Midweek Randoms

• I like to talk trash as much as the next guy but at the end of the day, I know this is what's it's all about.

• Is it just me, or is the OSU band looking a little smaller these days?

• I don't like that you miss this stuff when you watch games on TV. I also missed seeing Bullet ride. =)

• I've been keeping up on my pre-surgery nesting. This week I made an appt. to get our carpets professionally cleaned. They're awful. Really awful. But while we've shampooed them ourselves a few times, we've held off on spending the money because we've been renovating and because we planned on replacing them by now. That's the way it goes, right? So I'm excited about that. Also, I took everything out of our bathroom drawers, cabinets, etc... and threw stuff out, vacuumed them out, and re-organized. This was a particularly lengthy and messy job because our built-in drawers back up to the spare room closets that were torn out - so, all the insulation, plaster, dust, and wood chips had settled into them. Guh-roas. Glad it's done. I still have the cabinet under the sink to do and then of course, just regular deep cleaning/scrubbing - but it's coming right along. =)

• I got some more Christmas shopping done Saturday. Went to Derby with my aunt and Grandma. We had a good time. I still didn't get everyone bought for. =| But I'm at least a step or two closer. I had hoped to have all this done this week BUT... yeah right. Looks like the rest will either be bought online, or will be gift cards.

• While I was Christmas shopping, I did some shopping for myself. I know, I know... I just can't help it when there's sales going on like that. Plus, I don't get out to shop very often anymore. Anyway, I had ordered this adorable, classy, perfect black dress a couple weeks ago. I just knew it would be just the thing for Heather's wedding. It wasn't. Instead of looking classy, adorable, and perfect... I looked frumpy, fat, and hideous. SO, I needed to find something Saturday. (The wedding is this month) I had pretty much given in and decided to wear bib overalls when I found a lone dress hidden amongst lots of pretty new things at Maurices. It was my size. It was black. It fit and was fairly flattering. Nothing special, glamorous, or stunning. But. It. Worked. It is me. Plus it was $20 cheaper than the one I'd ordered. I took the dress and a pair of jeans up to the counter to check out. The cashier's eyes got big and she said "This dress is on sale! You are just going to die!I asked her how much it was, expecting it to be down $10 or so. No. "$9.89!" I told her to GET OUT. I got the $40 dress for $9.89. GAME ON and Alisha FOR. THE. WIN. It's a dress I could wear to a wedding or a funeral (not that I plan on going to any of those anytime in the near or not-so-near future)... with pearls or a colorful cardigan and fun tights. Plus, it's something I can probably wear even if I gain or lose a size. Holla. To wrap it up, the jeans were 40% off, so I got the jeans AND the dress for less than what I would have got either one of them for alone. =)

• I can NOT seem to shake this cold stuff I've got lingering. It's been about a week and a half now. Some days I think it's headed out then the next I feel like I'm back at the starting line again. Sunday was one of those days. I basically laid on the couch all day. I did get up to cook some cavatini and do a load or two of laundry and dishes but that was it. Lazy, lazy day.

• We had our first "snow" Monday night/Tuesday morning. It was just a light dusting but I did manage to find a slick spot on my way to work. It's of course been cold and I decided to have a hot chocolate at work. =) We have a hot chocolate stash there so I had my pick. I chose a dark chocolate sensation and added vanilla caramel creamer to it. Yum. Warmed me right up. Maybe I'll finally bust into my tasty chi packets! Can't wait. Honestly can't believe I've waited this long. This sums up my current life nicely I believe.

• In other random news. You know what I don't like? I don't like when you're making a breakfast casserole with canned croissants... and the can won't pop open on it's on. You know the ones right? Both cans I tried to open last night wouldn't budge. Then I got nervous just anticipating that pop sound. I had to practically beat them with a big spoon and STILL my heart jumped.

• I made some healthy and nutritious muffins last night. They're called morning glory muffins and I got the recipe as well as the picture from this blog I follow. They happen to be Vegan but I don't really need or want for them to be necessarily. I just like that they're loaded with fruits and veggies. I followed her recipe but I used two cups of white whole wheat flour, pecans instead of walnuts, axed the raisins, and added a little almond milk. They definitely have a hearty taste and are full of fiber. I ate one for breakfast today with a little yogurt butter on it and it was good... plus I'm not hungry yet. Bonus.

• The remainder of the week, I have the following: dinner/criminal minds night, Wii Night, my work Christmas party, Heather's bachelorette party, a wedding shower, and one of my favorite kid's birthday party. SO - needless to say, I should have lots of pictures to show next week. =)

Oh Holy Leotards!

I got to enjoy one of the many perks of being an adopted auntie this weekend!

