Congratulations!

Congratulations to all the pregnant people in the world...Congratulations to Sara Watterson, Shannon Iverson, Lisa Hardin, Bonnie Miller, Kristin Gates, Jen Foster, Caryn Powers, and Lori Owens! Congratulations to Stefani Cain and new baby Ian, born just two days ago!

All of these wonderful gals are in my class at church. Unfortunately, I have to resign from that class, as there must be a pregnancy drug they are putting in casseroles and baby shower food! It's a conspiracy, I think!

In all seriousness, it is very exciting for them all! More babies to play with and give back when there's a dirty diaper! Works for me...

We're going to finish up moving tonight and tomorrow! Tonight will be our first night to sleep in the new house, so I am very excited. The best thing is that tomorrow is Lisa Hardin's baby shower at Courtney's house, so I could WALK around the corner to get there if I wanted!!

I can't wait until next week when I'm off work to unpack and have fun putting the house together. Still debating on the red OU room. I'm hearing a lot of people say it's not worth it because it's so hard to paint, and then when we try to sell the house it would be hard to sell that room. Sigh...we'll see, I guess!

Congrats again to all the moms-to-be!

Tired from a long day, but still happy--here we are two years from saying "I Do"! 

2 Years: A Recollection

I sit here as our second anniversary winds to an end. It was a crazy day--I actually had to work this evening in Tulsa. Even with leaving the event early, I still didn't get home until 8:00. John was busy saving the day, running my mom around to fix her car, plus he brought our new bed home and set it up for me. So, needless to say--our anniversary dinner was mellow. We decided to go to our standby favorite: TGI Friday's. We talked about moving, then we went home and moved stuff! What a celebration..it was perfect!

I can't believe it's been two years already. Then again, it's hard to imagine life without John. He's been in my life for 6 years now, and it has been so much fun. Hard to believe that on our first date, we hated each other and called it quits early. Thank goodness God knew better, and put it in our hearts to try again.

I've told many of my friends who recently got married that the first year of marriage can be so hard. Our first year was a year of adjustments and change. It was very hard, and I often wondered if it would get better. This second year had answered that question--it gets a thousand times better! Of course things have been good, God has been so good to us. But still--I know even if we were going through hard times, we'd still get through it with with flying colors.

Who knows what will come in year 3.

Anyway, thanks for indulging me. I just feel so blessed to be married to the most wonderful man in the world. He makes me laugh every day, makes me feel so safe, and takes such good care of me. Happy Anniversary, Honey. I love you!

Here is our new buffet John put together....he's so handy! 

John brought my birthday present home...finally! Setting it up was my anniversary present (as if a house wasn't enough!) 

I'm making very good use of the master closet....I sure hope I have room for everything! ;) Don't forget to read the updates below. Lots of excitement!

Our fun look for the Guest bathroom! I love the bright colors! 

John has worked so hard. He's painted, put up blinds on all the windows, sealed the tile floors, put together our new buffet. I'm so lucky to have him! 

Here is the linen closet....my first completed closet. It cleared out 5 boxes to bring back for more packing! 

Here's the car I'm pimpin' in at this time....don't be fooled...it's AWESOME and has really helped the move!

Cox Cable Stinks

Ok, I've known since I was a young freshman in the dorms at OU that Cox Cable is a monopoly that is just plain bad news. They are rude, never on time, and my college friends and I have reported many a bad experience to the Better Business Bureau.

So today I found out horrible news....they would not wire our house for internet, phone, and cable until 45-60 days from now. If you know me at all, that is just not acceptable. Especially when the house 3 doors down has all of those amenities.

So I finally had the opportunity to throw it back in Cox's face...we went to SBC/Yahoo/Dish Network. I've never had satellite, perhaps they stink even worse than cable. But I DON'T CARE!! The point is--there is another option out there! Cox does not have a complete hold on the digital technology world. It's such a freeing feeling...I feel so wonderful about it. So, we'll be saving 10-bucks a month, have it installed next Thursday, get the exact same things as Cox offers, PLUS the ESPN package for football season and...drumroll....a FREE DVR!!!!

What started as a very scary thought (45 days no cable) ended up becoming a dream come true. We are free from Cox and I have the DVR I've always dreamed of.

