A Chick Named Chuck

Birthday Month!

2010-07-01T21:32:00.003-05:00

It's finally here, my birthday month. This is a BIG birthday....I'm turning 30!!!!!!!! I thought I would be "Poor me, I'm old and 30, my life is over," but I'm not! I'm excited, I'm elated, let's party. So, pretty much this entire month I'm going to blog about 30....30 everything! To begin with,

30 Things I Want for My 30th Birthday

bling-bling cell phone cover
blender:something to make smoothies
1 year YMCA membership
flowers/plants for front porch and someone to water them
cupcakes from Sugar Sisters
curtains for entire house....I HATE not having curtains
black photo albums from Target
new wardrobe to fit my new size....still a work in progress
iBook with Photoshop and Illustrater
fancy hair products
new fun makeup
yellow and gray fingernail polish
style and grace
visit from old friends
for my baby belly to melt away
dishwasher....an actual machine or hot Italian guy to wash them by hand would work as well, Brady wouldn't mind
time to stop....my son is growing up too fast!
Court Yard Hounds CD
a romantic date night with my hubby....we don't see each other enough
cake decorating class
decorations for our house
slumber party with all my besties
a vacation to a far away place with my little family
blue purse
ruby red slippers, driving 3 hours to see my family is not much fun
ipod with all the "cool" songs already downloaded on it. I'm not very good with the whole music thing...
unlimited access to magazines of all sorts
relax wine
bacon with fresh tomatoes
I want my 30th year to be full of fun, creativity, patience, family, friends, grace, confidence, dreaming, lots of love and everything that is good. 30 is going to ROCK!

Daddy Day

2010-06-20T18:23:00.003-05:00

He's wrestles with you, he screams with you, he laughs with you, he shares with you, he watches Handy Manny with you, he lets you be all boy, he loves you so very much. He is a wonderful daddy and I couldn't ask for a better partner to take this ride with. We love you Daddy!
*AND....even though I know my Dad doesn't read this blog, Happy Father's Day. I LOVE YOU!!!! I hate that I couldn't call and tell you this, dang cell phones!

A Little Fun

2010-06-10T22:07:00.002-05:00

As you can tell if you visit even a little is that I changed up the blog design. I would love to customize one with some Charly Bling but for now I will go with the free and cute chicks. It fits....
I found this on a create*loves; a blog that I've been hearting for a few days....there are so many creative people out there. It is amazing! Hopefully some of it will rub off on me. I've been lazy in the creative department lately. So is life...
Anyways, 10 questions! Enjoy.

1. When do you feel happiest?
Traveling with my little family. Rather it be driving to Freddy's to buy some custard or driving to OKC to visit friends.....it is always fun to be with them and enjoy each other....all together! I'm also pretty happy when I get to be me....reading, shopping at a fun boutique or painting my toenails a crazy color.

2. How do you take care of yourself?
Read the last sentence in #1. Brady is pretty good about giving me "ME" time, so I jump at those opportunities.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?
Both. I can pump myself up to do something but I also love to be inspired by others. Blogs, movies, friends, magazines, etc.

4. What do you do for fun?
*Read...magazines!
*Paint my nails
*Walk around Target!
*Look at crazy creative blogs by women that just amaze me!
*When I have time I love to craft....I need to start doing that again.

5. What intimidates you?
Driving when someone I know is following me. Exercising in front of people. Sticking with WW. Motherhood when I am dead tired.

6. What is something you're proud of?
My little family and all that we are. I love US so much. We have our issues, but we have gone through a lot and are still together!

7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________.
have stuck with WW this long....I really don't want to give up now!
8. Favorite vacation spot.
Still to this day, I loved my trip with my grandparents and cousin to Colorado my senior year. I know that my little family will travel much more in our future, so ask that question in a few years.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).
8. Nothing bad, some good. I am healthy, my family is healthy, life is good.

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know_____________.
...that I LOVE ice, that I move my toes when I'm watching TV, that I love to makes lists, that I could watch Sex in the City a million times, that I call my hubby-honey a lot, I want to be a children's photographer, I need curtains for my house, I knew I was having a little boy before we found out, I'm a pen snob AND I love doing crap like this!

Life of a Momma

2010-06-08T21:17:00.002-05:00

It's been a crazy month on the momma front. We took Case off the bottle AND we are putting him to bed....in his own bed. We have had some crying, but so far so good. As I'm typing this the crying is coming to a halt and he will soon be in dreamland. We are also exploring the wonderful world of non-baby food. I love that he can now eat what we eat but it helps if he would actually eat it! I pray that him being picky does not last long. He is also exploring, testing and becoming more and more independent. Within two days we had a busted lip, goose egg on the head and smashed hand from the car door. God help me....

I know people told me motherhood....parenthood was going to be hard, but oh my. It is a job. A job that I LOVE but it is tough sometimes. The other night Case dropped a sippy cup on my little toe and it hurt like hell. For some reason I just started crying and it took awhile to stop. He sat there and laughed at me like I was being funny and not like I was really a mommy losing her marbles. It was just one of those nights when all I could do was cry. I called over a friend and she helped out for a bit....thank you by the way a million times over.

So yeah, it's hard, but worth every minute. Like tonight when we watched Glee and danced to the songs. He loves music. Or when we went out and I pushed him in his swing. His smile and laugh being contagious. He is a wonderful, awesome little boy. It's just that every once in a while mommy needs to lose her marbles....she always picks them up though.

Catching up...

2010-05-11T23:10:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I don't think I'll be a failure if I don't post my food for EVERY DAY! I write it down in my tracker, but I think I'll cut myself some slack in the "must post every day" area.
I'm skipping Monday. Here is a glimpse of what it involved....

*cookies
*cream cheese
*McDonald's and I didn't eat salad!

Here is today...

Breakfast:
oatmeal: 2pts
canned, unsweetened peaches: 1 pt
brown sugar splenda: 1pt
diet cranberry juice: 0pt

Snack:
small apple: 1pt
WW string cheese: 1pt

Lunch:
Subway:ham/turkey on wheat with cheese and lots of veggies, sweet onion dressing: 7pts
*I didn't get the meal deal with chips, that has never happened before.

Snack:

square of chocolate cake: 3pts

baked cheetos: 3pts

Dinner:
egg white substitute: 1pt
2pc Canadian bacon: 1pt
1/2 a pack of WW shredded cheese: 1pt
2pc of 45 cal. bread: 1pt
salsa: 0pt

Dessert: Tasted like chocolate covered strawberries...yum!
strawberries: 1pt
60 cal. sugar free chocolate pudding: 1pt

After Case went to bed dessert :(
Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich: 2pt

I used all 25 points and only went over 2. This would be great if I hadn't used all my extra 35 points this past weekend and then some!

I heart Kansas City Part II

2010-05-10T22:53:00.004-05:00

Take me to your food!

Now let's talk about how I did on the WW front....let's just say what happens on vacation (even though it was just the weekend) should stay on vacation. I only wish! The calories you eat rather it be in Vegas or Mexico come back with you and it can get pretty ugly. What I'm trying to get to here is that I went WAY OVER my points and then some.

I only had one....oh yeah, add a few points to the list, I forgot to count it!

Here is the truth of the matter....

Saturday:

Breakfast:

2 pc. 45 cal bread: 1pt

1 TB pb: 3 pt

banana: 2 pt

bites of Brady's Breakfast: 4 pts

nuts & dried fruit mix: 3 pts

Lunch: California Pizza Kitchen

4 pcs of mushroom THIN crust: 7 pts

I love pizza

Snack:

3 pc. of chocolate bar: 4pts

Dinner: Some burger joint in Crown Plaza

Cheeseburger: 8pts

Fries: 6 pts

Dessert: Sheridans Custard

Mint Chocolate Shake: 18pts

*Add all of that up and you get a whopping -31 points! Folks, I only get 25 points a day and 35 points extra for the week. You do the math!

Sunday:

Breakfast:

Leftover pc. of mushroom pizza: 3 pts

Lunch: Winslow's BBQ

French Fries (they were soooo good!): 10pts

BBQ Beef Sandwich: 11pts

I think I committed a BBQ no-no...I dipped my food in ketchup!

*Ok, I was not a fan of the BBQ. They used a dry rub and I don't know if that is how all KC BBQ is, but I wasn't impressed. I like juicy, smothered in juices and sauce brisket. But did I mention the fries were YUMMY!

Snack: Like I needed one!

WW cookie: 1 pt

Dinner: Back in Wichita and wanted Taco Pronto

2 tacos: 6pts

1 tostado: 5pts

tortilla chips: 3 pts

guacamole (I made it): 4 pts

Again.....add them up and you get -18 points! I thought I did ok the first day other then the cheeseburger/fries and ice cream, but did I really need Taco Pronto Sunday night. I try to rationalize my eating and it's just not working for me. I need to realize that just one taco ends up being 2 tacos and a tostada. Having a bad day (Monday) and eating crap for dinner is not an excuse. Bad habits for me create bad habits for Case.

Case likes french fries a little too much.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being in KC very much. I even scouted out other restaurants I want to try next time, but I also know next time I will plan a little better for the grub. Next time.....

I heart Kansas City Part I

2010-05-10T22:26:00.005-05:00

Brady said I looked like a little girl in a candy store. This was his response to my face when I stepped foot onto the Plaza in KC. I don't "look" like I belong on the Plaza, I don't have the "money" to belong on the plaza, but oh, how I love the Plaza and all it's spoils. The one place I begged to go was the lovely Anthropologie! If I could have a shopping spree in any store (Target doesn't count), I would spend it all in Anthro. I only spent $10 there this time but my eyes soaked up every bit of prettiness.

If only.....

We also went to Paper Source....oh my! Again, lovely. I just wanted to touch all the paper and call it my own. We went to a few other stores, but these by far topped my favorites!

They had cupcake stationary!

By the end of the day, my little trio was pooped out. We ventured into Crown Center and had dinner (which I will talk about here in a bit).

My adorable hubby!

Crown Center was nothing special, but our hotel view of KC was wonderful! Next time we go, I know we will venture out more then we did, but hopefully next time we will be more well rested.

Case loved looking out our hotel window!

Sunday brought us to the Farmer's Market. It was a chilly mid-morning, so a brisk walk through did it for me. My favorite part was the Italian deli. Oh, the meats and cheeses were calling my name. I would've taste tested all of it! We ended up eating at a little BBQ place because I was told you can't visit KC and not eat BBQ! So we did.

Would like to go back here in the summer!

I love this little guy!

It was a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. I loved spending it with my boys. Now let's talk about the food....

Good Day

2010-05-07T22:11:00.002-05:00

Today was a good day. This weekend may not be....Brady is taking Case and I to Kansas City for Mother's Day. I'm so excited just to get out of town! I'm still going to track and all, but I can't guarantee that I will be on my best WW behavior. I'll update once I get home.

Breakfast:
2pc 45 calorie bread-1pt
1 TB pb-3pt
1 TB reduced sugar jelly-1pt

Snack: Birthday Celebration at work!
Cherry Crisp-5pts

Lunch:
2 pc. 45 calorie bread-1pt
deli ham-3pts
1 slice 2% cheese-1pt
mustard/tomato-0pts
baked cheetos-3pts
WW cookie-1pt
*Can you tell I cannot seem to go with out something sweet after every meal!

Dinner: Thanks Wendy! It was YUMMY and so WW friendly!
sweet potato-3 pts AND I didn't use butter!
BBQ grilled chicken breast-3pts
steamed broccoli-0pts

Snack:
Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich-2pts

I used all 25 points and 2 extra points. That's pretty good.

Oh yeah....
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the wonderful and beautiful mothers out there....

Day Seven: Weigh in

2010-05-06T22:43:00.002-05:00

I weighed in today. I lost 2.2 lbs! I wanted it to be a little more, but I wasn't "super good" this week. Plus I did zero exercise. So, I will take 2.2lbs. The most exciting thing about losing 2.2lbs is that I am finally in the 180's!!!! I don't know when I was there last....
Even though I wasn't so good today, after weigh in of course, I still decided to write everything down. Usually day seven in my tracker is blank.
We are going to Kansas City this weekend and anytime one (ME!) travels, it is always a high points event. We will see....

Breakfast:
Kashi Cereal Bar: 2pts
apple sauce-one snack pack: 1pt

Lunch: Picnic at work...Thanks Wendy for the grub! Yum.
hot dog: 5pts
hot dog bun: 3pts
cole slaw: 4pts
pasta salad: 4pts
baked beans: 5pts
1 cookie: 3pts
1 brownie: 5pts
2 bites of watermelon: 0pts

Snack:
1 pack of Ritz bits pb: 3pts

Dinner:
Burrito (leftovers): 9pts
tortilla chips: 3pts

Snack:
WW dessert: 3pts
*These are really good. They are the cookie dough sundae WW dessert. Nice to eat every once in awhile especially when craving a little something sweet, but I don't need to make a habit of buying these all the time.

