happy with them!

Since most of them have been sent out, I'm sharing our card with you guys.

Did you guys send out Christmas cards?

belly business -- 19 weeks

How far along: 19 weeks

Size of the baby: mango

Total weight gain/loss: I'm fairly certain I've gained weight, but I'm not so sure how much

Maternity clothes: I've been using my bellaband everyday but I'm definitely on the verge of needing some maternity jeans. 

Cravings: all the bad things -- salty fried food and sweets and caffeine-free Dr. Pepper -

Symptoms: not much indigestion lately (thank goodness), except last Thursday when I had sushi for the first time in a long time (all cooked though).

Movement: I think I felt him/her last week and I might have felt the baby a few other times this week. I can't wait to be sure I'm feeling the baby and for J to be able to feel it, too.

Gender predictions: I've had people tell me they are convinced I'm having a girl and people convinced I'm having a girl. J's great grandmother (who turned 100 right before Thanksgiving) is certain it's a girl and apparently she called all 3 of one of her granddaughter's kids. 

Our next doctor's appointment is this Thursday and I'm so excited to see the baby again and hear the heart beat! If we wanted to know what we're having, we'd find out on Thursday, so if we change our minds and decide to find out, I'll let you all know! 

Have a great week!

(once again, the picture is on its way ... as you can tell I'm kinda lazy on the picture front)

another terrible belly pic.

I've really got to get someone (ahem, J) to take a decent picture of my burgeoning belly. But I think you get the idea that it's definitely growing!

big 12 champs.

Considering this year was the last for an actual conference championship game, we had to be in attendance. J convinced his parents to order tickets months ago and, thank goodness, the cards fell just right and the Sooners were playing in their eighth game under Bob Stoops.

Even though our fans were outnumbered at least 3:1 (and the Nebraska fans were a bit overconfident), we were loud and proud and cheered our team on to it's 7th Big 12 Championship! (I forgot my camera, so these are all iPhone pics)

gorgeous sunset hitting the side of Jerry's World

we got inside the stadium super early, but I enjoyed watching the teams warm up and just soaking in the atmosphere of our first championship game

the Prrrrrrrride of Oklahoma

the Prrrrrrrride of Oklahoma on the jumbo screen

I didn't take many pictures during the game (I was too busy having mini heart attacks hoping our guys could pull out the win). Here are post-game pics of the Sooners celebrating another Big 12 Championship!

And finally, apparently one Sooner fan thought the theme of the night was New Year's Eve and chose to wear a sparkly jacket and the shortest, tightest dress I've ever seen at a football game. I bet she was wishing for a champagne toast to celebrate the win!

belly business -- 18 weeks

How far along: 18 weeks

Size of the baby: sweet potato

Total weight gain/loss: I think I've gained about a pound ... but we had a pretty great time this weekend and I think I might have gained some more weight as a result. We'll see ...

Maternity clothes: I have finally gotten the Bellaband equivalent from Target and I really love it! I got one in black and I'm pretty much settled that I need the white one too. 

Cravings: all the bad things -- salty fried food and sweets and caffeine-free Dr. Pepper -

Symptoms: Still rockin' the indigestion. Thank goodness I have Zantac!

Movement: Not yet, but I'm hoping to feel the little booger soon!

Gender predictions: I've had people tell me they are convinced I'm having a girl and people convinced I'm having a girl. J's great grandmother (who turned 100 right before Thanksgiving) is certain it's a girl and apparently she called all 3 of one of her granddaughter's kids. 

Baby M went to its first and final Big 12 championship game this weekend (more on that later) and I think he/she did great! I really was hoping that the boog would get so excited during the game I might finally feel a little kick, but no such luck! 

We're less than 2 weeks away from our next DRs appointment and I'm anxious to go back and either see our little boog or hear it's heartbeat! 

I'm sorry but I'm a bit tired and J is down with a tweaked back, so an 18 week belly pic is forthcoming. Hope you all had a fab weekend!!

fame by association.

So, two of my pledge sisters are pretty big deals, working in ad agencies in NYC. In recent weeks their stars have really risen on the ole fame-o-meter. And, since I'm directly friends with them, then you could say that I'm almost famous, too! What? You don't think it works like that?

Anywho...

