LibertyFest approaching

Well it's almost here.  LibertyFest 2010!

Around Edmond, OK... we make 4th of July a REALLY BIG DEAL!

In fact... LibertyFest in Edmond, Oklahoma was selected as one of the top 10 places to be in America on July 4th by CNN & USA Today.  It is a week long celebration of the birthday of this great nation & the heritage of our fine state.

Here's a quick breakdown of events to take place:
Car Show, KiteFest, Rodeo, Road Rally, A Taste of Edmond, Concert in the Park, Chalk-It-Up, Parade, ParkFest at UCO, Fireworks & Scholarship Pageant.  Details for each event are on their website:  http://www.libertyfest.org/

My two favorite parts... the Rodeo of course AND free watermelon at ParkFest!
Seriously who doesn't just love watermelon, ha ha!

The Rodeo always take awhile to prepare for every year, but it's always well worth it to see the turn out we have.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the temperature cooperates with us & it doesn't get to scalding hot out there.  That makes it completely miserable for everyone & especially me.  Since "baby it" is forcing me to carry around a few extra pounds, I'm always burning up & wish I never had to leave the comfort of a/c.

Fortunately I think we have enough people volunteering to help this year, that I can hopefully sit back & relax in my new totally awesome leopard print folding chair that my sweetheart got for me the other day.  I will locate something to prop my tootsies up on once I get there.  I might actually get to watch the rodeo & that's exciting.  I've never actually watched even 90% of our big rodeo... ever!

Hopefully everything runs smoothly, nobody has any issues or we don't run out of anything, etc. & we pull it off without a snag anywhere!

naptime

Well it's officially scheduled now.  The ultra sound appointment in which we will find out what we're having.  July 6th is the date... 2 weeks from now.  Fred & I are both anxious to know.

The Intelligender Gender Prediction Test said it's a boy.  I took one of those chinese birth chart thingys online & it said it was a girl.  Then I was reading the reviews online about the Intelligender Gender Prediction Test & there were only a few that predicted it correctly.  Basically none of the tests are very accurate & we'll have to wait until the ultra sound to know for sure.  That's ok though... only 2 more weeks to wait.

Hopefully at that point we'll have the house situation figured out too.  If not, I might have to be committed to one of those white padded rooms.  I swear the walls of our itty bitty apartment are closing in on us & getting smaller & smaller by the day.  Seriously, no joke.

I'm not really crazy I promise.  I'm totally normal.

So around the same time every single day (2pm-ish)... my eye lids get extremely heavy & I have to put up a fight to keep them from closing.  It's a hard battle to win too.  All I can think about during that time is "what if" I had carpet in my office?  I could easily crawl under the desk & take a quick power nap then I would be revived & feel brand new again for the remainder of the afternoon!  Unfortunately I have tile in my office... hard tile, no carpet, not even a rug.

There is enough room in my office for a couch or love seat though.  How would I manage to swing that by the boss?  I'm not sure they would go for me bringing in a piece of furniture to full fill my napping needs.  That would be awesome though.

It never hurts to dream.

Eischen's

I've been to Eischen's at least one million times in my life so far... because well they have the best chicken in Oklahoma!

Please make a note of this though...
DO NOT GO ON A FRIDAY OR SATURDAY NIGHT UNLESS YOU WANT TO STAND AROUND & WAIT FOREVER.

I honestly don't ever remember Eischen's being that busy when I've gone before, but maybe since they were featured on Food Networks "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", that might be why it's so flipping busy nowdays.  Who knows.

Anyways... last Saturday night I was ready to do something & wanted to do something different for a change.  I came up with the idea we should go to Eischen's!  Since my bff Kat, husband & son were in town & I know they haven't been there before... what a perfect idea, right?

Okarche (where Eischen's is located) is only about a 30 minute trip from our house, so it worked out well.  We did have to stand around for awhile once we got there & wait for a table to grab (because there is no hostess to seat you).  Luckily we didn't really have to wait that long before a nice lady offered their table to us as they were leaving.  An hour wait for the chicken to cook & we were eating.  Yum Yum!  Totally worth it.  For anyone who hasn't been there... you need to go!  In fact, go now!

All in all, it was a great trip... ate way to much of course, but totally worth it.  We had a great time & now Kat can say she's been to Eischen's!

leopard folding chair

Check out what my sweetheart bought for me yesterday at Academy!

A leopard print folding chair.  Totally awesome huh?  Oh yeah!

I felt like a little kid with a new toy.  Seriously.
I know... it doesn't take a lot to make me happy.  I even told him I was going to have to blog about it & he just smiled & laughed.  I know he thinks I'm crazy sometimes, ha ha.