And as usual this week, I used all 25 daily points and let's just double my points for the day....I used all 25 plus 25 over!!!!! Crazy.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, there is always tomorrow!

Day Six: Working at it...

2010-05-06T07:02:00.002-05:00

So yesterday I posted Day Six which should be Day Five and today will be Day Seven but I'm posting about Day Six. Did you get that?
You would think as long as I've been on this WW journey (since 10/13/09) that I would have this all down, oh but I don't! I make choices that after I write them down, I think, WHY did you do that? So, even though I've been on WW for awhile now, I'm still working at it. Still trying to figure it out. I am definitely a work in progress!
Oh yeah, I weigh in today!!!!

Breakfast:
2 pc 45 cal bread: 1pt
banana: 2pt
1 TB peanut butter: 3pt

Snack:
Baked Cheetos: 3 pts

Lunch: (OK, seriously....14pts for my lunch, something has to change!)
Bowl of beans: 3 pts
1 pc bread: 1 pt
turkey: 2 pts
1 pc. cheese: 2 pts
2 pc. bacon: 3 pts
salad: 0 pts
sm amount of chipotle ranch: 2 pts
WW cookie: 1pt

Dinner:
Burrito Casserole:
Refried Beans: 2pts
onion/tomato: 0pts
tortilla: 3pts
cheese: 4pts
SKINNY COW (I think I had been putting Laughing Cow!) Ice Cream: 2pt

Used all 25 points plus 9 more. This put me 10 points over my 35 points for the week!

Day Six: Case's Fault?

2010-05-05T07:01:00.004-05:00

No. It's not the little man's fault. It was my mind thinking I NEEDED bites of his cake or bites of his donut. Goodness, I need to feed my kid better! But it was his birthday right?

So I went over....by 8. If your counting, I've used all 35 extra points this week, plus one AND the week isn't over. I will say, this week in tracking is going much better then usual. By this time in the past I am 35 points over my extra 35 points.

Next....I need to tackle exercise!

Breakfast:

2 pc. 45 cal bread-1pt

small amount of egg white substitute-1pt

1/2 portion of WW individual bag's of shredded cheese-1pt

1 pc. Canadian bacon-1pt

diet juice-0pt

Snack:

7 pc. chocolate rice cakes

Lunch:

1/2 BLT (no mayo)-8pts

6 skinny fries-3pts

salad-0pt

smaller amount then yesterday of chiptole ranch-2pts

3 small bites of cake-3

Dinner:

1 pc. of pizzeria cheese/mushroom pizza-6pts

1/2 donut-3 pts

WW dessert-3pts

*Let me explain: I thought if I bought a WW dessert to eat while Case was eating his birthday donut, then I wouldn't want any....you can laugh now because seriously...I should've known better. ***

I used all 25 points plus 8 more. This means today I really need to stay within my points. Stay tuned....

My Baby Boy

2010-05-04T22:42:00.003-05:00

One year ago today I gave birth to a beautiful, perfect baby boy. That day was hard but the end result was a joy to hold in my arms for the first time. I knew then what I know now....I was in love. He has brought so much to my life. I love watching him think. I love watching him walk. I love watching him play. I love when he cuddles. I love watching him sleep. I love listening to him laugh. I love my little man and I will forever and ever. Happy Birthday Case Killian! Then

Now

Day Four: Choices

2010-05-04T06:50:00.002-05:00

I bought a meal ticket to our cafeteria. They have a yummy salad bar. They also have other yummy food that should not be on my plate. Yesterday my plate was attacked with too much food. It wasn't necessarily the choices I made but the amount I ate. Also, I'm not very good at this points figuring. I think I usually go way over or way under how many points something should be. I need to work on that one.

Breakfast:
2 slices 45 calorie bread-1pt
1 TB peanut butter-3pt
banana-2pt

Snack:
granola bar-2pt

Lunch:
1/2 chicken breast-2pt
veggies-2pt
salad-0pt
chipotle ranch dressing *need to make better decision next time*-4pt
noodles-4pt
2 pc cantaloupe-1pt
cup of berry captain crunch (dry)-3pt

Dinner:
chicken breast-3pt
carrots-0pt
sweet potato with butter-4pt

Snack:
Laughing Cow Ice Cream Sandwich-2pt

I used all 25 points and then some....8 extra.

Day Three: I heart Avacados

2010-05-03T06:57:00.005-05:00

Did not stay within my points, but that was because of a lovely tasting avocado. AND I am ok with that! I had a pretty calm day....don't get me started on how my night went. Case doesn't understand that momma needs her beauty sleep.

Breakfast:

banana-2 pts

2 slice 45 calorie bread-1pt

reduce fat peanut butter-3pt

*I love PB, but hate how many points it cost me.*

Lunch:

2 slice 45 calorie bread-1pt

1 slice 2% cheese-1pt

3 thin slices deli ham-3 pt

mustard-0pt

tomato-0pt

lettuce-0pt

dill pickle-0pt

baked Cheetos-3pt

Snack:

Laughing Cow Ice Cream Sandwich (YUM!)-2pts

*I was going to do the no desserts for a week thing, but desserts are my happy food, desserts are my thing. I figured if I deprived myself for a whole week that at the end I would just binge on every sweet snack I could find. So instead I have bought some "diet" desserts and will munch on them when I see fit.*

Dinner: *I need to put this in a recipe builder but until then these are the points I came up with...*

orzo-6pts

tuna-2pts

olive oil-1pt

1 avocado-8pts

*Worth every point!!!!*

onion/tomato-0pts

Snack:

Laughing Cow Ice Cream Sandwich-2pts

Used all 25 points....went 8 over.

Day 2: Resisting Sam

2010-05-01T22:39:00.003-05:00

I did pretty well today considering I went to Sam's Club. It's like every time you turn the corner you are hit with some sort of bite size goody. I did eat a piece of Angus burger, a piece of turkey/cheese on a wheat thin and a couple of drinks of Mexican Coke (the beverage, not the drug). All in all it was a good day. I need to find a breakfast food that fills me up but that is not too many points.... Any suggestions?

Breakfast:
1 1/2 Kashi Cereal Bar: 3 pts
Diet Cranberry Juice: 0 pts

Lunch:
1 1/2 grilled cheese (regular bread, 2% cheese): 6 pts
*****The 1/2 of Kashi bar and 1/2 grilled cheese is because Case didn't eat all of his....I need to get out of the habit of eating his other half!*****
3 dill pickles: 0 pts
chocolate pudding cup: 2pts

Snack:
Bite size goodies at Sam's: 4 pts

Dinner:
3 Pork Ribs: 6pts
2 sliced tomatoes: 0 pts
Green Giant Cauliflower with Cheese: 1 pt

Snack:
Annies Honey Bunny Grahams 10pc.: 3 pt

I used all 25 of my points for the day AND drum roll please.....DID NOT GO OVER! I haven't done that in a long time.

Day One: Dang Corn Nuggets

2010-04-30T23:32:00.003-05:00

Today I have been fighting off stress eating, boredom eating and "I think I'm starving" eating. The only time I gave in was at the cafeteria and those lunch ladies had made Corn Nuggets. If you don't know what they are, well they are pretty much deep fried sweet cream corn. They are good is what they are...I had six! I looked up the points value and all I could find to compare them to was Church's Chicken Regular Size Sweet Corn Nuggets........14 POINTS!!!!!
So there you have it, I ate something that created me to go way over my points but I will use my "extra" points for today and start again tomorrow. That's what I like about WW is that I always have tomorrow to pick myself up and that is what I will do!

Breakfast:
Kashi Strawberry Cereal Bar-2 pts
Banana-2 pts
sm. glass Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Juice-0 pts

Lunch:
1/2 Croissant-3 pts
1/2 c. tuna salad-7 pts
salad (lettuce, radish, tomato, cucumber, peas)-0 pts
balsamic vinaigrette (sm. amount)-0 pts
3 pc. pickled okra-0 pts
6 pc. corn nuggets (see above!)-14 pts
1 c. cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew-1 pt

Dinner:
Small Boneless Pork Chop-5 pts
broccoli and cauliflower (steamed)- 0 pts
1 packet of WW shredded cheese- 2 pts
1 no sugar added apple sauce snack cup- 1 pt

I "get" 25 points a day and I used.....37 points.

Getting Back on the Wagon

2010-04-29T06:38:00.002-05:00

I fell and I fell hard. Actually, I did fall out of the desk chair here at home, but that is just due to my clumsiness, not my Weight Watcher journey. Ok, back to falling....off the wagon. When I get busy, when I get stressed I eat! Even when I am sick, unless REALLY SICK, I eat like it is going out of style. So these past two weeks and then some days before that, I have been eating. Yes, eating is a good thing to stay alive and all, but I have been overeating, not tracking my points and just running amuck with food. I'm very good at excuses to eat. I had a good hair day....eat. I saw a baby duck....eat. My son had his first birthday party.....eat. This is one of the last night's I'm "splurging"....eat (this was last night). You get the picture.

Today I weigh in. Today I see that magic number that is going to shock me into getting back on the program. Tracking, counting points, exercising. This works for me. I have Victoria Secret underoos that I couldn't wear before October to prove that this works for me.

Here is my challenge to myself and for any others that care. I WILL post everyday for a week (to start off with) my food intake for the day. I will start tomorrow, after weigh-in. I feel like this will keep me honest, it will hold me accountable and maybe just maybe help in my effort to climb back on the wagon.

To Do

2010-04-09T06:52:00.002-05:00

My to do list for the weekend:

Sweep out the garage.
Organize garage.
Pick up all the random bits and pieces of debris in our yard.....left behind by the construction crew, family before us, etc. (That includes doggie poop.)
Clean bathroom, sweep & mop floor, vacuum floor.
Go through Case's clothes. This boy is growing!
Go to Michael's or Hobby Lobby to look for 1st Birthday stuff AND to only buy 1st Birthday stuff and not everything else my little hands want to grab!
WALK!
TRACK MY WW POINTS!
Hopefully grocery shop on Sunday with a list of meals for the week.
Give girls (dogs) much needed bath and clip their nails. Shhhh....don't let them see this or they will head for the hills.
Enjoy my weekend with my boys!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

Just Doing It!

2010-04-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

Case and I went for a walk this evening at Sedgwick County Park....great park! I walked, he strolled. It was nice, it was breezy, it was light, it was fun. I need more of this, more movement. I didn't break a heavy sweat, but I didn't just stroll either.
As I was walking I started passing people running, ok, they passed me, but you know what I mean. I noticed they would pass another person in the opposite direction and give each other a high five and say, "One more, we can do it." One runner even said, "I love you, one more." I smiled at that same runner as she passed me. She yelled back at me, "That girl I just passed got me into this mess!"I told her to keep it up, it was pretty inspiring. And it was. Running has never been something I have liked to do. It has never been something I've been good at. Back in my softball days, I HATED when we had to run. HATED. In July 2009 my friend, Wendy and I joined a boot camp. Oy! I had to run. Shin splints galore. I just don't run.... I don't plan on starting to run or train for a 5K or anything like that, but I do want to be more active. I'm not going to lose the weight I want to lose by just tracking points, I need to move! That girl who yelled out to me, she wasn't a "skinny" girl, she wasn't a girl I would imagine running. But she was running. Maybe one day I will be able to run, but for now walking will do. I can go pretty fast with that Chico Stroller in front of me and hey, Case enjoys it as well.

Thinking

2010-03-31T06:54:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I can change my life to be a more positive person.....in with the good, out with the bad. I also need to be a more productive person. I also need to think before I act. I also need to turn off the green eyed monster and be thankful for what I have. I also need to be a little bit more thrifty.
These are things I really want to work on in the next few months. Maybe it is because Spring is here and that means fresh starts. Maybe it is just because I feel like I need to be a better person, a better me. Whatever it is, I'm ready.

Sick of Being Sick

2010-03-22T20:04:00.003-05:00

Week before I was to start back to work, Brady got the stomach bug. We thought it was just bad fish from Long John's, but no...it was the stomach bug. It took a few days and then I got the bug. I thought it was the margarita's I had the night before, but tequila does not do THAT to my tummy. Tequila is much nicer. Thank god Case never was sick. Case had never been sick in his whole 10 months.

Ha....we spoke to soon! Two weeks pass and Case wakes up with a cough and a fever one morning. AND it doesn't go away. I can now write down in his baby book that he was sick. Sick he was....RSV for a good seven days and we find out today that he has an ear infection! Oh yeah, Brady and I have the respiratory virus as well. Oh the joy!