L. Mongrain schlepping Tempur-Pedic. I haven't had a chance to ask her why she loves her Tempur-Pedic pillow. Rest assured, as soon as I know the answer, I'll share it. 

And Maria had her tv debut in a Verizon commercial -- one of her clients. If you look closely at the name and pic on the phone around the 5 second mark, you'll see her handy work. (Let me know if the link works. I got it from another friend's fb profile, so I'm not sure just anyone can see it.)

Anyway, I'm sure there are more of them out there, but these two are my most recent famous friends. Kudos to them and me, right?

overdue.

Here's the picture I promised you two days ago. I think I've popped a little more than I think I have... And, please excuse the chaos behind me.

Still no movement (and, honestly, it's kinda starting to freak me out that I haven't felt anything). Maybe the little booger will move this weekend with all the excitement of attending it's very first Big XII championship game?? We'll see.

Have a fab Wednesday!

belly business -- 17 weeks.

How far along: 17 weeks

Size of the baby: turnip

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained about a pound

Maternity clothes: None so far, but I might be venturing out this week to finally purchase some maternity jeans. This rubberband business is getting a little ridiculous!

Cravings: all the bad things -- salty fried food and sweets and Dr. Pepper -- I'm on the lookout for caffeine-free DP

Symptoms: Still rockin' the indigestion. Thank goodness I have Zantac!

Movement: Not yet, but I'm hoping to feel the little booger soon!

I'm so ready for my belly to "pop". I know, I know, be careful what you wish for, but I'm ready to look pregnant, not overfed!

Picture coming tomorrow ...

happy thanksgiving.

There's a lot to be thankful for this year: my family, my friends, my fabulous husband, the bundle of joy we're adding to our family in May and many other things! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. 

it's a good thing ...

we don't know what we're having, because how cute is this??

Oh, and, sorry for all the baby posts ... I promise sometime soon I'll have something adult-oriented.

Belly Business -- 16 weeks

I'm going to do my best to do a weekly post, mostly for myself, but so you guys can see my belly (7 votes to 1 that my readers want to see the goods) and I keep myself up to date on how I'm feeling and what all is going on.

I saw another cute preggo that called her weekly updates "Belly Business," so I'm copying her (hey, it's flattery!)! Ha!

So, on to the updates.

Stats:

How far along: 16 weeks

Size of the baby: avocado

Total weight gain/loss: No weight gain so far. I'm still under my pre-pregnancy weight. And, I'm really trying to work on getting more calories in each day. I'm really good at eating breakfast and taking along a mid-morning snack each day. But, it's the time between lunch and dinner when I start to get hungry and nauseous.

Maternity clothes: none so far, but I'm getting much closer to needing maternity jeans.

Cravings: all the bad things -- salty fried food and sweets

Symptoms: The nausea is mostly gone but I've been dealing with some serious indigestion. I had a baked potato for dinner the other night and before I was even finished, the food was just stuck in my chest and it was super painful. As soon as I took a Zantac, though, I felt so much better. I wonder if the old wives' tale is true -- indigestions = a boy with lots of hair.

J and I had another doctor appointment this past week. I didn't really think anything eventful would happen, so to curb J's possible discomfort, I told him he didn't have to go. But, he was a trooper and went anyway. And, we heard the heartbeat again! Baby M's heartbeat was loud and strong at 152 BPM. Hearing the heartbeat really makes this thing real. 

I've been scouring the internet for some kind of cute baby bedding that isn't too girly or boyish but that I like, and doesn't cost as much as a new car. Ha. It's really tough! I found one on a custom bedding site that Kelly of Kelly's Korner used for her daughter's bedding. 

I really love the yellow and white. If it were only my decision I think I would change the blue to a green, but J likes the blue. I'm not 100% sold on this bedding (I love it, but is there something else out there that I might like better?), but it's the best one I've found that's neutral and I've definitely had dreams about it. Ha. I'll keep you posted.

I've also been looking at cribs and other baby furniture. And, let me tell ya, it's really tough to know what you really need and how it's going to look when you get it in the room and if you really need to spend money on some things. Ugh! Any pieces of advice in this arena would be really helpful.

With our final issue of the magazine going to the press tomorrow morning, I'm really looking forward to a stress free Thanksgiving week and the opportunity to maybe make a dent in cleaning out the baby's room. 