So next weekend I will break out my new leopard print chair at our open rodeo & park my butt in it.  It's real comfy too so I can't wait.  Now if only they made a fold-out matching leopard thingy to prop my feet up on... LOL!

I know everyone will want to run out & buy one now that they've seen my blog!  ;)

Thank you honey for my new awesome comfy leopard chair, I love it & I love you!

Jaylon Springs

Now introducing Jaylon Springs
6 lbs 15 oz born 8:24pm on Thursday, June 17th

Ang, one of my bff's... this is her 3rd baby girl.  How precious Jaylon looks in this pic.  I'm so happy for Ang!  They have the cutest family!

Unfortunately Ang & family live in another state so I couldn't be there for the birth of little Jaylon, but even though I wasn't there physically... I was still there with her & she knows it.

Hopefully when they come back to OK for the holidays we'll get to hook up at some point.  And just think... this Christmas... Fred & I will have our very own little one too!  That's just so crazy to think about sometimes.  Almost like it's not even really real just yet.

Congrats Ang & family on welcoming another precious baby girl Jaylon Springs!
Love & miss you & can't wait to see you!

sonic tea

Who loves Sonic ice tea?

I mean seriously... I've been in love with it for as long as I can remember.  I never get a small, medium or large either.  I go straight for the big 44 oz!  Un-sweet of course.

For years it was a ritual for me to stop by Sonic on my way to work every single morning & grab a 44 tea.  And I do mean EVERY single morning too, no lie.  When I switched jobs I was lost for a short time trying to find the best route to work in order to swing by Sonic, but it didn't take me long before I had that figured out.

Then with another job change it put me further away from a Sonic & I was no longer able to work out a route that wasn't totally out of the way, so I had to give it up.  My morning ritual was no more.  Oh I was sad.  Very sad.

A year passed & yet another job change came about... and here I am.  Now even further away from Sonic.  What a crock!

The good news is that Sonic decided to build a place not to many miles from where we live, so we have a Sonic closer to home at least!  Of course... it's still not convenient for me to go there before work everyday, which doesn't make me very happy, but I guess that's just how it works out sometimes.

I honestly think I could just live on Sonic tea.  Breakfast, lunch & dinner.  Everyday.
Wait... that's probably to much caffeine huh?  Oh well.

I could really use a Sonic tea right about now!

Hodge Podge

I got this recipe from Sarah, a girl I worked with at an old job.
I made it for the first time last night & YUM!

Hodge Podge

Brown 1 lb hamburger meat

Then add
2 cans of rotel
2 can of Minestrone soup
2 cans of Ranch Style beans
1 can of corn
And ¼ of Velveeta brick

I actually put 2 cans of corn & only 1 can of Ranch Style beans & a little more Velveeta, because Fred doesn't like beans that much & it was very yummy!

Everyone really needs to try this... it's very simple... very quick & very good!

acquiring satellite signal

~ Attention ~
Acquiring Satellite Signal

Oh... how I hate it when that happens.  Especially when you want to figure out what's going on w/the weather!

When it rains it pours... LITERALLY!

I'm not even sure what time it really started storming yesterday morning, but I know it was really early.

Then I headed off for work & wow talk about a mistake.  Should've just stayed home & not even bothered to attempt it, but ya really never know how bad the roads or traffic is until you actually get out there & see for yourself.  Know what I mean?  Well after a grooling 2 hours on the highway & not even half way to work yet... I decided it simply wasn't worth the trip.  I made my way off the highway, turned around & headed back to home!

Don't worry... I will write more about "The Great Flood" from yesterday... in another post.

So here's the next exciting thing...

Fred & I bought one of those Intelligender Gender Prediction Test's on Sunday.  Just because we were curious to know.  After I got it home & read the instructions, we had to wait til morning before I could take it.  So yesterday morning, I took the test & the results showed a BOY!  Now... we just have to wait & see if the results are right or not when I go for the ultra sound in another 3-4 weeks.  My next actual dr appointment is next Monday, but I don't think they can actually see anything until you are 19-20 weeks along.  I could be wrong though.  I guess I'll ask the dr on Monday when I see him.  Hopefully Fred will be able to go with me Monday just in case they can already do the ultra sound & find out what it is then.  If he can't make it then I won't go ahead with the ultra sound.  I don't want to find out without him there with me.  I don't think that would be very fair at all.