We shipped the boy off to Oklahoma now for the second time so that we can get better and so we don't "infect" him again. It has not been a fun few weeks. I've said this before, I'm a girl of routine. My routine hadn't even gotten routine and it gets tipped upside down, sideways and turned in circles. Oh....you mean that's what parenthood is like? Yeah, I kind of knew that, but I still enjoy my routine every once in awhile.

Here is a picture of Case before the bug bit him.....

Turning Circles

2010-03-19T17:06:00.002-05:00

Life is funny. We turn circles sometimes and it lands us right where we thought we didn't want to be. But in the end, it puts us in the place we need to be. Reader's Digest version....We moved back to Oklahoma, my hometown. We worked, we played, we lived with my parents, we loved, we fought, we grew. Opportunities came about and brought us back to where we just left off 7 months before. It's been a journey but something I needed.
I haven't wrote on this blog since August 1st of last year. Not only have we moved away and moved back but we have grew and lost. Case has grew to a healthy 25lbs and god only knows how tall he is. (I often forget numbers, so I never know how tall or how much my son weighs, this is by no means a sign of a bad momma.) He is growing like a weed. Already walking and walking and sometimes running! We have recently experienced RSV and that has not been fun. I love this little man more then I could've ever imagined. He is a BIG part of making my world go round.
I on the other hand have not grown in that sense, but I have lost. So far on Weight Watchers, I have lost 25lbs. I started October 13th and so far, so good. I wish it was more, but I will take it. I have been struggling since we moved back, but I don't have my "routine" down yet. I will get there. It is a journey I DO NOT WANT TO QUIT! I hope to hit a big goal of mine on my 30th birthday in July. I will keep you posted.
Another new thing I am trying is posting my link to this blog on Facebook. Before only a few people knew about my little blog. I am now making it accessible to everyone. Now whether they look at it is a different story.
So much has happened since August that I don't want to bore everyone or just that one person reading this. Let's just say Life Happened. I am ready for this new chapter in our lives and I pray that it is a wonderful, adventurous, grown-up, spirited, silly, loving journey.
Keep in touch, who wouldn't want to know about my favorite flavor of cupcake or crazy craft project I'm creating or words my son spoke. It will be fun....I promise.

There's No Place Like Home

2009-08-01T22:28:00.002-05:00

Dear Kansas,
You've been good to us, but it's time to go. Oklahoma has been calling our name since we moved to the Yellow Brick road state three years ago....almost to the date. We have had much happen to us here....
Brady and I got married while living in Kansas.
Brady graduated school while living in Kansas.
We had Case while living in Kansas.
We made many friendships, some that we will cherish for a lifetime.
Kansas brought us closer together. It stuck by us through some rough times and some wonderful moments.
We've often complained about living here but it's just because we missed our home....Oklahoma!
And now...we are going home. Home to create a home for ourselves with our little family. Home so our little Case can be with family instead of at daycare. Home where our hearts will grow. Home is and always will be Oklahoma. Sorry Kansas, but we must go...you understand.
So, as we click our ruby red slippers a few times, we head to Oklahoma with many memories left behind in Kansas.
Love,
The Smith Family

Belated Everything

2009-07-15T22:21:00.003-05:00

I was in Oklahoma the first week of July and I'm just now updating the ol' blog. Here you go...

Case turned 2months old on July 4th! He is growing so fast....

I am very spoiled. I got a D40 Nikon for my birthday. I have said more then once that it is a beautiful camera. I LOVE IT! Thank you Brady.

Boom, Crackle, Pop

2009-07-02T23:37:00.002-05:00

Enjoy the weekend with family and friends.

Eat some grilled hamburgers and fresh cucumbers.

Drink a corona or fresh lemonade.

Watch the kids dance around with sparklers.

Dive into cool water.

Wave a flag and....

Thank God we live in this country.

Have a fun and safe 4th!

Love to all~

CharlyGirl

Some Friday Cuteness

2009-06-26T12:45:00.002-05:00

I have figured out that even if I am having a bad day, I can look at him and everything seems right with the world.

Momma Mia

2009-06-23T22:21:00.002-05:00

The other night as I was trying to put Case down to sleep at 2am, it finally hit me. I'm his mom. I'm a mother. Oh my god, I gave birth and I am now responsible for a human life. This might have taken me some time to come to this realization, but with being sick after giving birth, I didn't seem quite adequate in the mommy department. But for some reason as I was holding Case in the quiet of the basement, I looked at him and figured out that I am his life and he is mine. That I will always be there to pick him up when he cries, hold his hand when he is scared or give him a smile when he is having a bad day AND I truly believe he will do the same for me.
The other day, I put on Facebook that I wanted to find my mommy groove. Well, I think I'm finally getting it....I'm finally figuring out that I'm a Mommy and for now that is all that matters.

Where is Samuel L. Jackson when I need him?

2009-06-16T19:46:00.002-05:00

I sounded like Samuel L. Jackson from Snakes on a Plane on Saturday night. I dropped the F-Bomb more then once. I have always said that I'm more of a snake girl then a spider girl. Meaning....that I can handle seeing snakes more then I can handle being around spiders. Well, I LIED!
Case and I spent Saturday night in the bedroom watching TV, breastfeeding and eating the last of the Oreo's before I go on my "No more maternity jeans" diet. It was to say the least uneventful until I went to get the last Oreo. I came back in the bedroom and STEPPED on something. I thought it was the dogs tail but it couldn't be since they both were on the bed looking at me. I looked down and a freakin' snake slithered under my bed. I was in shock! I sat down my milk and cookies, grabbed Case (he was in his bouncy), yelled for the dogs and headed for the door. I was shaking, cussing and having a mild panic attack. Brady was at work and I didn't think he could c0me home early, so I called every friend (that I knew would be willing to come help me fight the snake) in Wichita and none of them were home. I finally called Brady hoping and praying he could come home early. He asked how big it was and of course I might have made it bigger then it really was, but I don't care if it was a long worm, I wanted it out of my house.
Brady comes home tears the bedroom upside down and NO SNAKE! I'm on the verge of packing up and heading to a hotel. After about an hour we decide it is hopeless that no snake will be found. Brady accuses me of taking LCD and seeing snakes floating around our house, but whatever...I know what I saw.
I then head into Case's room to put on his PJ's and guess what is in the middle of his bedroom floor....the FREAKIN' SNAKE! I don't know how it got past us, but it did. Brady of course figured out I found the snake and took a golf club to secure it. He picked it up with gloves and since it was not a poisonous snake he released it in the street. Was it as big as I said? No. But once again that is not the point, it was a snake and as far as I knew it was on a mad rampage and was going to eat my two doxies and baby for dinner.
So that is my lengthy snake story. I have went around all week thinking I see a slithering snake out of the corner of my eye....but no...it is usually a cord or Dixie's tail. I now have to say I'm more of a spider girl then a snake girl....a spider I can kill with a newspaper, snakes can be a little trickier.

"If I Ever Get Back to Oklahoma....

2009-06-08T11:20:00.004-05:00

.....I'm going to nail my feet to the ground." That is how I'm feeling lately, I'm so ready to be back "home". Next Spring is not coming soon enough!

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure, they are from Case's first trip to Oklahoma!

Laughing, but with no sound coming out! Ain't it cute?!
Case and I enjoying the Sunday heat.
4wheelin' with Daddy....Momma was nervous the entire time.

A seafood boil....Oklahoma style.

It Wasn't in My Planner

2009-05-29T17:29:00.003-05:00

I'm a planner, organizer, write everything down type girl. I planned my labor. I knew what would happen, but I didn't write it down in my planner so of course it all went to the birds....

Here is a reader's digest version of what I didn't plan.

They started inducing me on Sunday night with a nice thing called Cervidil. They put it up in your Cervix...you get the idea. By Monday morning nothing had happened. They started me on Pitocin to REALLY induce labor. The OB came in to check me (Brady was at breakfast) and all of a sudden she has popped out a knitting needle and is breaking my water. I did not expect it to happen so fast. She left and would check back in at noon. The pitocin really kicked in as far as giving me hellish contractions. They were piggy-backing each other....oh so painful. I wasn't quite ready for the epidural so I asked for a narcotic to get me by. Ha! It was a joke! It only lasted an hour and it caused Case's heartbeat to go way down. It went so low that at this time they started mentioning C-Section to me! The resident took me off the pitocin to relieve me of the contractions, but that also stopped any progress we were having with dilating. My OB comes in around noonish, puts me back on the pitocin and says I'm only at a 3! By this time I am in need of an epidural. There is more gross information in between all of this, but I'll spare you. The epidural guru comes in and gives me the wonder drug. OMG! I thought I was going to kiss this guy. I felt better immediately. I slept as much as possible, then another resident comes in and says I'm at a 5! Thank goodness! Around 5 o'clock my OB comes in, checks me out and she says I'm only at a 4! Well crap....she gives me two choices. C-section or laboring for another few hours to see if anything is going to happen. Her words were, "You can labor for a couple more hours but I'm still going to do a c-section because I seriously doubt anything will happen." Case's heartbeat was still somewhat low, he was facing the wrong way, he hadn't dropped nearly enough, I was spent from the already long day and it just wasn't worth spending more time if nothing was going to progress. It felt like as soon as I gave the OK for the c-section...five minutes later I was having my stomach cut open! I of course wasn't suppose to feel anything during the surgery but toward the end I was in a lot of pain. I refused any medicine until I heard him cry. Once he cried I went to la-la land and talked up a storm to whomever would listen. I talked about cupcakes, bacon, OSU...whatever. I also thought I had triplets when Brady brought me Case for the first time. I was so out of it, I was seeing THREE babies. Lord help me!

So, as you can see, it wasn't what I planned. I also didn't plan on getting an infection that made me feel like hell for two weeks. I'm on the mend from that now, but goodness....

I really wanted to pop him out, no drugs, nothing dramatic, take him home and everything be perfect. I've found out that life isn't planned, not everything has to be written down in my perfect green Franklin Covey planner. But my life is all the better regardless....just look at what they gave me at the hospital...I think I'll keep him.

What do the dogs think about Case?

2009-05-13T22:21:00.003-05:00

Everyone has been asking me what do the dogs think of having Case in the family? Well, the pictures below should say it all....Dixie is the protector. She is usually not far from wherever Case is at. Sometimes she is a little too close.
Okie could care less about Case as long as she still gets her treats and nightly belly rub.

And here is just a little family shot. I still think I look half drugged.

Welcome to the World

2009-05-06T17:33:00.002-05:00

He is here!
Case Killian
May 4, 2009
6:27 pm
8 lbs 4 oz
21 inches long

He is beautiful. He is wonderful. He is amazing. He is a blessing. Even though Monday was SCARY and PAINFUL....he was more then worth every single contraction and ache.

I will post pictures soon with more information on the day it happened.

Thanks for all your prayers! We felt them....

Ready or Not Here He Comes

2009-05-02T21:39:00.003-05:00

I go to the hospital tomorrow to be induced. I will be one week over my due date on Monday. The OB said it would be better to induce then having him get bigger and then the higher chance of c-section.
So...we put our bags (that have been packed for over two weeks) into the truck, we pet the dogs goodbye (their lives are about to change as well) and we head to the hospital like it is just another appointment. Ok, I'm kind of starting to freak out. I'm going to the hospital to have a BABY! I know, I've had nine months to prepare, but when they give you a this is when we are doing it date, it just makes it so real. AND it will be real in no time. My life will change forever and I welcome that change. I think I'm just a little anxious, stressed, nervous, scared and excited out of my mind....all at the same time. Within a day, most likely two, I will be holding my child. The child I created with Brady. It's freaking amazing...
So next time I blog, you will probably see tons of pictures of little Case.
Wish us luck, send us good karma, give us pleasant thoughts, and please say a little prayer.
Thanks,
Momma Charly

Social Network Overload

2009-04-24T21:40:00.002-05:00

I finally went and joined Facebook. It is addictive! I've spent the last hour and a half on there. Then I checked MySpace, then my email, now I'm on to checking blogs. It's like a job just keeping up with everyone, every message, every poke (still don't know what that is?). Craziness. My mind hurts, so I think I'll go read now or sleep. Maybe I should just sleep.

Update:
No baby yet...obviously. I'm all ready to go down there, I'm just not dilated or contracting. His due date is Monday, but I have a feeling he is going to show up late. Keep us in your prayers...

A Country Boy's Nursery

2009-04-13T21:08:00.004-05:00

Mr. Case's Room: Please Enter

Okie, guarding the diaper area.
A friend from work made the mobile.
My sister found these old prints in an antique store. The spurs are my Dad's.
Love the Case Tractor Sign
Gotta have some Roy Rogers charm in the room.