And, finally, here's a (terrible) pic of my belly. I'll be working on a better baby belly pic set up in the mean time. (No, I didn't get out of my pjs today...)

friday.

This friday marks the beginning of the end of Harry Potter. As a devoted reader/fan I'm both elated and sad to see this day.

On the one hand, those books are some of my favorites and I'm sad to think that there's only one more movie installment left before Harry, Hermione and Ron are a thing of the past. They proved to be quite the conversation piece for me and some of my friends {college students at the time} and we never failed to chat about the movies -- what we liked, what we loved, and what should have been in the movie that wasn't.

{small aside: When Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix came out, I was reading/devouring the book with avengeance. Among my friends, I was the first one finished and it was so annoying! I couldn't not read as fast as I could, but when I finished, I had no one to discuss theories/possible scenarios with! Maybe you don't care, but I may or may not have a story about getting/reading all of the books in the series.}

On the other hand, I'm so excited to see this movie and see how they interpret and shot so many of the parts. I'm really hoping that the movie lives up to my imagination, but they never really do.

I'm planning to see it with one of my faithful HP-loving girlfriends next Wednesday. I have to admit, though, I wish I was going to the midnight showing. I've never done it before! Maybe I'll save my first time for the last half of HPatDH.

Expelliarmus!

in case you wanted to know.

Since I don't have a baby book just yet and this is really my only way of journaling these first few months of my very first pregnancy, I'm just going to give you guys {and more importantly, me!} a little run down on how things have been going.

Stats:
How far along: A little over 13 weeks
Size of the baby: About the size of a lemon (3 in. long)
Total weight gain/loss: When I first found out I was pregnant and the nausea really set in, I lost probably 6 pounds, and so far I haven't gained any back -- even though the Dr. says I gained a pound. I think that was from the 1/2 Sprite I was forced to drink to get the baby to move in the right position during my first ultrasound {more on that later}.
Maternity clothes: None so far, but last Wednesday was the first day I used a rubberband to button my pants
Cravings: None so far
Symptoms: Nausea, indigestion, bad taste in my mouth, headaches and a little bit of fatigue {the 2nd trimester can't get here soon enough!}

So, about 10 days ago J and I had our second Dr. appointment and that's when we finally saw our little guy/gal and heard it's heartbeat! I cannot even begin to explain how amazing of an experience that was!

I'd obviously told a bunch a people about being pregnant, but was a little uneasy about spreading the news without ever seeing the baby. But, on Thursday it was confirmed. The heartbeat was strong and fast {169 bpm} and our little peanut was a bit stubborn. The nurse was trying to measure the back of it's neck and it would not get in the needed position. We {I} tried sit ups, coughing and finally I had to down half a Sprite before we could get the reading we needed -- everything looked great!

Last Wednesday I pulled some jeans out of the dryer and that's when it happened -- they wouldn't button. So, I resorted to a rubberband. I've been using the rubberband {with those jeans only, so far} since and I need to go by Target to get a BeBand. I would provide a bump picture, but there really isn't much to show just yet.

Since we've started spreading the news, we constantly get asked if we know what we're having {a baby, duh! haha...sorry...} or if we're going to find out. At this point, we aren't going to find out the sex, but both J and I reserve the right to change our minds. I can just see us getting to that appointment and the nurse is looking at the ultrasound, saying "Are you suuuuure???" and that's when I cave!

As far as turning one of our rooms into a nursery goes, we're moving very slowly. The room we plan on using has been a bit of a catchall for the last four years, so we're going to need to clean out closets and pack stuff away in order to move stuff out of that room and closet to make room for baby. As the room gets closer to resembling a nursery I'll be sure to post pics.

To be honest, with the ultrasounds, this pregnancy thing is starting to sink in, but it's still very surreal. I don't know that things will really hit me until I really start showing. Weird!

four years.

If it's hard to tell from the picture, we had a great time at our wedding.

Four years ago today I married my best friend and I couldn't be more excited to start our newest adventure {baby M} together. 

J, you're my best friend and the love of my life. Here's to many, many more. Smuh!

ps -- I've added a little poll question to the left. At this point, I will not be posting sonograms/ultrasounds, but if you guys {proud commenters and quiet lurkers alike} want to see a belly pic or two, let me know! 