So just with the results from that test & it saying it's a boy... we're both excited.  Fred's really excited though.  He really wants a boy.  Really we're excited either way, if it's a boy or a girl.  It doesn't really matter to us.  It's still OUR baby no matter what, which is just really awesome to think about.  A baby that will be a combination of both of us... wow that's a really great feeling.

I honestly couldn't have ever imagined exactly what it would feel like to be pregnant, but wow... what a shock.  I'm sure there's a lot more yet to come since I'm only 15 weeks, but right now I get so exhausted so easily.  I feel like such a weenie sometimes.  The heat has been a killer though.  Being out in the extreme heat of the summer always wears ya down fast, but being prego along with the heat... wow... total wipe out.

I think if I could somehow take a nap every afternoon for like an hour, I would feel fine.  Mornings aren't really that bad for me as long as I go to bed early the night before.  The afternoons are tough though.  I almost can't function because my eyes just want to close on me.  It sucks.  Someone needs to come up with some sort of prego energy boosting pill or something.

married men

This is something I read on another blog, coming from a marraige seminar that a married man wrote & handed out to other married men at the seminar.  I read it & thought it was perfect, so I wanted to share with everyone else too.

• LOVE your wife…with actions and words
• Be the head…not the tail! (or the butt)
• Tell her she’s beautiful
• Listen better….turn off the TV or gaming system
• Write love notes
• Bring small gifts…it really is the thought that counts
• Give her longer kisses…not just the peck on your way out the door
• Leave work at work
• Continue to pursue her…even though you’ve already caught her
• Hold her hand
• E-mail and text her
• Take her on surprise dates
• Take care of the cars
• Finish those home repair projects (or hire someone to finish them)
• Give her lots of cuddle time
• Be her best friend
• Tell her you love her often….and tell her why
• Share your dreams with her: Family Vision

These are definitely things that would make my heart melt.  Just the simplest of things mean the most.

where's the light?

Do you ever think everything's going your way... and then surprise... you hit the bottom again?

Like maybe, just maybe... you can see the sun light finally shining down on you.

Then all of a sudden the sky turns black with no warning.

You start to wonder if anything will start looking in your favor.  Ever.

I know God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but I'm starting to wonder if he has me mixed up with someone else.

I've tried to keep the faith.  I've cried.  I've crossed fingers & toes.  I've prayed.  I've lost sleep.  And now... I'm absolutely & completely worn smooth out.  The past few days have been rough, extremely rough on my mind & body.  I'm stressed to the max & it's making my stomach turn upside down.

Pregnancy hormones are a lot harder to handle then I had imagined.
If there's a stress test out there, I'm 100% sure that I'm off the charts right now.

I know I know... stressing out is not good for me or the baby, yada yada yada.

I've also been informed that someone is getting tired of hearing how stressed out I am also.
Sounds crazy... but that only just stressed me out more hearing that.  This is what it sounded like to me, "I know your stressed out, I don't care & I'm tired of hearing about it, so shut up".

1 or 2 absolutely amazing things can happen to me & then immediately afterwards, 3 or 4 bad things will follow.  It never ceases to amaze me how this works or why it works that way.

Maybe I need a break.  A road trip.  Just to get away for awhile, even just for a day.

All I want is for everything to work out & fall in to place.  It usually takes hard work & determination to make things work out & fall in to place though... that's typically what I'm made of too, but right now I just don't have it in me & I need someone else to step up to the plate & take charge for once.  I need to be the one with my feet up, relaxing & not stressing out.  I want to be the one whose being taken care of & not the one taking care of everyone else.

After two days in a row I've learned the hard way... don't try to eat lunch when your stomach is in knots.  Lunch doesn't like to stay down.  I guess I will be hitting the v8 bottle when I get home from work, as I'm crawling in to bed to hide under the covers for the evening.

If anyone finds my sanity, please let me know where it ran off to.  I'd like to have it back now.

ulta sound #2

There really is something in there.

Right now we're calling it "baby it".
At least until we find out if it's a boy or a girl.

Yes we have names already picked out, but I'll save all that for another post another time.

"Baby It" looks a little squished in there huh?
"Baby It" looks kinda huge to me in these pics.

December 7th is the due date.

I keep looking at the pics thinking... holy crap... that's what's inside of me!

Over all I've felt pretty good for the most part.
Nothing to major at least.

I'm having a few issues w/swelling, but it's so flippin' hot outside right now too!  The nurse told me to only stand in the heat for so long then sit for 30 minutes to relax w/my feet elevated.  I hate being restricted like that, but it wasn't until I looked at my feet, ankles, legs & realized that they were severely swollen... it kinda scared me, so I thought maybe I should listen & follow directions a little better.