Midnight Snow

2009-04-10T00:06:00.002-05:00

Yes....it is midnight here in Kansas. Yes....it is snowing at midnight in Kansas. Yes....it is freakin' April 9th and it is snowing at midnight in Kansas. I had no idea that all in one day there could be a tornado spotted in my hometown, wild fires burning in the area I called home for a few years and snow in the town I currently reside in. AND I think it might be a full moon, go figure.

Waiting Game

2009-04-04T08:06:00.004-05:00

I went to the OB on Wednesday and she pretty much told me it is now just a waiting game. Everyone is telling me Case will come early....because of how big I am. I don't think I'm THAT big, but who knows. I think he will be right on time, maybe not his due date (April 27th) but sometime that week. So for now, I'm enjoying a weekend with the parents, niece and nephew and waiting.....

Waiting patiently for their new playmate to arrive.

"Mom, will he ever be here. We are excited about all the food he will be dropping on the floor."

For Wendy

2009-03-31T20:16:00.006-05:00

A dear friend of mine has been hounding me about posting pictures from as Candice would say, forty baby showers I had. I only had four, but they were all special. I already posted Newman pics, so here are some from the Wyandotte, Blackwell and OKC showers. Are you happy now, Wendy? I will hopefully post pics of the nursery very soon....I'm waiting for the curtains to go up, rocker to be in place and last few pictures to be hung. I want it to be perfect before I show it off.

By the way...if anyone is keeping track, I have four weeks left! It is getting closer!

My sister, Casey, did an awesome job on the diaper cake. She is such the country version of Martha.

The shirt says..."It's a tractor thing, you wouldn't understand." My bf from high school got us it and also a shirt that has the CASE tractor logo on it. Blackwell shower cake. Brady looks so excited to be there. Brady bringing in the loot from the OKC shower.

Proud parents of BABY CASE!

I want...

2009-03-03T20:30:00.004-06:00

I saw this shirt on a couple girls in the latest Oklahoma Today magazine. Now I'm itching to own one. Hmmm...it might have to be my first post-pregnancy clothing buy. Until then I will settle on a Okie Grown sticker or magnet. Here I come Dwelling Spaces!

Snow!

2009-02-28T08:43:00.003-06:00

Thursday I wore flip-flops and capris. Today I need a parka and gloves. It's snowing, the wind is blowing and it's very cold. Go figure....this little mama is ready for spring.

I wanted to post a couple of pictures from my first shower. The ladies in my office threw it for me and it was great. We received so many wonderful gifts...Case now has more clothes then I do. And to think, we have three more showers to go!

The adorable cake!

My Love Day

2009-02-15T09:37:00.003-06:00

Brady and I have had a really stressful and overwhelming week. It all seemed to come to a boiling point on Friday night where we took it out on pickles and each other....long story, not going there. But by the end of the night he leaned over to kiss me goodnight and tell me that tomorrow will be better....and it was.
I LOVE Valentines Day. I know some despise it for all different reasons, but I've always been a sucker for love. It also represents a very special day to me personally. I changed the way I saw life six years ago on Valentines Day. It changed who I was and it helped me pave a way of independence I never knew possible. Anyways....I love this day. And yesterday was no exception.
We slept late, I watched two episodes of Sex and the City, we ate lunch at a mom and pop cafe in Riverside (we somehow were in charge of the music selection for the entire cafe because we just happened to sit at the table with the ol'fashioned table jukebox....too much pressure.) and then Brady took me somewhere I had been dying to go.
See the picture up above...that's where we went. I'm a sucker for a cupcake or cookie. Especially ones that are cute and come in a pretty package. Well, this little bakery did not disappoint. I ate a yummy Celestial Chocolate (that was it's name) cupcake. The icing was heavenly. With the way the economy is and since I'm prego....a cupcake for an afternoon treat and a iced sugar cookie for later in the night....those were the way to my heart yesterday, not flowers.
It was a wonderful day with just the two of us enjoying each other, doing what we like to do...being together with no expectations.
I love those kind of days, especially when they fall on my love day.

Monday Pictures

2009-02-09T18:15:00.002-06:00

So far this is all we have for the nursery. I'm sure it will all come together in the next couple of months. I love this crib! I've caught Brady more then once just sitting in the nursery looking at the crib. I will then go join him and we will talk about how it will be when Case is here. I can't wait.
Yes, my sink is the retro avocado green. I like it. I made the curtains above the sink. I used some napkins I found at Pier One, Stitch Witch and some ribbon. The are by no means perfect, but I think they look pretty good. If only I could take down that yucky wallpaper border. Any thoughts on how to cover it????

Oh sweet goodness....I finally have a dining room table. No more sitting on the floor eating on the coffee table. You don't even know how much I enjoy this table. WE WILL be a family that sits down for dinner at the table. We might reserve a weekend movie night with pizza to eat in the living room, but every other night will be at the table. My family did it growing up and so I want my family to do it now.

Okie and Dixie on my expensive pregnancy pillow (which did not work by the way!) enjoying the view of outside. They still don't quite understand that it is their backyard, they don't have to share it with every other neighborhood dog. They will learn...

And last but not least....a baby bump shot. Ok, so maybe more of a BIG bump. My tummy is growing at an alarming rate. I can't imagine how big I will be in a few weeks.

Notice Dixie trying to get my attention. You would think we totally ignore her. Poor puppy.

Movin' and a Shakin'

2009-02-07T11:14:00.003-06:00

We are finally moved in and starting to settle down. We still have some stuff we need to situate. It's weird, now that we have all of this room, I don't know where to put everything! I'm still in the apartment mode where everything has to fit into one closet or we throw it away. Oh, did I tell you how much storage space we have!?! It's amazing.
Baby Case is doing great. I experienced him having the hiccups for the first time and it was awesome. We don't have much more time left before he comes to join us in the outside world. I'm mentally prepared, just not physically. Meaning all we have is a crib! I'm sure that will change in the next month or so. I'm still not stressing about it too much, but give me a few more weeks.
Ok, I'm off to Target to buy more maternity pants. The ones I have are starting to get a little snug! It doesn't help that my body is starting to swell...yesterday I was rockin' some pretty hot cankles.
If the weather is like it is here in Kansas where you are....go outside and ENJOY it this weekend.

14 Days and Counting

2009-01-18T21:54:00.002-06:00

I (we) have 14 days left in our little one bedroom apartment! Oh.....my......goodness....I cannot wait. I have lived here for 2 and 1/2 years. I want to say I'm not complaining because I do believe living in such a tight space has brought Brady and I closer, but I'm also complaining. Sharing a parking lot with 50+ people, having to go up and down stairs everyday, taking the dogs out to a public yard, the noises, the smallness, the cigarette smell drifting up from the apartment below. Will I miss anything about our apartment....hell no! Did a lot take place in our apartment....oh yeah! We spent our first year as a married couple here, we found out we were pregnant here, we found out Brady got his job here, so...yeah, I'll have many memories. But.....now we get to move into a 3 bedroom/2 bath duplex. It has a garage, hall closets, storage in the basement, fireplace, and a fenced in backyard! We will bring Case home to this house, we will spend time here as a family, our dogs will run wild in the backyard (and not chase people!), we can have a dining room table, I can plant flowers and so much more.
Can you tell I'm excited?!? It's all coming together for us....

Perfect Couple

2009-01-16T09:34:00.002-06:00

I LOVE being at home with my hubby. I HATE that we are both sick when we get to stay home together. Ugh! I started getting an itchy throat on Friday and I've been home ever since.This has been the worse head cold I have ever had....not exaggeration. I decided to give Brady my head cold on his birthday of all days. So after eating soup (thanks Wendy!), rubbing my nose raw with Kleenex, having my breath smell of cough drops, and even having that sick smell to me, Brady says this morning, "We make the perfect couple." Hopefully after this weekend we will both be well, but still consider ourselves a perfect couple.

Dashing Dachshund

2009-01-14T19:28:00.003-06:00

This is Jack, the country dachshund that yearns to live in the big city. Just look how stylish he can be. This is actually thanks to my sister (it's her dog). She is always putting some sort of adorable sweater or vest on Jack. My poor dogs just run around naked all of the time. Brady would never let me dress them up when they were little. Now they are just dachshunds that like to flash everyone.

Baby Bump Alert

2009-01-10T18:33:00.004-06:00

I've been hesitant of taking these kind of pictures because I really wasn't looking pregnant. It just looked like I had eaten 3 dozen donuts and 10 #1's from Sonic. But at last I feel like I can show off my tummy, even though it's not a tummy skin shot, it will do.
Goodness, Case is moving all the time. It's an amazing feeling. I swear today he was doing full somersaults. I love that little boy!

Burn Baby Burn

2009-01-09T21:04:00.003-06:00

Curious Person: "Charly, what did you do on Christmas break in Wyandotte?"

Charly: "Well, I decided to become a pyromaniac."

Curious Person: "Oh....really??? Tell me about it."

Charly: "Ok!"

I was without a vehicle in Wyandotte because my mom and sis came to pick me up and drive me home (NE OK). They think because of my "condition" that I can't drive. Fine with me, I like being chauffeured across the state. Anyways, so on one day of being home I had some errands to run in Miami....bank, store, lunch with high school friend. I was on the go all day, stop and go. I finally picked up my niece and decided to take her with me to the bank because I felt like I needed company. We went to the bank. I stopped the truck. Then we noticed smoke coming from the right passenger side of my mom's truck! I told Sarah to get out and then she informed me that my mom's truck was on FIRE! Yes, on fire! The brakes had caught fire because they were too tight and I had caused so much friction by stopping and going all day that they thought they should catch fire. Insane! Insane! So imagine a pregnant woman and 13 year old running into the bank screaming that my mom's truck is on fire. They just stared at me. Finally a hero emerged and grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the fire. It didn't really do much damage other then burning up the brakes. The guy who put them on replaced them, but still....the freakin' truck was on fire. I can only imagine if we would've been on a country road near a field of dry grass. No more truck for Momma Carol or field of dry grass for Farmer Joe.

That isn't the only fire during my break....two days later....we had my nephew burn trash at my parents house. Yes, in the country we burn our trash. It's just what we do. So, he put it in a big ol' barrel and away it went. We were in the house playing games when we heard a kaboom! It was a can that had blown up. We ignored it....30 minutes later my mom looks outside and the backyard is on fire. Guess what it melted? The freakin' water hose. Momma in her housecoat, sister running around frantic and prego here in socks trying to put out a fire. Dixie even got involved by running outside and jumping through the flames. She likes fire.

So there....my family has never had very good luck with fire. Our house burned back when I was in college and most of my aunts and uncles have been through a house or barn fire at sometime in my life. We just don't mix well with flames. I think next Christmas I will buy my parents a fire extinguisher.

Letting Go of Christmas

2009-01-08T19:18:00.007-06:00

I seem to be hanging on to Christmas a little too long. I still have all my decorations up, maybe because I was gone the entire break (thank heavens for working for a university) and didn't get home until Sunday night. I've promised myself that it will all be gone by the weekend. I also haven't posted about our great Christmas. So here we go....We were able to see a lot of relatives in Blackwell and cuddle with the little ones. Then I headed to Wyandotte and spent the week of News Year at my parents. Brady headed down last weekend to NE Oklahoma and we then had our last Christmas TWO days after New Year's! It was nice to be with family so much, but it threw me off not having much time at "home". Here are some pictures from our holiday....

Aunt Charly is a wonderful aunt. She brings whip cream and sprinkles that are meant for hot chocolate, but end up in the little ones mouths. I like to pump them full of sugar and send them home with their mom.

The girls opening presents on Christmas morning. I loved seeing their expressions.
4C Ranch Christmas Tree
Hours of playing Kismet. I wasn't too good at it, but it was fun rolling the dice with all of the family. My Dad even got involved.
Our version of Christmas dinner (a few days late)....all you can eat crab legs. I think Brady would've eaten his weight in crab legs. It's too much work for me.
Mama Carol and Papa Charley: I think the world of these two people. They are the best.
The rest of the gang. Sarah and Guy are getting so big.
These are the silhouettes I made of the kids for Casey and Joey. I learned how to do it from Nie Nie's Blog (I love this blog). Casey loved them!
No this isn't a ninja, it's my Dad modeling his Under Armor gear. He swears by this clothing line to keep you warm (he works outside at night).

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night

2008-12-23T19:49:00.002-06:00

I know it's officially not Christmas day, but we are headed to Oklahoma tomorrow to celebrate with Brady's family and then to see mine later next week. For the two of us, Christmas and traveling across Oklahoma come hand in hand....we are use to it.
I just wanted to wish ya'll a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May your next few days be filled with lots of family, friends, new little ones, warm houses, good food and holiday cheer. See ya'll in 2009!
Much Love,
Charly

A Few of My Favorite Things

2008-12-22T19:52:00.003-06:00

Here are a few of my favorite things for the month of December.....