I can neither confirm nor deny this.

It's been a heck of a Monday.

sour but oh so sweet.

Have you guys ever tried these? If you like sour things {like I definitely do} then these are totally up your alley. This is the only flavor I've tried, but there's a berry one that I'm on the lookout for. 

And, the good news is that baby M seems to find them ok {except when I eat about 4 more than I should, causing a minor stomachache}.

morning, noon and night.

We went back to the dog opthamologist today and she said his eye is looking much better, but now his poor little skin is so red and irritated {his back left paw was bleeding this morning because he's been chewing on it so much}. We're not sure if maybe he has an allergy to something he's taking or what, but we've added a steroid and another antibiotic to our medication mix.

Here's a glimpse at everything we're having to give Gus. I had to make a chart to keep it all straight!

I really hope that once we get this skin irritation and eye issue under control that Gus will go back to the same frisky pug he's always been -- cause we're missing his hijinks.

odds and ends.

So, you guys know that I've been a little less than enthusiastic about sitting down and putting together a coherent blog post lately. Well, here's my attempt at telling you what's been goin' on with me.

• A little over two weeks ago was OU/Texas {has it really been that long??}. And, it was by far one of the more fun times I've had in Dallas the first weekend in October {or third, or second ... but you get the idea}. Not only did my Sooners pull out the win, but we got to see tons of people and enjoy a little down time -- a rarity on such a crazy weekend.

• In some bad news somewhat connected with OU/Texas, Gus is having eye issues. On Thursday morning {before we hit the road for Dallas} when John was set to take the dogs to the vet, he noticed that Gus' right eye was red and weeping. So, he took him to the vet immediately. We called later and they said he'd be just fine. John picked up the pugs on Monday morning, and Gus had some eye drops we had to give him and we scheduled another appointment for Friday. Cue Friday -- the vet didn't like what he saw, which really freaked me out. We made an appointment with a veterinary opthamalogist {yep, they exist} for Monday and were sent home with several more drops and a salve to keep his eye lubricated. On Monday we met with the opthamalogist and she didn't seem as concerned. She gave us ANOTHER drop and an antibiotic and we're going back to see her tomorrow. The worst part about it is that some of the drops really sting and it breaks my heart to see him all squinty. :(

• Last weekend we drove to Tulsa for a wedding. The groom was one of J's pledge brothers, and we got to see tons of people we haven't seen in years! It was a beautiful wedding. And, the couple was off to Maui for their honeymoon {where we went almost four years ago} and I couldn't be more jealous. The weather there is great this time of year {and really, is there a bad time of year?}.

J and some college buddies enjoying the glow accessories at the wedding!

• This weekend we had some friends come in town for the OU game against Iowa State. It was their first football game in Norman since before they had their little girl, and we're glad they chose to stay with us again. And, my parents made the trek to Norman again -- a long and very tedious drive, but I'm so glad I got to see them!

•Today is my Mom's birthday! Happy birthday Mom, I'm glad you were in town this weekend so we could do a little celebrating together!

My mom and nephew, Hunter. Thanksgiving '09

• And, last but certainly not least. I have a little news to share with my bloggy buddies: I'm pregnant. I was 11 weeks yesterday and have my second doctor's appointment this Thursday when we hope to hear our baby's heartbeat and maybe see the first glimpse of our newest family member! And, ps, if I haven't told you in person and you're having to find this out on the blog -- I'm so sorry! It's been so tough to keep the news in and I've been trying my best to tell everyone I can before doing any kind of announcement!

is there an award for the worst blogger ...

Because I would get it. Hands down.

You guys, I know it's no excuse, but my life has been more than hectic lately and the last thing I want to do at night when I get home is stare at the computer and try to come up with something witty to say about the mundane things I've been doing. 

I do not want to give up on the blog {or my loyal followers and commenters -- love you guys!}, but something's gotta give. I still read all my favorite blogs {but I'm admittedly far behind on many}, so my posts will be a little more scarce for the next few months. But, rest assured, I'm not gone forever. 

Until my next post!

Marc by Marc Jacobs Owl Studs $58

Uhh, I just had to put these on here. I've been so into stud earrings lately, and of course, I always love to see owls! So cute!

only the greatest football weekend of the year.