Some days I'm so exhausted I can't even see straight, it's crazy.  I've been doing good about going to bed a lot earlier than I typically would have before, so that I get enough rest to function through the next day.  Jr. Rodeo weekends are pretty hard on me, I don't want to get out of bed the next day.  Luckily we haven't had to many real late rodeo nights yet & I'm really crossing my fingers that we don't either.  I'm not sure my body can handle it right now.

My friend Pam has been helping me at the rodeos this year & she's been totally awesome help for me in the office!  No I didn't bribe or threaten her either, I promise.  She actually volunteered to come out & help me I swear.  I love having her help & her company!  I think she enjoys coming out & helping too.  Fred can't always be at every rodeo to help me & well... this year I really need the help.

Not everyone knows that I'm pregnant.  The family reunion last weekend didn't really give me the opportunity to tell family, because we were a little late getting there, hurried to eat then everything else started... then before we knew it, well it was late, I was exhausted & ready to head for home.  They'll all know soon enough no doubt.  ha ha

HoMedics Lumbar Massaging Cushion

HoMedics Lumbar Massaging Cushion

Talk about the best invention ever & you can buy it for $39.62 at Sam's Club.  Totally worth it's money if you ask me!

I have degenerative spine disease.  Basically instead of my back having the normal S curve that it's supposed to... mine is almost completely straight.  Yeah... it sucks.  The past month it's been really bothering me & I figure this issue will only progress as the next few months pass by.  Not looking forward to that part at all.

Well... we were at Sam's Sunday & as we were strolling down every aisle, we saw one of these back massage thingys.  He decided this was a good investment & he bought it for me.

Two things happened with this purchase:
1.  He loved me enough to buy me the back massage thingy to make me feel better
2.  He would get out of having to rub my back again

I must say, this was a very successful trip for both of us, LOL.

Sunday night when we finally arrived home, I was anxious to test drive the new massaging machine.

It was AWESOME!  The results were fantastic in my opinion.
When I woke up Monday morning, my back felt the best it ever has in a really long time.  Totally amazing!

Best invention ever.  Who ever came up w/this idea needs a pat on the back & a cookie.

Now I'm addicted.  Every night I look forward to my back massage!

baby on board

Well here we go...

Initially, I totally freaked out.  One million things running thru my mind all at the same time.  Decisions, questions, everything you can possibly think of.

Shock.  Total shock to say the least.

My first response... well I didn't have one.  I was completely speachless.  Wasn't sure what to do, think or say next.

Everything happened so fast.  When I got the news that I was pregnant, it really didn't set in for awhile.  A long while.  Then after taking two more pregnancy tests at home, just so I could see it for my own eyes... it was confirmed... that yes I really am pregnant.

Yep... there I said it... I AM PREGNANT!

How did this happen?
No I'm not stupid, I know the process in which pregnancy occurs.
I was taking b/c pills though & never missed one pill at all.

It really didn't even seem real & until I went for the ultra sound... as I was lying there on the table & looked up the monitor in shock & it really hit me that there's a "baby it" in there!  Talk about scary!  Yikes.
Don't get me wrong, I've always wanted kids, family, etc. but I never thought it would happen so fast, so un-expected & so un-planned.

For awhile I wasn't quite sure if it was ok to be happy or sad.  I wasn't sure when or if I would reach my happy spot with all of this.  Although I'm still a little shaken & scared, I think I'm there now.  Two ultra sounds later & realizing how far along I really am & how close the time will close in... I've officially now gone into happy/planning mode.
Somebody pinch me, this isn't really happening... is it?  WOW

I feel like I'm in a tornado, spinning around & around or something.

Now I do feel a little better that it's out there on the table now.

random thoughts for the day

The one who takes your hand, but touches your heart is a true friend.

We seldom think of what we have, but always think of what we miss.

Don't cry because it's over now, laugh because it happened.

The more precisely you plan, the harder destiny will hit you.

What happens, happens for a reason.

Don't make an effort because the best things happen, when you least expect them.

The greatest events aren't the loudest, but the most quiet hours.

The most difficult lesson to learn is:  Which bridge in life to use or which one to break off.

Everybody sees how you seem, however, only some know who you are.

He who would like to have something he never had, will have to do something well, that he hasn't done yet.

Perhaps God would want you to become acquainted with many different people in the course of your life, so that when you meet the right ones, you can appreciate and be greatful for them.

Plan for tomorrow but live for today.

Love doesn't require two people to look at each other, but that they look together in the same direction.

Life is drawing without an eraser.