*Hot tea (decaf please) on a cold night.

*Receiving Christmas Cards...I love them.

*Wrapping presents in anticipation of the reaction of the recipient.

*Eating all the yummy baked goods at work.

*Brady taking pleasure in his new job.

*Feeling little Case flutter around in my tummy.

*Making these scarves....here are my little ones modeling the small version.

*Watching Christmas movies and humming Christmas tunes.
*Dreaming of what Christmas will be like next year with a new baby.
*Praying this pillow makes it easier for me to sleep at night.
*Crying and laughing while reading Marley and Me. I can't wait to see the movie.
*Being thankful for all of the blessings I have in my life. I'm a lucky lady.

My Surgical Tech

2008-12-20T10:00:00.002-06:00

Brady graduated last Monday from Surgical Tech school. He's already landed a job at a hospital here in Wichita. I'm super proud of him! He's already talking about Nursing School though! No matter, I'm just happy he has found a profession that he enjoys....you know seeing people being cut open, blood, guts, all that fun stuff. Gross.

Baskin Robbin's Ice Cream Cake, Brady's FAVORITE!Don't we look cute with our matching tie and sweater?

Wind

2008-12-13T09:16:00.003-06:00

Did ya'll know that the wind blows really hard here in Kansas? Yeah, me neither. Ha. Ha. It is howling outside our apartment. They say a winter storm is not coming through our area, but I think they are lying. The wind told me so.

This is one of those random, just because posts. I think I'm really putting off cleaning our bathroom. Yeah, that's it. We have peeps coming today and I'm a clean freak when people visit. We are having Brady a small Graduation dinner tonight with family and friends. I'm so excited for him. His official graduation is Monday and so is his first day on a new job. Yay for my hubby.

That's all I've got. Off to clean the bathroom, shower, and wait for the parents to arrive.

One more thing, I just finished watching P.S. I Love You. I give it 5 out of 10. It was so-so, but boy did it make me cry.

Have a GREAT weekend. Stay warm!

My Santa...My Husband

2008-12-09T17:52:00.004-06:00

Brady and I have this thing where we can NEVER wait until Christmas to give each other our presents. We end up buying something for each other that we are so excited about and open it right when we buy it. It's a bad habit. Hopefully when the kid gets big enough we will actually wait until Christmas to let him open presents.....but I might let him sneak one early.

So...my husband is the best, just so ya'll know. You see, I bought him a TV for a Graduation/Christmas/Birthday/Valentines present. I gave it to him back in October! Crazy stuff. Brady on the other hand waited until today when my present came in the mail to give me mine. At least he waited until December. Ok, back to him being awesome. The day we found out we were having a boy and had settled on a name...he ordered from my FAVORITE jewelry store. He did good.

I also want to add that not only is he a great gift giver and spoils me with my love of trinkets. He also has been a wonderful husband to my hormonal self. He has pampered me, comforted me, held me why I cry for no reason and rubs my belly while talking to his little boy. I don't know if he reads this blog or not, but if he does....I love you and thank you for all you do!

It's a........

2008-11-30T21:33:00.002-06:00

BOY!

It was amazing being able to look on that big flat screen and see my little boy. He was very active during our sonogram....waving his hands like he was telling us "hello, I'm in here." I keep saying this every time we have a pregnancy milestone but now it feels real. AND now it's time to start shopping! I will be 19 weeks this Wednesday. It is fast approaching, but at least we know now that little Case is waiting to see us on April 30th.

Pregnancy 101

2008-11-17T20:03:00.002-06:00

Here is a little update on the pregnancy....
*We find out next Tuesday if it is a boy or girl! My guess is boy, but of course I have a 50/50 shot here.
*The reason I believe it is a boy....I've watched more Big 12 football then any other time in my life AND I enjoy it AND I know what is somewhat going on AND I look forward to looking at the BCS rankings on Sunday! Totally not me.
*I haven't gained or lost any weight. I'm where I was at when I found out I was pregnant. I have a feeling that is all about to change...bring on the cravings!
*First weird craving, bologna/onion/mayo sandwich. I didn't eat it but it sure sounded wonderful in my mind.
*I may not have gained any weight yet but my stomach and butt are expanding at a fast pace.
*I cry now more then ever.
*Brady is being the best husband and daddy to be. He really caters to me.
*The only book I've read is "What to Expect When You are Expecting." Any other suggestions?
*I can't wait until we can go shopping for all of the stuff! I can wait to pay the bill for all of the stuff.
*I'm worried about how my dogs will handle having a baby around. Advice?

Ok, I think that is enough for now. Just wanted to share my pregnancy ramblings.

From Phoenix

2008-11-11T19:33:00.002-06:00

I have a friend in Phoenix. I met her through her blog. Her name is Kelli and I think she is just down right cool. I know, I know....I sound like a 3rd grader talking about their pen pal from summer camp. I guess you could call Kelli my blog pal.
Anyways...she tagged me and I'm running with it. Here are the rules:

* Link to the person who tagged you.* Post the rules on your blog.* Write 6 random things about yourself.* Tag anyone on your blog that you actually know personally and not the ones that you just stalk their blog. (I made that one up.) *Let each person know he/she has been tagged.* Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. I have a small, unrealistic obsession with Tiffany's jewelry. Since I knew what Tiffany's was I always said I would own a pair of diamond earrings from that beautiful, glittery store. So, I'm not there yet, but I do have a "Return to Tiffany's" bracelet. AND I wear it EVERYDAY.

2. I was the Wyandotte Bear Mascot. I wore a big ol' bear head and fuzzy/hairy body suit. I loved it because people couldn't see me, but I could act as crazy as a....high school girl in a bear suit.

3. I would LOVE to live in the country. LOVE. I often dream about it and imagine what my little homestead would look like. Hopefully someday....

4. I use this (....) way too much.

5. I'm not scared of childbirth, bring it on. I'm scared of the other stuff....finding childcare, finding a pediatrician, figuring out insurance, etc. That stuff freaks me out and I feel so ill prepared.

6. If people would let me, I would stare into space for hours thinking, pondering and dreaming. I tend to do it a lot, but Brady always asks me if I'm ok and I pop out of it. Weird? Nah.

Tag you're it....
*Brooke
*Liz
*Jessica, even though I think she recently did one of these.
*Daisy

Something I Miss

2008-11-05T20:39:00.003-06:00

I don't do it very often anymore, but when I do take pictures it just feels right. It makes me feel creative, it makes me feel good, it makes me feel proud when I see the outcome. No, I'm not a professional, but I do my best. I usually just help friends out with weddings, senior portraits or family pictures, but regardless....it feels like someday this is what I should be doing. Someday.

I Voted!

2008-11-04T19:23:00.005-06:00

I am ashamed and proud to say that I voted in my first presidential election today. I've always been registered but have always been too lazy or I had the "I don't care" attitude to vote. Excuses, excuses! But today I dragged myself out of bed at 5:30am, after having weird dreams about my polling location (it included crazy people passing out religious materials, military propaganda on the voting machines and my two doxies running around crazy like)....anyways. I thought by going at 6 this morning that I would be the first in line. Ha. It was packed. I made my choice, smiled, took my "I Voted" sticker from the elderly lady and walked out the door at 6:45.

It took me 10 years to finally practice my right to vote. Regardless of my past laziness, I voted TODAY.

My Favorite Month

2008-10-22T19:30:00.004-05:00

October is by far my favorite month. I love it because I said my vows in this month, the air is becoming crisp, the colors are turning outside and inside, warm and hearty meals take place, goblins run around and I can get anything that is pumpkin flavored. I love this tenth month. Here are a few snapshots of my month so far....

One Year of Marriage...One Day Late

2008-10-14T19:03:00.003-05:00

One Year Ago...yesterday.

For our 1 year anniversary this weekend Brady and I went back to the same town, the same church and the same reception sight where we celebrated our wedding. We drove around Neosho talking about that day a year ago and talking some about the road ahead of us. To my surprise Brady had booked a room at the Booneslick Lodge (funny name!) for us. This was the same room we stayed in our first night as husband and wife. I walked through the door to a dozen red roses on the table. It was perfect. He gave me the best present...more fond memories. I can't wait for all of our years to come.

In front of the church where we were married.

My first ever dozen roses....a perfect occasion for them.

Tag You're It!

2008-09-24T19:22:00.002-05:00

I'm not so sure how this works, but I'll give it a try. Liz tagged me, so now I have to tell you "Six Totally Random Things About Myself." Here you go.....

I would love to move to somewhere in the Northwest. A quaint little town outside of Portland, Oregon would be nice. I will never do this because I can't live that far away from my family.
When I was little, I use to make up commercials for grocery items in our kitchen. Everything from Comet to Lipton Tea. I really thought I could be a child star discovered in Wyandotte.
I'm slowing become obsessed with little chicks. Like the ones at Easter time. I think it has something to do with the Dixie Chicks and well, they are just so darn cute.
I could eat anything flavored pumpkin this time of year. I'm actually craving a pumpkin spice frappuccino right now.
My favorite color of fingernail polish is a deep, deep purple that looks black. I could wear it all year round.
My first alcoholic drink ever was in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. It was a nice fruity Hurricane.

Enough randomness. I'm not tagging anyone because I'm no fun and I never liked playing tag when I was little because I was always too slow to run. I'm off to watch Project Runway! Carry on....

Funny Things an 8 Year Old Says

2008-09-21T10:18:00.005-05:00

My nephew, Guy, seems much older then his ripe age of 8. If he is in the mood, he is about the only 8 year old that I can carry on a conversation with....and it makes sense. He's sweet, inquisitive and hears EVERYTHING people say. EVERYTHING!

My nephew has really never been around a pregnancy before me. We have had a few cousins, but never someone so close to him. Well, Guy is very interested in me and my uterus or what is in my uterus. Here are just a few comments my little Guy-Man has said:

*Guy, "When will you be buffering?" Me, "What?" Guy, "You know buffering, where your belly sticks out?" Me, "Oh, you mean, showing?" Guy, "Yeah, that's what I mean."

*Guy, "I think I'm going to kidnap your baby because you and Brady won't know how to take care of it like I would."

*(after my first OB appointment) Guy, "Is the doctor still letting you drive a car?"

*Guy, "Are you having twins because if one is a boy and one is a girl, I will take the boy and raise it."

*Guy, "You need to come bring the baby home (his home) the day after you have it so I can see it." Me, "Guy, I'm not going to be able to drive that soon. You will probably come to Wichita instead." Guy, "Oh."

*Guy, "Do you have a big belly yet?" Me, "Yes, but it's not because I'm pregnant. No, I'm not showing....yet."

*Guy, "If they make you stay in bed then I will quit school for awhile and come take care of you."

My nephew is very special....to me. He is going to be a GREAT cousin, even though we will have to watch him like a hawk to make sure he doesn't kidnap my baby.

The Heartbeat of a Peanut

2008-09-15T18:15:00.003-05:00

Today I heard it. I heard by little ones heartbeat for the first time. Not only did I hear it, but I saw it beating. It was amazing.
Yes, this means that I'm pregnant. I've known since August 18th, but was waiting until I officially went to the doctor to announce it on here. I knew after today I wouldn't be able to contain my little secret anymore. Some people know....I probably told more people then I think. Oh well, such happy news needs to be shared.
Today made it real though.Yes, I took four pregnancy tests. Yes, I've been sick with nausea and throwing up. Yes, I feel like I just ran a marathon from one coast to the next. Yes, I could fall asleep at my desk and wake up and still take another nap. AND yes, my breast feel like someone used them as a punching bag. But today, made it real.
Brady and I are over the moon about this baby. We couldn't be more excited.
Welcome to the blog world little one....Brady and I call it Peanut....for now.

I Kneaded It

2008-09-13T17:10:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I found an easy recipe for homemade bread. It just sounded good and who can't resist the smell of homemade bread baking. It was quite easy to make. The only extra ingredient I had to buy was some yeast.

That is the bread under the tea towel, I was trying to keep it warm.

I didn't take pictures along the way, but I did get a shot of the end result. And may I add that it was YUMMY!

I'm for sure no Martha Stewart, but heck, a girl can try.

Random

2008-09-11T20:16:00.005-05:00

Random writing....

It has felt like fall here for the past week. It is awesome. I love this type of weather even with the rain. Bring it on Hurricane Ike (it is Ike now right?).
Can I have Victoria Stillwell from "It's Me or the Dog" come and help me train my doxies? I bought her book but it has yet to get here. I have a feeling my stubborn dachshunds are not going to make it easy on me.
I love the deal my husband and I have. I cook, he cleans. Marital Bliss!
Maple donuts are yummy, but my tummy thinks otherwise.
This is a heart wrenching story. I've been reading her blog and I can't imagine what the family is going through. I don't know this woman or anyone in her big family, but by reading her blog I can tell she is so loving, creative and a wonderful mom. My prayers go out to Stephanie and Christian Nielson and their family.
I'm on this vampire kick....I take after my Mom. I've been reading the Twilight Series and the new HBO series just started, TrueBlood. I vill suck your blood. hee. hee.