In just 24 hours, I'm hittin' the road for Dallas for what is usually one of the most fun weekends of the year. Yep, OU/texas!

Although Texas lost last week {what is their deal with UCLA??}, this game hasn't lost its luster. No matter what happens the week before or the week after, we Sooners know that the Longwhorns are going to play their best.

Now, somewhat less important than the game itself, is the clothes and the food.

If you've never been to the Texas State Fair, then you've never had a Fletcher's Corny Dog, or any of the amazing fried concoctions. Since the game is at 2:30 this year {thank you, football scheduling gods, for giving us a little extra time before the game}, we'll have plenty of time to hang out by Big Tex and sample just about anything our little hearts desire.

I got a dress at a boutique in Norman a couple weeks ago that I was saving for OU/texas. Although I don't have a pic of it, you can rest assured it's the perfect shade of crimson and it's, of course, cute. The big question is whether or not to jump on the bandwagon and wear boots with it? What do you think?

What are you doing this weekend?

it's never too early.

It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas. And, since we're exactly 3 months away today, maybe it really is time to get a jump on my list!

Here's one thing I've had my eye on for the last couple of months.

The Reverie Cardigan from Modcloth

At just $60, this cardigan looks so versatile. I love how the color melts from camel into a speckled grayish/black color. As the weather starts to turn {we're expecting actual fall-like weather this week!}, this sweater would be perfect for those mildly chilly evenings. 

Who's with me?

another girl crush.

We all know I have a thing for Lauren Conrad. She'll always be my first girl crush, but there's a new lady making my eyes go awanderin'.

Bethenny Frankel.

We first met on the first season of Real Housewives of NYC. I liked her then, but my real favorite was Ramona "Crazy Eyes" Singer {she was just too crazy not to love}. Each season, I like Bethenny more and more, and it was especially true this season. She was in love and pregnant and not taking anyone's sh*t. She pretty much called everyone out at one point or another, and yet, they all respected her in the end for doing so {some more than others. ahem, Jill... and Kelly, but that's a completely different story}.

Then, her fabulous show, Bethenny Getting Married? started, and I finally got an hour of just Bethenny. Sure, she's a lot to handle and, sure, she's a little more sarcastic sometimes than I think is necessary. But, that's who she is, and that's who she'll always be.

So, not only is she a hardass, but she's funny, emotional, super gorgeous {she rocks that square jaw of hers} and she seems like she'll be a good wife and mom {is that a stretch? maybe...}. Oh, and she kinda whores out her Skinnygirl products {hello Skinnygirl VW bug}, but that just makes me want to try them more!

And, because I love her so, here is her Bluefly commercial? Loves!

i'm alllive!

I'm sure you guys have been not at all worried wondering where I disappeared to, huh?

I can assure you, I'm fine, just busy and not at all finding time in the evenings to blog. Sorry!

Last weekend we had tons of family in town for a big football game against Florida State {thankfully we looked tons better than our season opener}. My brother {in Denver}, his father in law, his brother in law, my parents, my other brother {in Austin}, my aunt and uncle and cousin were all in Norman for a mini reunion of sorts. Although they were pretty much all here from Thursday to Sunday, I still didn't feel like we had enough time together!

Not only did we have tons of family in town, we also had a couple of friends staying out our house for the game. Needless to say, we were torn in many different directions -- always stressful, but it was beyond nice to have everyone together for something other than a holiday.

Then, my brother {in Austin} and my dad came back up for the Air Force game this weekend {too bad we looked more like the team that played Utah State, than the one that showed up against Florida State...}.

 source

So, life has been super busy, but definitely good.

Hopefully I'll be back more frequently this week!

Hope you guys all had a fabulous weekend!

wordless wednesday.

this weekend.

{I started this last night, but J hogged the computer before I could finish and post...}

source

This is exactly what's been on my mind all weekend in regard to the coming week. But, in the spirit of the holiday weekend, I took full advantage and relaxed as much as I could.

Wow. From Friday night until this moment, I've been enjoying the long weekend.