It was Charli's first DANCE RECITAL! A day Val, Cori, and I have waited on with much anticipation for quite some time. =)

Before the recital, Terese, Val, Dac and I went out for BBQ. Then, we swung by the store to get some gifts for the little star, and off to the recital we went!

The Christmas recital was put on by Ark City Dance and it was pretty good and it was a great way to start off the Christmas season. Plus, I danced for around 10 years so I always enjoy watching. There's some fantastic dancers at that studio! Of course, none of them were quite as adorable as this one. ; )

Charli was a gingerbread girl and she did great - singing along the whole time I might add. =) No stage fright! I couldn't be any prouder!!!

That single orange rose is from me and Dac got her an orange, haha! So practical. =) Val joined him and got her an apple with her flowers too!

After the show Dac had his heart set on ice cream, so we ventured back out, got a hot chocolate ice cream cone (YUM) and drove around just looking at a few Christmas lights in town.

How 'bout them Cowboys?!

Win or lose, I'm always proud to be an OSU Cowboy. Always. No. Matter. What. BUT - I'd be lying if I said that beating the tar out of OU during the Bedlam game Saturday night didn't boost that pride just a little bit! =) I was so stinkin' excited!

Dac and I had fun watching the game. We have just basic-basic cable and unfortunately, over the last few years we haven't been quite good enough to get a lot of prime time coverage... and we shoot weddings on a lot of Saturdays so we haven't got to catch many games. We both donned our orange, ate stew with extra carrots, and homemade sweet potato biscuits (ORANGE POWER) and cheered the boys on!

OSU 44 - OU 10. GO POKES! =)

As if beating OU wasn't enough... we're the BIG 12 champs! HOLLA!

Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to allow us to play LSU. Totally bummed here, people. This team deserved a shot at the championship. Sure, they lost to an unranked team just a couple weeks ago... but it was in overtime at least... and while none of us will ever know for sure how the plane crash the night before that game affected the team, given the way they've played the rest of the season, I think it's safe to say they were affected. Plus, the majority of my Dad's side of the family are big LSU fans and I would have loved to talk a little trash with them. =)

Oh well, the Fiesta Bowl is nothing to scoff at, we're still #3 in the nation, and this alum is proud. Did I mention we BEAT OU? ... Oh, I did? =)

Congratulations Cowboys!! Now go beat Stanford!

Photo credit: here and here.

Midweek Randoms

• I realize that while I talked about Thanksgiving, I didn't mention the day before. I normally have to work that day but we happened to get off this year. =) Woo-hoo! I'm thankful that I get holidays off. I know people in many professions still have to work and I'm thankful for those people too!

• So, Wednesday, I got up and met some girls I work with and J.K., my old boss, for breakfast. It was fun to catch up and as tempting as it was to sleep in, I'm glad I went. The rest of the day was pretty productive. I got an oil change and went to lunch with two of my favorite girls, Kayla and Journey. Dac and I payed some bills and took two big truckloads of metal to the metal recycling place. We also took the rest of the "donate" stuff (lots) to Salvation Army and Goodwill.

• That evening we went to El Maguey with Val, then Val and I had sister time at the Walmarts. =) We got stuff for Thanksgiving and even shopped for two kids on the Angel Tree. What David wants for Christmas each year is for us to each shop for an "angel". So we do. Val and I always do this together and it's always an absolute blast! Love it. Val had a little boy and I had a little girl. Both were right around the 1-1.5 year age. Here's a look at Val's loot: several warm adorable outfits and a couple car toys.

And my loot: a stacking cup game, a dressy outfit, hoodie, sweats, tee, and pj's. =)

• Since then, of course was Thanksgiving and the wedding.

• This week, I worked all day Monday due to a meeting that night. Tuesday, I made a vegetable soup over lunch and then I got real crazy and went grocery shopping after work. Like real grocery shopping - the kind where I actually come home with stuff to make actual meals. It was wild. It was kind of exciting... it's been so long since I've really shopped or cooked or had anything real healthy and nutritious in the house. After the shopping, I cleaned out the fridge and freezer. I took everything out, threw out the old stuff, cleaned the inside of fridge and then re-organized everything. So glad that's done. I've been putting it off for months. Or at least weeks.

• Up top is Dac's variety-o-beers. Last time we were in Wichita he picked up a box of craft beer that the owner of Rob's Beer World put together. It was a good deal but the catch is that he didn't know what was in it until we got home. You woulda thought it was Christmas morning. =)

• There's also eggs, and butter, and yogurt, and apples, and almond milk, and cheese, and fresh veggies. Fresh. Fresh spinach, fresh carrots, fresh celery, fresh... carrots... oh and zucchini. =) There's also gatorade and sierra mist (partly left over from my flu bug and partly in preparation for post-surgery).