Ok, enough randomness. Everyone enjoy their Friday, because I know I will!

Rough Saturday

2008-09-06T19:21:00.002-05:00

This is what I did today.....it was a tiring day.
*Woke up at 6:30am to take the doggies out, they don't know what weekends are, so I give them a break.
*Lay on couch until Brady wakes up, listen to the rain, eat some yummy Life cereal (note to self: need more Life cereal), kiss husband goodbye and watch a silly wedding dress show.
*Take shower around 9:30.
*Co-worker picks me up, we go to JC Penney.
*Come home hop in car.
*Call friend and invite myself over to her house for lunch....I'm bringing her Pei Wei so it's OK!
*Come home, let doggies out, crash on couch.
**This is where the day gets rough.
*Watch "The Waitress" with Keri Russell. Good movie, makes you hate Earl and want to eat pie.
*Browse my new IKEA catalog.
*Browse the Glamour my Pei Wei friend let me borrow.
*Start reading Oprah.
*Cuddle on the couch with doggies.
*Eat leftovers from Pei Wei.
*Watch "Things We Lost in the Fire" with Halle Berry, David Duchovny and Benicio Del Toro. I cried like a baby. This movie is very emotional and pulls at your heartstrings.
*Now I am writing on my blog and listening to 70's music on the TV.

OK, so it wasn't so rough. It's been nice just to veg out in front of the TV, read magazines and do whatever the heck I want to. I hope everyone out there had just as a relaxing Saturday as I did.

4 Years

2008-08-28T21:44:00.002-05:00

Brady and I met four years ago today at a Hank Williams Jr. Concert. It was a warm August night at the Zoo Amphitheatre in OKC. My friend and her husband had gotten into a fight, so I walked around the amphitheatre grounds with my other friend. We kept passing these two guys. Being a little tipsy we kept giggling every time we saw them. Finally after one too many frozen beverages, I had to use the potty. Needless to say, we passed the two guys again and I never made it to the porcelain throne. We sat on a rock ledge and talked until the end of the concert. I even remember what he was wearing, a COLLEGE T-shirt and khaki shorts. We exchanged numbers and the rest is history.
It is pretty special that someday I will be able to tell our kids that Hank brought us together.

Birthday Weekend Part 2

2008-08-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this post should have been Part 1, but oh well. Another reason that this was the perfect weekend to go to OKC was that one of Brady's bestest friends got hitched. The wedding was Friday night in Midwest City. After the beautiful wedding we all (wedding party and friends) went to Bricktown. We ended the night at my favorite bar, Wormy Dog. It was a great night had by all! Bride and Groom Chuck and Brady(what a serious face he has)Who's that girl with my man? Two of my favorite boys, oh how they drive me crazy!

My purdy pedicure....this is a before picture of my left big toe before I tore it half way off last night. Oh my goodness, it hurts like a.......

Birthday Weekend Part 1

2008-08-07T20:17:00.000-05:00

This is a little late coming, but I am just now getting around to downloading the pictures. For my birthday this year, Brady got us a hotel room at the Colcord in OKC. I've been wanting to stay there because this was where I began my "adult" life. I worked there when it was an office building, Oklahoma Today was located on the first floor. I moved on from that job after 2 years (????) but I learned so much, met so many people and felt grown up for the first time ever. So, when they turned it into a hotel, I knew I would one day have to stay there.
Brady made that possible this last weekend. I spent the day with my best friend, Can. We then had dinner together with Can and her husband at the Deep Fork Grill. It was good but oh my was it pricey. We ended the night at Edna's off of Classen. That place had some pretty tasty beverages. I also enjoyed watching Edna dance on the bar. Brady and I headed back to our posh digs (for us anyway) and counted sheep until the next morning. Sunday we ate at Hideaway! Best Pizza EVER! While eating we talked about how much we missed Oklahoma. Brady even said, "Our hearts are here, aren't they?" Even though we may live in Kansas for a few more years, we will move back someday.

So that was my birthday present from my hubby....a weekend in one of my favorite places. Colcord HotelOklahoma TodayFancy Bathroom Love this bed & the guy below playing pool.

Can and CharlyGirl @ Edna's

Only in my home state....

2008-08-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

would you light birthday candles like this....

30 is waiting to pounce, right around the corner

2008-07-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

Here is a birthday cupcake for my few blog readers. I did not make these, but if I did, I would share with you all. Yummy.

Yeah, I turned 28 today. 28! Thirty is so close. I usually don't freak out unless it is a major milestone. I got really depressed at 25 and I'm sure 30 will be no different. We will see.

So here is to a new year for me. A year full of wonderful surprises...I love surprises. New beginnings for my little family. And as usual, lots of bacon and things that glitter.

BFF

2008-07-28T19:33:00.000-05:00

Remember writing that in grade school on notes you would pass? I always passed mine to a select few girls. We had our group, pretty much the same group up until high school graduation. I still know where all those girls are these days. I see them at weddings, baby showers and some day I will see them at funerals. That is the extent of us keeping in touch. I also hear about them through my mom. She always ask if I've talked to so and so. Did I hear about what happened to them or what they named their baby....
You see my Mom has kept her same friends since grade school. Of course she has gained friends along the way, but my Mom has pretty much had the same gang of friends since childhood. Most of them live in the same area, but at one point I think they all moved away and then came back. Even so, they kept in touch. Here lately I've seen my Mom and her gang grow even closer. They've been through marriages, divorces, children, jobs and now they are all experiencing illness and even death. Two of my Mom's gang have passed away in the last year. I just found out today that one of the "girls" from the gang has stage four lung cancer and they don't think there is much they can do. This is one of my Mom's BFF's.
It makes me sad. I guess one, it makes me realize my Mom is getting older. She isn't OLD by any means, but she isn't in her 30's either. Also, this is a friend of hers that I always thought was the "cool" one. She lived in Tulsa, the big city. She had a career. She bought fancy groceries. She wore neat clothes. She took me to my first OSU football game, on the front row behind the bench. She was the first person to show me the Internet and how much you could do on it. We ordered take-out when I was in Tulsa at her HUGE house. (As a child it was huge to me.) When I met her she didn't have any kids, so she made me feel extra special. She now has a 16 yr. old daughter. I saw pictures from her prom the other day, she's grown up so fast.
Talking to my Mom tonight we just cried together. I felt so bad for her and her gang of friends. They have been through so much and still they are there for each other. I may not have my grade school friends on speed dial, but I do have a very close group of college friends. I know that we will be like my Mom's gang. No matter what we will be there for each other. They are my girls. I, like my Mom, will go through everything with them, even if it is from a distance. I love you all (you know who you are)....BFF.

Proud of Being a Pen Snob

2008-07-13T18:55:00.000-05:00

I'm a fan of Sharpie's. I love the way they write, especially the ones that are ultra-fine tipped. I do not love how they smell and bleed through paper. If it wasn't for this, I would write with them everyday. Well, the Sharpie company heard our (the pen snobs of the world) cries and created a Sharpie Pen!
I searched high and low for some here in Wichita. Ok, not high and low, just at Target and Office Max. The salesperson at Office Max gave me a weird look when I said I had seen the advertisements for the pen but couldn't find it anywhere (a little of a stretch). I also said that I loved Sharpie's and I was really looking forward to using a Sharpie Pen and I hoped they had them. I'm a little weird, this I know. She directed me to the Sharpie stand and a stupid, silly smile came over my face. It was like being a kid in a candy store.
My review of the new Sharpie Pen:
*It's not a fine tipped Sharpie Marker. Don't get me wrong, it is close, but it doesn't give you the dark coloring of a regular one.
*It doesn't smell....good thing.
*And so far, it doesn't bleed through paper.
*I enjoyed the way it flowed, especially with the way I print.
*I do believe I would buy more of this product, but probably only in black and blue. The red and green didn't really do anything for me. :)

Hello, my name is Charly and I'm a pen snob.

Open Range

2008-07-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

Just now posting about the 4th of July weekend....I guess I'm still recuperating from not sleeping in my own bed or actually not sleeping at all. Brady's family and my family went to stay in a "Lodge"(old farm house) in Alva, OK. We went fishing, 4-wheelin', and just sat around relaxing. I also got covered in mud, dirt and mystery bites. All in all it was a great time. Being able to be outside, not worrying about work and spending time with my loved ones was the best. Thank goodness our families get along....it's a good thing.

Wide Open Spaces, you could see for miles.

The great fishermen of the weekend. My niece and nephew had a blast. My Dad seemed to have fun just watching the kids fish and helping them out every once in awhile.
My Husband. He caught the biggest fish of the weekend. I was a close second, but of course I didn't get a picture to prove it. Seriously though, I caught a fish with a piece of bacon. Even fish crave bacon every once in awhile.

Hair of Many Colors

2008-07-01T19:35:00.001-05:00

Changing my hair color or hair style makes me feel better. I've never been one to be upset over a bad haircut....it always grows back. I went today and told her I wanted something fun and colorful. I think she got it right. It looks even better in the sun, it is RED! I'm lovin' it.

I guess I'll update on how bootcamp is going. Well, I guess you can tell I actually didn't die after my first post about it. I have yet to miss a session. I'm quite proud of myself. Of course I've whined throughout it, but it's getting easier and easier as the weeks pass by. The running (fast walking)still hasn't gotten easier, but I think eventually it will. The shin splints are killing me. Wendy, my friend that is doing this adventure with me, and I are going to sign up for the next six week session once this one is over next week. As far as the results go, I haven't lost A LOT of weight. I've toned up and gained muscle. I'm going to try hard to follow the diet they have lined out for participants on this next go around. Time will tell. Regardless of losing the pounds, I feel better, I feel healthier.

So here is to my new doo and my healthier body. Everyone have a fun and safe 4th of July!!!

Magical Place

2008-06-18T19:03:00.000-05:00

This was my magical place growing up. My creek. My water hole. My trees. A lot of make believe and pretending took place here. I love this spot. It is not far from the porch of where I grew up. Some days Mom would watch me play, other times I just stayed down there for hours by myself. It reminded me of a magical forest with fairies and little nymphs. Have you ever seen Legend of the Unicorn? That's what it reminded me of.

So, I went home this last weekend and I stood there looking at my favorite spot. It makes me miss being a child. Being able to dream about unicorns and fairies. Pretending I'm stranded on a deserted island. Playing like it was my outside kitchen. I guess just missing the innocence of childhood. Because as we all know, now we are adults, doing adult things. It can suck some days. But then, I go home. I go home and see that it is still there. No one goes down there anymore except the occasional horse to take a drink or dog to take a summer bath. When I go home though, I go there. And I remember that just because I'm adult doesn't mean I can't still dream about life being a little magical.

Father's Day and Funnels

2008-06-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

First of all....Happy Father's Day to my Daddy. I can call him Daddy because I'm his baby girl, enough said.
Secondly, not too long ago I posted about a deadly twister that hit NE Oklahoma on Mother's DAY. And then today on Father's DAY a tornado is reported two miles south of Wyandotte. Pretty much the location of my family. My family thank goodness soon after Mother's Day purchased a storm cellar and took cover today. There were a few trees down, but no damage other then that. AND no injuries.
Seriously, can Mother Nature leave my family alone on holidays? I was going to post a blog along the lines of a friend's recent entry, but he went ahead and wrote it for me. I totally agree with what he said.
Enough is enough Mother Nature, we understand you are having a bad year, but go to therapy to release your anger and stop releasing it on us. Thanks.

Feeling the burn

2008-06-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

Oh....dear....god....I hurt. What I was going to tell ya'll (my four total readers) is that I started Boot Camp today. And again, Oh....Dear....god....I hurt. I haven't had this much exercise since two-a-day softball practices in high school. It is only for an hour, two days a week for six weeks. A friend of mine from work talked me into it....I was shooting her "you are going to die" looks all throughout the workout. She probably didn't see me because we were going every which way trying to learn the workout exercises. This Boot Camp is ran by military men. Yeah, that is right, they show up in military garb, all built and fit. They teach it as if you were going through boot camp, but without the yelling. Which is good because I would just break down and cry.
After sweating my ass off and moving parts of my body that usually never get moved, I crashed on the picnic table. I felt like I was going to throw up and pass out all at the same time. This just goes to show how out of shape I am. It is quite pathetic. I couldn't even do a girl push-up. When I got to the apartment I struggled up the stairs and literally crashed on the floor. I then cried. I think I cried because I hurt, I felt embarrassed and I felt accomplished. I did it. We (Wendy and I) did it! We will continue to do it! I can do anything in 6 weeks!
We go back on Thursday for cardio. I think that translates into running. Can you feel the burn?