I was lazy on Friday night while John took pictures at the high school football game. I woke up late on Saturday and lazed around until I needed to get ready for the first OU football game of the 2010 season {more on that later}. I don't think I left the house at all yesterday. And, today has been equally lazy -- I caught up on tv shows {Vampire Diaries from last season} and snoozed. I tried to be good and get some work done today, but the universe was not in my favor -- no internet at the office. So I came home and called it good.

Needless to say, I had a great, lazy weekend, and I was not excited about the start of another  {long and stressful} work week.

On the bright side: I have lots of family coming in on Thursday night for Saturday's game. And, everyone, if you have a spare second while saying your prayers, throw one in for the Sooners. No one wants an embarassing loss at home after an embarassing win at home.

Later lovelies! Enjoy your week!

my first.

The other day a blog award was passed on to me! And, just like Whitney, it's my first, too!

So, without further ado ...

1.) Thank the blogger who awarded it to you.

2.) Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words.

3.) Pass it on to 10 other blogs which you feel have real substance.

Many thanks go out to Whitney for passing this award on to me {and really, for thinking my blog as a semblance of substance}! 

I'd say my blogging philosophy is: fun, informative, insightful, funny and inspiring {lots of Fs and Is -- and that took me way too long to decide on...}

And, the 10 other blogs that I'm passing this on to are:

Emily Posts
Just My Imagination
Leclercq Family
In This Wonderful Life
Peanut Butter Fingers
Home Sweet Home
Football vs. Girlfriend
Jimmy Choos and Tennis Shoes
fabulous k
Hello Splendor

Wordless Wednesday

{proof that pugs are the best dogs ever}

mr. sandman, bring me a dream.

This week has been hellacious {and it's only Tuesday...}. So, in the spirit of perking myself up, I'm posting my current dream bag. {Look, I have a lot of dream bags, but I was in Cayman's recently, and saw this beaut and she stopped me right in my tracks.}

The quilting! The chain detail! The shape! Oh, Mr. Jacobs, you shouldn't have.

What's your dream bag?

Another week ...

Tomorrow marks the start of my third full week back to school. If you haven't been a diligent reader, and you don't know what I'm talking about, then just follow along, it should be mildly amusing.

Some of the highlights of last week were as follows:

•On Wednesday or Thursday we had a fire drill. Yep, a real life fire drill. We all filed out of the building and stood at an accepted distance and then, when told that "everything was ok," we all filed back in. Oh, and the teacher had to call role while we were out there.

•We took a pop quiz on Monday. Of course, we were allowed a few minutes of study time before, but then it was quiz time. I felt pretty good about it, but I knew I missed one question completely. When the quizzes were returned, I got an 88. I guess that was one of the better grades, because about half the class got below 60. Our teacher said that he was very disappointed and after a couple days of contemplation, we were allowed to retake the quiz, directly after the teacher had gone over every.single.answer. Seriously, if anyone gets below a 95, I'm worried for the youth of America.

•Twice now we've been given a list of terms that we must define and turn in. It brings me back to the days of thumbing through the glossary in the back of a book to get all of the correct definitions.

•Every single morning, no matter what day of the week, at least 5 other students tell someone/me that they're tired. I mean, come on. If you're tired, go to bed earlier. Or eat a better breakfast. Or, better yet, stop telling me, because I'm probably tired too, I'm just not announcing it.

•The teacher has to tell the students that he's going to be lecturing, and even when he lectures, it's completely disjointed. I'm used to a full class period of lectures, and having to figure out what to write down. After two weeks, I have only used one page, front and back, of my notebook for lecture notes.

Unfortunately last week wasn't as good for blog material as the first week, but hopefully I'll have more soon.

Oh, and sorry for the complete hiatus, but life is really busy {isn't it always??} and blogging has been the last thing I've really wanted to do. And, I know I've said it before, but I have some post ideas. Here's hoping I'll have a little more passion for blogging this week!

Have a good one!

energizer bunny.

We've been going and going and going since Thursday, and I haven't had the time {or the want} to sit in front of the computer and put together a coherent thought about everything we did. But, we had a great time, and I think Mia put together a fabulous memorial for my grandfather, Popi. And, I got some great pics of the church, the people and some of the pictures that my family brought! Don't you love old photos??