• On the freezer side there's now sausage, ham, stew meat, chicken, ground turkey, fish, frozen veggies (yes, more veggies, please proceed to pick your jaw up off the floor), and some fun little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Val and I picked up on our shopping date. =)

• I forgot to mention that I have a cold. At least I think it's a cold. I thought it was just sinus drainage at first (Saturday night) but now it feels like a full blown head cold. First the flu, now this. Minor things - sure - but annoying none-the-less. I'm hoping this is the last of the sickness for a while.

• Sky came over last night. We made omelets, bacon, and biscuits. That's right... another homemade meal. BAM! We also played her Sims game... and by played, I mean she helped me figure out how to create a character. Ha!

• Currently:

Obsessing over: this cold, my desire for yummy baked goods, cheesy casseroles, the need to get stuff done!

Working on: deep cleaning and organizing the entire house, warming my feet,

Thinking about: what's for lunch, surgery, Christmas, what to give as gifts, what to wear to Heather's wedding

Anticipating: Christmas, seeing family I don't see very often, Heather's wedding

Listening to: my mouth breathing, Grey's Anatomy, Christmas music

Drinking: lots of water, Spark energy drinks

Wishing: for a more organized and cozy house, an enjoyable Jesus-family-laughter-good attitude filled holiday season, to feel better, to have a better idea what the future holds,

My Roomie's Wedding

Let me just preface this by saying I am SO stinkin' excited for Julie and Jon. They are two of the kindest people and seem so perfect for each other!!! =) Eeek! I'm happy for them!!

The day after Thanksgiving Dac and I lounged around the house. He worked on

photos, I did some laundry and packing, but really... it was a pretty lazy day. It was nice. =) I watched lots of Grey's. Addicted. I finally threw some makeup on, grabbed us some McD's for lunch, finished packing our camera stuff and we were on the road to OKC (well, Yukon) for my old roomie and one of my most greatest friend Julie's wedding. Oh wait... that's after we dropped Peety off at "Summer Camp" (dac's parents house). Peety enjoys going there because he gets spoiled and gets to play with Tater. I'm not sure how much they enjoy having him, but thankfully they're willing to keep him for us. =)

When we FINALLY got to Yukon, I squeezed Beth (other roomie and an

other one of my most greatest friends who was kind enough to let us crash her place for the weekend) half to death, made about 5 minutes of chit-chat before not-so-sneakily suggesting we get some grub! =) Thankfully Beth's used to this type of behavior and happily agreed that we could finish catching up over some Bad Brad's BBQ! Love Bad Brad's. It's one of my Stilly fav's that just so happens to be in Yukon too. So, we ate and chatted and laughed and caught up... then we went back to Casa Beth for more catching up and MORE laughing before walking across the street to see Jon and Julie's adorable new place! That's right... literally across the street. I love that they live so close together still. Beth was sure to point out that there's a couple other houses for sale in that same neighborhood. =)

The next day, we got up, grabbed some Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, and headed over to the Salon to take some shots of Julie and her bridesmaids (sister Natalie and cousin Liz) getting ready. Next, it was off to the wedding!!! They had a beautiful, simple ceremony and reception at the Thunderbird Chapel in Norman. It was perfect. Here's me at the reception working my "I need some volume spray photographer look". Do I always look this haggard and homely? Oh crap. I do, don't I? Sigh.

Some of the old college gang. Beth, Natalie (friend Nat, not sister Nat), Julie, and me!

We always have so much fun!!

=)

Yay Jon and Julie!!!!!!!!! Julie looked absolutely beautiful and I LOVED her dress. AND her cute cardigan.

Aw, so cute!! So happy! On their way to Hawaii!!

Oh Nat. She's a funny one. =) One of the funniest I know.

After the wedding, Beth drove us to the mall so Dac could get an Apple TV. Then, we ate at Chili's, drove through their awesome park-o-lights, and watched Wolverine. =)

Sunday morning we got up, went to breakfast, said bye then headed over to Julie's parents house to photograph Ben and Natalie's (sister Natalie) three adorable kiddo's. I'll post those pictures and the official wedding pictures over on the photo blog later. I tell you what, Julie's family is made up of some of THE nicest people you'll ever meet. Truly, they are wonderful. I mean it. I hadn't seen them in years so it was to see everyone and catch up real quick! =) I giggle a little bit because my college friends are the only people that call me "Lish". I don't even process when they do it, but it's funny to hear their parents and families say the same thing. I even find myself introducing myself as that to new people down there because that's probably how they've heard of me. =)

Good times with great friends!! Loved every stinking minute of it. Can't wait to go back!

Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving! We did! =) Having missed Dac's family's meal and having been sick and on a soup diet for a couple days, I. Was. Pumped for Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma's. It didn't disappoint. I've always kind of enjoyed this holiday. Used to be - I'd spend the day before Thanksgiving helping my mom, aunt, and grandma start preparing for the big meal. When I was little, I was in charge of "washing" the turkey. This meant the turkey was thawing in the sink and I had to give it a bath. I won't reveal how old I was when I realized there was no such thing as giving the turkey a bath. =| Here I was thinking I ha

d this big important job... and really... they were just trying to keep me busy and out of their hair. ha! Later on, I was in charge of helping Grandma with the pies (I know everyone says this, but seriously, my Grandma makes THE best pies you'll ever taste. AND they're always pretty too. Amazing.) and the cleaning (the house, not the turkey). It was fun girl time.

Then, Thanksgiving morning I'd watch the parade with my dad before heading out to Grandma's early to help some more. Getting there early is the best part. It was always lots of fun. We'd stuff ourselves, watch football, and that's that. Later, my parents and I would watch Home Alone or another fun Christmas movie. When Dac and I were dating, we'd sometimes go see a movie Thanksgiving afternoon too. It's just a fun holiday... getting together for reasons other than gifts, etc... That's what it's all about. I was telling Dac how we don't really do any of that fun stuff anymore. I think we should make a change for next year!

My grandma Millie, Aunt Deb, and my mom.

The spread. =)

My contribution. Usually, I make a mashed sweet potato casserole with a cinnamon sugar pecan crusting on top... this year, I was lazy and just used Schwans sweet potato chunks and dressed them up with butter, brown sugar, pecans and marshmallows. Still pretty good.

Later that day, some of Dac's family came over for a casual "Drinksgiving". We sat around in our sweats, ate appetizers, drank cocktails, and watched Bridesmaids. Real family-friendly movie. =) I wanted to get pictures that night, but nobody was cooperating. Huh-hmm! Thankfully Peety and Tater felt like posing. =)

My Peety man!

Cousin Tater!

All-in-all it was a great day.

Midweek Randoms

• Let's play catch-up from last week, shall we?

• I had a meeting in Salina Friday so I spent the day in the car. That evening we went to Wichita for a dinner/christmas shopping date. We ate at Old Chicago and picked up a few gifts. I wasn't able to get as many as I'd have hoped... but it's a start! Since I'm having surgery soon and since we'll be out of town some for the holidays, I really don't have many shopping days left. It'll all come together though... and if not, there's always gift cards, right!? =)

• That brings me to my next topic. Saturday. Saturday was clean out the house day. We had hoped to take some scrap metal to recycle and get most if not all our stuff taken to Salvation Army, etc... that needed to go. Welllllll... no such luck. We got our normal recyclable stuff dropped off, I cleaned out our bedroom.... took everything out of our closet (please understand, since our spare room/bathroom is under construction... most of that stuff has taken up residency in our bedroom closet.)I threw stuff away, got stuff ready to donate, and cleaned and organized. The room looks grand. Bare and totally undecorated with non-matching sheets, mind you, but grand. =) We deep cleaned the floors, blinds, etc... and Dac even hanged new curtain rods. I got thecurtains washed but they're not hemmed yet. Half the stuff from the closet is now in the hallway. ha! And while we got a bunch of stuff from the garage taken to Salvation Army, the stuff inside the house I was so desperately hoping to get rid of, is still there. In piles in about every room in our house. Maybe tomorrow?

• I think part of the slowness was due to my not feeling well. All day longI felt kind of queazy. I just knew I was getting sick. Well, I was. I spent all night throwing up (it's not pretty people, I'm such a violent puker... you're welcome for sharing that tidbit) and feeling like death was upon me. I slept out on the couch and couldn't get comfortable and couldn't seem to regulate my temperature. It donned on me Sunday morning that maybe I had a fever. Well, I did. It was like 100.5 and I imagine it was well over that during the night when I was at my worst. I spent the rest of the day on the couch either sleeping or watching old Grey's Anatomy episodes on Netflix. I even missed Thanksgiving dinner with Dac's family. =( Didn't even get to eat a take-home plate. Double =(.

• This is also the day I found out about the plane crash that killed two of the OSU Basketball coaches and two others. My heart breaks for their families, players, etc... An article about the crash can be read here.

• Unfortunately this isn't the first tragedy of this nature to affect OSU... visit the Remember the 10 page here. I have such pride about Oklahoma State. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to go there and be part of the great orange-wearing cowboy family.

• Monday, I woke up still feeling pretty bad. I wasn't puke-sick anymore but I still had the awful headache, was super sore, and I could tell I needed more recovery time. I spent another day on the couch... barely getting up... watching more Grey's and eating soup. I missed girls night out too. Triple =(.

• Today I have a hair appt. Praise the Lord.

• This week is full of Thanksgiving festivities and one of my great friends' wedding! Can't wait!