This is my life....

2008-05-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

The past month in reviewOkie turned 2, this is before she peed on the couch.
Dixie in her Sunday best.
A glimpse of a day in the country.
Baby Bella, my newest friend. Here are some of my old friends that I miss dearly. Miss you Daisy Family!
My favorite red head turned 3.

The month was full of seeing lots of friends and family. That is the way it should be. I start a new adventure on Monday. All I have to say for now is, God help my body. I'll tell you more next week.

Love-Hate Relationship

2008-05-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

It's coming.....you know, that season that is between the flower season and the cool crisp air season. Some call it Summer, I sometimes like to call it hell. Today was warm here in Kansas, but I know not to complain because in no time, summer will be here.

Summer has it's downfalls....
*the #1 complaint, the awful Midwest heat! I'm not a fan of heat. I could just live in the air conditioning if my life would allow it.
*mosquito's at night. They lurk waiting to make your body a tic tack toe game.
*the snakes. You want to go to the creek or the pond, but you can't....the big bad snakes live there.
*sticky, hot car seats.
*And the HEAT!

Summer also has always been an adventure, a time to let go and be fancy free.
*When you were little, summer was all you lived for. The freedom!
*Popsicles, snow cones, corn on the cob, fish fries, fresh strawberries, bacon, mayo and tomato sandwiches. That is just a few of my favorite summer foods.
*Eating outside at night....with bug spray of course.
*Ice cold corona on a hot summer day.
*Sundresses, capris and Old Navy flip flops.
*Road trips, summer vacations and trips to the farmers market.
*And my favorite summer event....my birthday.

So summer has it's ups and downs. I'm always ready for it to be over, but ask me in January while I'm snuggled up inside during one of our blizzards....I'll tell you that I can't wait until Summertime.

Giving Thanks and Saying Prayers

2008-05-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

First of all, I want to say Happy Mother's Day...even though it is late in the day. I don't think my mom has read my blog (I'll send her a link tomorrow) but I wanted to send her a BIG HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! And to the best mother-in-law EVER as well. You see, I'm always thankful for my momma Carol, but after this weekend I'm thanking God that my mom and other family members are OK.

My Mom, Sister and MIL were in the path of the tornado that hit NE Oklahoma and SW Missouri yesterday. Thankfully they lingered a little longer at Sutherlands and did not drive in the direct path of the twister. They would have traveled a road where the tornado hit that we travel on many occasions to go to Joplin, but again....they lingered. Thank God for mom's who like to shop.

I also want to send a prayer request out for all of the victims of the tornado. I've lived in this area (Tornado Alley) my entire life. I've been around to see the damage of some of the worse ones (May 3rd-OKC and Greensburg, KS), but this one literally hit home. I know the area, I know the people, sadly enough, I knew one of the victims. So, while you are saying your prayers tonight, say one for all the folks in Picher, OK and SW Missouri. They will need them.

No Complaining Here

2008-04-24T21:05:00.000-05:00

I'm wearing a purple bracelet. I move it from one wrist to the other every time I complain, gossip, or use negative words. I have to go 21 days without switching it over to the other wrist. I started yesterday and I've already switched it probably about 50 or more times. Maybe less, but I really doubt it. It is suppose to take someone 21 days to form or break a new habit. Tomorrow I will start over at day 1 of my 21 toward my new habit.

It's called "A Complaint Free World." It started with a pastor challenging his congregation to not complain for 21 days. He is the only one that succeeded and it took him 3 or 4 months.

Here over the past few months I have really noticed my negativity toward everything and anything. It seemed that every time I opened my mouth, nothing good was coming out of it. I figure I would give this a shot. What can it hurt? It is definitely making me think before I start to speak. I actually turned around today when I realized the only reason I was going to talk to someone was to gossip. That is not who I want to be. Do I believe I will never complain again or whine? No. But if I make an effort to watch what comes out of my mouth, whether it be, "I wish I wasn't here, I just feel like crap today." Or. "Did you see what she did yesterday, I just can't believe it....!" I think it might make myself more aware of what is oozing out of my mouth.

Weenie dog rancher or professional bacon test taster?

2008-04-15T19:49:00.000-05:00

I change my mind, a lot. It's who I am. I want everything and anything, so I go back and forth with ideas, dreams and so on. Of course somethings stay constant, like my love for Brady, my family, friends and the girls. I also still love bacon even though I'm trying not to looove bacon too much. Weight watchers and all. But the biggest change lately is I'm back on the path of deciding what I want to be when I grow up. I've decided to not pursue Social Work. My heart was not into it. I hadn't even started, but just knew. I didn't want to waste my time or others. I'm also trying to decide if going back to school is even what I want to do. Biology kicked my butt to the curb. So I've been thinking/dreaming....what does CharlyGirl want to be?

When I was little I wanted to be a waitress, marine biologist and a nature photographer? Hmmmm.....you see what I mean. Here is my list (I heart lists) from my new quest "What do I want to be when I grow up and what can I do in the mean time?"

*My dream for a few years and one that keeps coming back to me is to open my little shop. That's what I call it anyways. It would have everything that I love. Sparkling trinkets, postcards that you just have to buy for your best friend, miniatures of anything and everything and just about anything else that if I walked by, I would go, "I LOVE that!" There would also be a goofy photo booth, a area for fresh flowers that you could take home for your dinner table and an area with all the necessary items to plan a awesome party/shower/wedding. Oh yeah, cupcakes would be available on a daily basis for my customers to munch on while the browse. They could then buy the components of the cupcake if they desired, the sprinkles, tins, etc. So MANY ideas.
This is what I want. This is what I dream of. This will be in my future, someday, just not right now.

*Create, Create and Create some more. Once I get over my lazy nights on the couch, I'm heading back to making "stuff." Anything to get my creative side going. I might even break open the sewing machine. Be looking for a post about an Etsy shop in the future. I'm not out to make money with this, just to get my hands moving and brain working. Creating is what I love to do.

*I woke up the other night and this was the phrase that was left in my mind. I should be an art teacher. I need to research this one a little bit more. It would mean going back to school. I'm attracted to the idea of helping small town kids express themselves through art. I did not have this advantage in grade school or even high school. Thank goodness for USAO. I think I would be good at this, especially with younger ones.

There are many more possibilities out there. Yes, I have a job currently, but I want to look back in a few years and be able to say that I'm passionate about my profession and I can't wait to go to work in the morning. A little dreamy? Yeah, but it's my dream.

Little Bunny Foo-Foo

2008-03-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

I am so excited that Spring is finally here or I think it is here. It hasn't snowed in a few weeks. I have a vase of Easter lilies or daffodils as I think they are officially called on my coffee table. Growing up, Easter lilies in bloom were always a sure sign it was Spring. I had to swipe this bouquet from Brady's grandma's front yard because the apartment complex is just not quipped with pretty flowers to steal.
There are other sure signs it is spring.....
*March Madness. I'm not a big fan of sports but this is one event I'll stay somewhat interested in. Somewhat! I like when the Cinderella teams make it. I always root for them.
*The green grass poking through the ugliness winter left us. I love the green grass. Dixie had fun rubbing all up in it today. There was probably dry poop under it or some other gross goo.
*All the pretty pastel clothes are out at Target. And the bathing suits which I just think is wrong. I hate looking at them during the summer months, let alone in March.
*The fruit and veggies at the grocery store are starting to look healthy again. I bought some strawberries today and they looked tasty.

I'm sure there are other signs of Spring, but these are ones I've noticed. The title of the blog, "Little Bunny Foo-Foo" is a song from my childhood that would drive my parents crazy. I would sing it for a REALLY long time without stopping during the Easter/Spring season, especially when we were in the car. I loved it! So I'm thinking, that someday when Brady and I have wee ones, that when we hear "Little Bunny Foo-Foo, I don't want to see you picking...." we will for sure know that Spring has arrived.

Everyone have a wonderful Easter Sunday tomorrow. Start enjoying the Spring season because before we know it we will be sweating to the heat of summer.

My Diva Doxies

2008-03-08T10:12:00.001-06:00

I thought I would let you see my wonderful weenies. They don't get enough attention as it is.....

Top pic: The Smith Girls. Middle pic: Dixie the protector. She is very protective of her mama. Bottom pic: Okie the house slut. She will lay her back for anything and everything. Good thing she is fixed.

I'm doing it again....

2008-03-08T10:01:00.001-06:00

I started WW for the umph-tenth (not for sure how to spell that word or if it even is a word) time. This time is a little different. I have someone that is very motivated and has a lot of willpower to share in this journey with me. I tried to do it with my friend in OKC, but I needed someone here in Wichita to hold me accountable each and every day. You may ask, why can't you do it on your own? I've tried, I've learned to cheat the system. Splurging after weigh-in, justifying eating for special occasions (every day!) and so on. Now that I have someone that is going to see me everyday and ask how I did the day before, it helps. I've done well so far, we are now going on two weeks. I have to do this. I need to do this. I want to feel good (not out of breath walking up steps), I want to feel sexy again (stomach fat spilling over my jeans, not so sexy) and I want to be healthy (I want some day in the near future to start having bambinos).
I don't know how much I will post about my journey with WW on this blog, but by putting it out there, it helps me be accountable in one more place.

Liz and Brooke would be proud!

2008-02-21T22:00:00.001-06:00

I volunteered to make the favors for a baby shower this weekend. I covered long pretzel sticks with white chocolate and then covered them with pink sprinkles. I tied them up with a gingham, polka-a-dot and baby footprint ribbon and you've got your pretty in pink favor. I say Liz and Brooke would be proud because they are the party throwing guru's. I have a wedding shower to start getting ready for next week and I'm making cupcakes and some other fun stuff. I will definitely show pics.

And yay for Spellcheck being up and running!

80's bangs? Not Quite!

2008-02-20T20:39:00.000-06:00

Here they are.....my bangs. The picture is a little scary if I do say so myself and my hair is abnormally shiney. But so far I am really digging my doo.

And here are my beautiful boots. They look much better on my feet then they do in this picture. Ok, I'm off to hibernate for a week and a 1/2 while I study for two tests, write a paper and construct a speech. Yay for going back to school!

Urban Cowgirl with Bangs

2008-02-19T20:21:00.000-06:00

*I downloaded pictures, I was trying to fix them and then BAM, they are gone! I hit a wrong button and I had already deleted my pictures from the camera, so.....
I will have pictures of my lovely boots and bangs (sounds kind of sexual) sometime in the future. Just imagine my hair though, it's really cute. Why you say doesn't she just take another picture, because I have already wasted enough time on the computer. This girl needs to study!

This is what my love gave me for Valentines Day. (picture to come) Are they not perfect and beautiful? Most people would think I would be talking about flowers, but no, I’m talking about my new Ariat FatBabies! I’ve wanted these (coveting my momma’s pair) forever. They even have hearts on them. Ahhhhh…… Brady has a thing for getting me stuff with hearts somewhere on the item. It started with my heart tattoo that I got before Brady, but that meant a lot to me for many reasons. So, for our first anniversary he bought me a James Avery heart necklace and earrings because of my tattoo and the whole “we’ve been together a year and I love you” reason. For our 2nd Valentines together he bought me a red leather journal with an embossed heart on the front. My engagement ring has heart prongs (he didn’t know that until it was shipped to him from New Mexico, but still counts.) Christmas last year was my Brighton watch with hearts. Wedding gift was another beautiful James Avery heart necklace. And then my beautiful boots with heart stitching (which, he didn’t notice until after I pointed it out, but still counts.) If you see me roaming the prairies of Kansas, please take a look at the lovely boots.

I also haven’t been truthful with my loyal readers….all four of you. Not that I’m not telling the truth, but just that I haven’t told you at all. I have a new doo and it involves bangs! Like the real thing. Straight across the forehead none of this wimpy to the side crap. Here’s a picture to prove it. (picture to come) And for V Day I wore a red silk ribbon in it, like a headband and I must say, I looked freakin’ adorable. It takes me back to being a little school girl. Ah, the innocence. I’m loving it.

Tilt-A-Whirl

2008-02-14T19:33:00.000-06:00

I've kind of been ignoring blogging. God knows, I'm not ignoring looking/lurking at my favorite blogs, I just ignore my perosnal blog. I've had plenty to write about, just not enough energy to do so. And like Liz , I've been wondering what this blog is all about. I started out wanting to blog about all my craftinees glory, but crafting takes time and I don't seem to put any toward my creative side these days. I guess this blog is just going to be me. No explanation, just me.