In the meantime, please enjoy this pic. J's parents were in NYC from last Tuesday until today. And, even though I was beyond jealous that they were in that fabulous city, I'm glad we were able to celebrate Popi. Plus, there's no doubt that J and I will make it back to NYC as soon as we can!

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Now, here's hoping I'll have a spare moment when I'll actually want to spend some downtime on the computer to post about this past weekend.

Have a good week, friends!

oldie but a goodie.

This song was popular when I was in high school, and it's still one of my favorites {although I don't condone violence against women.} Enjoy!

back, back, back to school.

I mentioned that I started school again. 

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Here's the back story: I decided sometime last summer that I wanted to go back to school and learn more about graphic design. {I have a Bachelors in Advertising and had some prior knowledge of Photoshop. Now I work for a magazine and have more working knowledge of Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, but I know there's more to learn, especially about typograghy, layout, etc.}

My first thought was to go back to OU for another Bachelor's degree. But, after finding out that it's a full 4 year degree {even though I've got my Gen-Eds behind me and there might be some other credits that would transfer}, I decided that at 26 going back to school for four years wasn't really an option. 

So, J had a great idea. Apparently Oklahoma has great technical schools. I applied, and after a year of waiting {ridiculous, if you ask me}, I've finally started. My first day was last Thursday, and let me tell ya ... I had butterflies. Let me just give you the picture I had before I started: a class full of high schoolers, me sticking out like a sore thumb and the potential to not learn anything new. 

I showed up on Thursday and only one of those things was true -- I was the only true adult in the class. {There is one girl that graduated in May, but I don't really consider her to be an adult. Sorry!}

I got asked several times what school I went to or what grade I was in, and I always gave the same cryptic answer, "I'm not in high school." I wasn't about to reveal my true age. Not yet. They've since found out, and every single one of them has said I don't look that old, more like 18 or 19.

The first two days were very tedious, but I could tell from the teacher's experience that I really would learn all the stuff I wanted, I'd just have to wade through the boring stuff at first, and be patient. 

Here are a few of the funniest tidbits so far:

• After finding out I'd been to college, during our break {yep, 15 minute break from 9:30 to 9:45}, another student said to me, "So, you've actually been to college??"

• The other "adult" student spelled quiz with two Zs

• I learned that once the flag is put in the classroom, we'll be saying the Pledge of Allegiance

• We got the school handbook and syllabus and read through it line by line, page by page and the syllabus had to be signed by a parent

• After reading through the handbook, the teacher announced that we'd have a quiz{z} on it.

• When one student found out that I was 27, she asked if J and I were going to start a family

• We played the name game {That's Jamie, she likes Hello Kitty. That's Grace, she likes photography. I'm Emily, I like shopping. Btw, those are all actual "likes" from our name game}

• I have to wear a name badge

• If you're caught with your cell phone, they'll take it up and you can get it at the end of the class. And, if it happens more than once, it goes in the Principal's desk {yep, a principal too} and your parent has to come get it.

Those are the highlights. If I think of any other funny ones {and if more come up, because I know they will...}, I'll definitely post them.

It's so weird to be back around high schoolers. They seem so dependent and always tired. Was I like that? Pshhh, no way.

do-over?

I'm already married, but if I could do it all over again ...

If this doesn't scream personality, I don't know what does! But, my our top would probably be zebra print.

If this were J's Groom's "cake," those would be Yankees caps.

source for both pics

Such a great idea -- who doesn't love to tell the story of how you and your guy met?

{found this on Emily's blog, who found it here.}

And, if I weren't set on wearing some kind of outrageous {read: fun} shoe, I'd wear these. I've kind of been lusting after them for a while. 

(Badgley Mischka Heels on Piperlime}

Any thoughts on your wedding day and what you would or wouldn't do? And, if you're already married, is there anything you would do/wear differently?

what have YOU been doing?

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You guys, this week has been B.U.S.Y. {photoshoots, starting school again, work, work and more work -- it's crazy up in here} Ugh. Wednesday is the only night I've been home before 6:30 and most mornings I've been up in the 6 am hour. But the good news is that it's almost the weekend.

I'm looking at my Google reader {which I actually don't really use -- I prefer to look at people's actual blogs } and I'm so behind, you have no idea.

I have a list going of blog posts that I want to put together, but those are going to have to wait. I'm taking the evening to relax soak in some bad TV {Big Brother, Bethenny Getting Married -- which is actually not bad at all, I not-so-secretly love it, and maybe Tuesday's Young and the Restless. I don't know. I don't know if we'll have time.}

Have a fabulous Thursday night!

week in review

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Wow, this week has been super busy.

• I finished up another issue of our magazine and took it to the press on Tuesday. Even with a few setbacks {ahem, someone completely flaking on us...}, we got it turned in and approved.

• We had a setback with Dish Network, but then got it all worked out and got our new tv set up in our bedroom. {One of my favorite things is to watch tv in bed. I know, it's not the best, but I love it.}

• I'm joining Junior League, and last night was my first JL activity. We did a scavenger hunt {I know...but it's really a good way to get to know people with minimal awkwardness} and then everyone had dinner together. I couldn't stay for dinner.

• I couldn't stay for dinner because the restaurant I did design work for was having a soft opening {that's what it's called right?} and I had to see everything in person! If you're in OKC, you have to go to the new Texadelphia in Lower Bricktown. If not to eat the food, at least to see all the cool stuff I did for the inside!

• Nothing is planned for tonight, but a couple friends of ours are having a birthday BBQ tomorrow. So fun!

Have a good weekend lovelies!

soapbox.

Remember that awesome new tv we won more than a month ago? Yeah, it's been sitting in the box, all cozy, until yesterday.

We were supposed to have Dish Network out today to add another box to our house and get that baby up and running. And, Dish is so nice, they gave me a four hour window to be at my house waiting on the technician.

Cut to 12 p.m. {the end of my four-hour window}. No technician, no call. Imagine my frustration.

I picked up the phone and call them at 12 on the dot. My first phone call was about 15 minutes long. After those 15 minutes, nothing had been resolved, so I hung up and called again.

Another call and 45 minutes later, I'm off the phone with a new service appointment and some of my previous frustration alleviated, but after hearing the reason for the no-show, another new-found frustration.

Here's the back story.

You already know that we won a tv. So, we were really torn as to where to put it. We have a tv in our living room, and there wasn't really any way that we could move it from it's current location {space issues and also, it's a DLP -- read: not exactly paper thin}, so the new tv was to find it's home in our bedroom. {I know, kind of a monstrous tv for a small bedroom like ours, but what were we to do?}

So, I called Dish asking about adding a second box to our house. I thought we could just tether the two HD tvs to the one HD box, and then add a second standard definition box to the 13" tv I got when I was 13 our small tv in the guest bedroom.

After somewhat of a run around, and people quoting me differnent prices, we settled on what we thought we needed for a reasonable price and set up the service appointment.

Now, here's where it gets tricky. Everytime I call Dish, I'm told that I'm a "top customer" {oooo!}, which, I found out, afforded us free HD For Life! Suhweet! All I had to do was sign up for paperless billing. Fine, no problem. So, I set up the service appointment and now we have free HD. The only issue is that I didn't sign up for it that day.

About a week later, I realized that our original service appointment wasn't going to work. I called and got it reschedule for today, between 8 and noon {so convenient...}. Then, when I hung up with Dish, I got online and signed up for HD for Life and paperless billing. Apparently {with no heads up from Dish}, this signaled to them that I no longer wanted a second box and therefore wouldn't be needing that service appointment I just rescheduled.

Cut to this morning. I get up and get ready early so that just in case they happen to come on the early end of the four-hour window {yeah...right}, I'm dressed and ready to go. Then, I waited. And waited. Aaaaaand waited.

At noon I picked up the phone and called Dish. Surprisingly, they had no service appointment scheduled for us today. Hmm. After a bit of the run around, I was transferred to Michelle in the Executive Service Department {that's right...executive}. Michelle got everything figured out and we are now set up again for a service appointment between 8 and noon tomorrow.

I realize it all worked out in the end, and the people at Dish were very understanding and apologetic. But. Yes, but, I think that I should have been either prompted or notified that by signing up for HD for Life/paperless billing that that was in effect cancelling my appointment.

{Oh, and I tried to get the technician fee waived because of the "headache I was put through" but they couldn't do it. Never hurts to ask!}

And, I'm off my soapbox. Sorry for the long, wordy post.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Did they give you any discounts or perks because of it?