So what have I been up to lately....

I've been writing notes, reading and taking tests in Biology and Psychology. I took my first test in Biology and did AWFUL! I was ashamed, dissappointed and mad at myself. I didn't prepare nearly enough and guessed on a majority of the questions. I'm now determined to do better.

I have also been battling the flu. It didn't kick me on my butt and put me to bed but it did keep me at home for a couple of days. Now Brady is starting to feel achey. :(

Brady and I also went through a quick phase of wanting to buy a house. We decided that we should just wait until next spring. We are not quite ready to fight the housing beast just yet. Trust me, I will be welcoming much advice on this issue when the time comes.

I was going to write about my dream job becoming a reality someday, but I think that will be a post for this weekend.....I promise. :)

I hope you all had a Very Happy Valentines Day! Full of warm hugs, good chocolate and lots of Red & Pink! I wish I had made these cupcakes, but I didn't. I sure do enjoy looking at them! Have a good V Day.

Obama, Obama!

2008-02-05T21:13:00.000-06:00

Warning: I cannot get Blogger to spellcheck for me, so forgive me for my spelling!

If you haven't "gotten into" the Presidential Race, let me tell you....it is exciting. Knowing that you are making a difference, it just feels good. I skipped out on studying (I'm starting that as soon as I'm done with this post though!) and driving through what I would call a blizzard (I'm dramatic though).....I went to my first Democratic Caucus. It was pretty awesome. Here is what happened.....

We gathered into an auditorium at Newman. It only held around 400 people. Within 30 minutes, the Obama side was busting at the seams. They make the decision to send the Obama side to the gym. This process was pretty chaotic. I don't think the volunteers for the democratic party were prepared for the turn out they had. It's not that it was disorganized, just that they were not expecting so many people. I can't imagine what it would have been like if the weather would have cooperated. Once we got in the gym they put us on one side and divided us into groups of 100. This is where it was confusing. I thought, as well as people around me, that Clinton supporters would try to persude us to come to their side and vice versa. This never happened. Somehow during this process, 10 Clinton supporters came over to the "good side" and voted for Obama. They finally counted us, counted us again, and then counted one more time. People were cheering, getting agitated, calling others to find out results from other states and just discussing the entire Presidential Race. That part of it was pretty cool. To see so many people in one place supporting the person who you believe should be our next president, was amazing.

The final results from our district was Obama 510, Clinton 309! If you have kept up with Super Tuesday then you know Obama took Kansas.

I even had to call Daisy to tell her that I wish she could be there to experience it. She would have been proud of this displaced Okie in the Land of OZ.

Snow Day, Blog Day

2008-01-31T11:43:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged by Jessica.

The Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. or Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list. or Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old. Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.

Ok, I don't know if I'm doing this by the rules, but oh well. At least I'm posting. Oh, and to make up for not posting in awhile, I'm doing all three. Whoa, watch out blogging world. :)

5 random/weird facts:
1. I sometimes don't listen to the radio in the car. I like the complete silence.
2. If I'm writing on a post-it note at work and I mess up, I will throw it away and start over. I know....very wasteful.
3. I tell the sign that says, "Welcome to Oklahoma" hello and I missed you, every time we cross over the stateline from Kansas.
4. I get anxiety when I travel, even in a car, just not a plane.
5. When I was little, I had a fear of nuclear war.

5 top places on my “want to see or want to see again” list:
1. New England
2. Italy
3. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
4. Montana
5. New Orleans

5 things I never pictured being in my future when I was 27 years old:
1. Living in Wichita, KS
2. Working in Financial Aid
3. Living outside of Wyandotte. I always thought when I was little that I would live there forever and ever.
4. I would be working on my Master's degree
5. That I would be blessed to have such an awesome husband, family and friends.

I'm tagging Vic. That is the only one I am tagging because everyone else has been tagged.

Wishing....

2008-01-18T22:48:00.000-06:00

.....we lived in the country.
Ever since I've lived in the "big city" I've had many moments of yearning for country life. I'm going through that right now. I would miss my Target and Starbucks, but give me dirt roads, creeks and open fields any day!

We are actually off to the country this weekend. I'll try and post some pics when we return.
Y'all :) have a good weekend.

Lovely Weekend

2008-01-13T19:34:00.000-06:00

I'm typing here on a Sunday evening while Brady is watching the History channel and Okie has her nose under my foot. We had somewhat of an uneventful weekend but it was nice that way. Here's how it went down. :) By the way the weekend was deemed, Brady's Birthday Weekend.

Friday- After some wonderful Sonic fries and one of their new smoothies, Brady and I settled in to watch 3:10 to Yuma. I love western movies. This probably has to do with growing up with my grandpa and dad always watching them. But I love the new westerns that they are coming out with. Don't get me wrong, Tombstone and Lonesome Dove still rock.

Saturday-Went and picked up Brady's Birthday pie. He wanted an apple pie from Spear's. It was YUMMY! (Yes, I've kind of went off my eating better oath, but I'll get back on the wagon.)
We are looking to buy a couch and thought today was a perfect browsing day. I do have to say, I love the furniture stores in Kansas. They did not attack us like a bunch of wild hyenas as they do at a certain store in OKC. We found a few we like in our price range, but will continue to look until just the right one pops out to us.
For Brady's birthday dinner, we went to SUMO and had sushi. I wasn't fond of sushi the first time, but it was de-lish this time around. After watching Charlie Wilson's War (Very Good) we indulged in the apple pie with some vanilla ice cream to top it off.

Sunday-
Lunched with grandma and a dear friend, cleaned my very dirty jeep, had a phone conversation with an old friend and then an afternoon of laziness.
Ahhhh, I love these weekends. Tomorrow life settles back in and it's off to work and school.
Here's wishing everyone a peaceful and uneventful week.

Back to School Fun

2008-01-07T20:09:00.000-06:00

There it is folks, my first school books since graduating with my undergrad degree. Psychology does not scare me as much as Human Biology. You should see some of the pictures in that book. GROSS! I'm not good with stuff like that. We will see starting next week. The Psych class is from 6-10 at night on a MONDAY. It's not like I have a social life after I get home from work, but I really like my nights at home with my little family. It's just one night, I need to stop whining. I also had to get new, clean, fresh notebooks and pens. I wanted a new bag, but Brady said I already had too many bags. I really don't he just thinks that. ;) So, I'm going to make my own bag with my very own, new sewing machine. Momma and Papa's Christmas present to me. I'll show you the results of this first sewing adventure here in a few days.

Now this picture is long overdue. This is the Sock Monkey that my good friend Daisy sent me during Christmas. (It's just a gift not a Christmas present. hee! hee!) It is actually in the nude right now because when she sent it to me it had on an adorable Santa outfit. I think he looks pretty good up on my baker's rack. I need to name him, any thoughts?

The little cups around him I found on sale at Target. They would be so easy to make if you needed a party favor. They are just made out of dixie cups, paper mache and some ribbon. I think I'll put little chocolates in them for Easter. The niece and nephew will like them.

Ok, it's off to the couch to enjoy one more lazy Monday night before the school bell rings.

Kicking legs, things that sparkle and saying a prayer

2008-01-03T22:01:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite picture.

Yes, I'm a dork. I had Brady take this picture of my new bracelet. Doesn't it look purdy with my wedding ring.

The newlyweds. We only took a few pictures together. :(

St.Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas Day.

This is where we stayed, the Waldorf-Astoria. Yeah, right!

Little Blue Boxes and Pizza

2008-01-03T21:32:00.000-06:00

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip.

My little bite of the Big Apple

2008-01-03T20:58:00.000-06:00

Jessica, here is the G rated version of our honeymoon. Actually it's the only version since walking in NYC tired us pretty quickly. We were in bed by 9:00/10:00 every night.
You pretty much heard my airplane stories, so here is my impression of NYC. I like making lists, so that is how you are getting it. :) Pictures will follow.
*I like NYC, it was neat to see all the monuments, buildings, stores that I've only seen on the big screen. I would not want to live there though.
*I would never go to NYC during Christmas again. It was so crowded with what seemed like a million tourists from every country and then us crazy Midwesterners. We waited 2 hours in line to go to the top of the Empire State building, which was probably one of my favorite moments. Looking out over every corner of Manhattan was an awesome sight. It was a clear, windy, extremely chilly day, but it was perfect for seeing from Brooklyn to New Jersey. The wait to see the Statue of Liberty was 3-4hours. We just took pictures from the pier.
*Things look smaller then they appear. The ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center was much smaller then I thought it would be. It might be small but it had every bit of Christmas magic I expected it to. I didn't dare touch my foot to the ice because with our luck I would've been in a caste the rest of the week.
*The SNL and Conan stages are tiny! I can't believe they do all they do on those stages. TV magic!
*Radio City Music Hall was pretty cool. The Rockettes are awesome in their routines. Never, I mean NEVER, out of step with each other. Brady didn't care for it, but I was watching it like a little kid. I pretty much took NYC in like a little kid. I wasn't so much in culture shock, just in amazement at this little island with such a big personality.
*Museum of Natural History-not for me. Metropolitan Museum of Art-LOVED! I went their by myself (on the last day) because Brady had his fill of the crowds. I tried to block out everyone around me and just absorb the masterpieces that I never thought I would get to see. I probably only saw half of the museum. I would've spent two full days there.
*I'm not a shopper. NYC is a town for someone who loves to shop. I took lots of pictures of the outside ritzy stores, but I only stepped into Macy's and Tiffany's. Brady bought me for Christmas something I have always wanted. A signature silver heart "Return to Tiffany's" bracelet. I love it! I think I might love the little blue box it came in just as much.
*NYC does sleep on Christmas Day. Many restaurants and attractions were closed on the 25th. I think we had pizza for Christmas dinner.
*Taxi drivers are fearless.
*It doesn't matter what kind of shoes you have on, if you walk as much as we did your feet will still feel like they want to fall off by the end of the day.
*NYC has some of the best sweets I have had in my life.
*Planet Hollywood: a hamburger, club sandwich, and two pops=$40!!!
This is why we ate somewhat cheap the rest of the week.
*I loved me some NYC pepperoni pizza! I want some right now.
*Grand Central Station has a romantic feel to it. Beautiful architecture.
*Bryant Park had really cool shops set up for Christmas. And of course I kept telling Brady, "This is where they do Fashion Week and this is where they come to on Project Runway." He didn't care.
*I found a really cool Japanese store that had one of a kind stationary, notebooks and pens. I found some charming Doxie paper. Love it!
*I'm sure there is much more to tell, but I guess I'll save all those little stories for just Brady and I to remember. NYC was a fun place to visit. I can't say it was my most favorite place ever. If we go back it will probably be in the springtime and I would like to see more of the as Brady calls it, "Hippie" areas. Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Soho,etc. We flew (in a taxi) by some of these areas and they just looked more like me. Quaint little boutiques with unique finds. Maybe next time.

"Mommy, are we crashing?"

2007-12-28T20:32:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I heard a kid say this to his mom. Made me feel real good!
So we made it to NYC (I will blog on the trip itself later) safely and back home safely. I just want to share a few things I learned about airports and flying.
*The small jumper planes (the ones that flew us from Wichita/Chicago and St.Louis/Wichita) suck! I mean I hate them! I felt like I was in a cracker box.
*If a blizzard is to hit where you live, it will do so the day you plan to fly.
*The women/men (we only dealt with women) at the front desks of airlines are very willing to help. They made sure Brady and I sat together (I often used the, "this is my first time to fly" ploy....it worked.) and they also accommodated us on many switch-a-roos due to the weather.
*Taking off...not so bad. Landing....not so good.
*Mentally going over Jessica's list of advice really helped me. I smiled every time I saw a child get on our flight.
*Having someone you love and someone that cares about you there to hold your hand and let you squeeze it really hard is wonderful. I couldn't have done it without Brady.
*I don't think I could fly alone.
*Listening to Children sing their ABC's and make donkey noises let's me know it's not all bad.
*Seeing the mountains of clouds or flying over the Statue of Liberty is kinda, I said kinda, worth it.
*Losing luggage (Brady's not mine) makes for a crabby mood. FYI: Pack extra clothes in carry-on.
*Eating a giant cookie and drinking ginger ale do not mix well with a nervous stomach and turbulence.
*Thinking of every 9/11 movie made and going over the different scenes in your mind, not a good idea.
*If you are flying for the first time they will pick you for extra security checks! It was probably the nervous vibes I was giving off. :)
*Just for the record: I only had one panic attack where I thought we were crashing. I started crying and dug my head into Brady's chest. I walked of the plane with red eyes and Brady with black mascara all over his white shirt he had to wear for two days.
*All in all, it got us to where we were going, but I can't say I fell in love with flying. Give me a road trip any day! NYC stories and pictures to come!