Oh, and did I mention I got a promotion at work today? You are no longer reading the blog of PR Coordinator. You are reading the blog of Account Executive, which is actually 2 positions higher than PR Coordinator. Of course it is the advertising world, so it's still minor duckets when it comes to pay, but I love the job just the same. At least I sound important now!

AND did I mention tomorrow is our 2nd wedding anniversary? He's put up with me (I've put up with him) for two years already. I couldn't ask for a better husband and a better life than the one we have together. It is filled with laughter and he makes me feel so special.

This is a great day to be alive!!

We're Homeowners!!

Well, everything went wonderfully this weekend. They told us to block off 2 hours for closing....it took us 30 minutes. We went right over to the house and smelled the newness, and began planning. Unfortunately, we hit a snag right off the bat--we have a plumbing problem already! But, Ideal Homes is taking care of that this week, at no cost to us. Hurray!

We began moving things that night. Oh, also, I got into a slight accident on Wednesday night, so I've been driving a major pimp mobile all weekend--a 2006 Dodge Magnum, which is the station wagon on steroids you've been seeing. It's ugly as sin, but I'm in love with it. Do you have any idea how much stuff can fit in it?! Plus, it's big and I feel powerful. It's been VERY helpful over the weekend moving lots of stuff.

I already have the kitchen moved and unloaded, except for a few boxes. I have both bathrooms ready to go with shower curtains and the works. I have the linen closet done, and I've moved almost all of my hanging clothes to the giant master closet. So, I've done about all I can do without furniture!

We painted the master bedroom yesterday--it is much harder than it looks! Those paint rollers really work your arms. The color is only slightly darker than the white walls....I would have liked to go darker, but I guess marriage is about compromise or something like that. :) So, we decided together on a khaki color. We're still debating the crimson OU office....not sure what we're going to do there.

I will post pictures tonight, after more moving. Between the moving and ALL the swimming we did this weekend with Easton and Mason, I'd better lose at Weight Watchers this week!!! I feel very in-shape.

Pictures to come...we love our new house!

D-Day

Well, it's finally here! 6 months after we signed the original papers and picked our lot, our home is finally about to be ours! Tomorrow at 2 p.m. we will be "signing our life away"...I've been practicing my signature so my hand won't get tired! Just kidding...

We are so excited, and I will post pictures as we move in. Tomorrow night, since John is umping (funny word), I will be moving the kitchen with the help of wonderful friend Melissa and wonderful sister Julia!

Keep us in your prayers...it's a big move! Also, if you get chance this weekend , say a little prayer for me. Monday is my annual performance review at work. I don't expect bad news, of course, but I am really hoping for good news that will help keep us comfortable as we take on the added expense of homeownership, if you know what I mean! Silly, I know....but I'm pretty anxious.

I'll post another update soon!

One week and counting...

Only 7 days until closing! Only bad thing is: we have to move our STUFF! I wish I could wiggle my nose and it all be moved and organized in a split second. Oh well...it will be worth it!

An oven! 

Dining Room 

Sink, counter, dishwasher....the kitchen is coming together! (Notice the tile!) 

It's hard to see because it's dark, but our new front door is in! It's a lovely red. Very welcoming for ALL our houseguests... 

We have indoor plumbing! Guess that means we can't keep the Port-O-Potty we loved so much in our front yard. Oh well....it's pathetic that even a toilet can excite us! 

We have carpet!!! It's brand new carpet, and it feels so good on bare feet. I wonder how long it will stay lovely? 

How many pregnant women can you fit in a living room??

We had another fun weekend. The best news--John is now a certified Umpire for slow-pitch softball games! He starts THIS WEEK umping co-ed softball church leagues. Not JUST for fun--there's good money in it, too! Since his third knee surgery last August, he will never be allowed to play softball again. So this is a great way to feel part of the game, and not injure himself! Plus, he never got paid to play softball before--so it's a win-win for us all. :)

As you can see from the picture, I attended another baby shower. Looks like there will be one a weekend for a while! It was a lot of fun, and I even got a couple of offers from my girlfriends to help me unpack the house in a few weeks! Shannon will be about 9 months pregnant, but she said she'd be happy to unpack tupperware!! I'm also recruiting Nicki Robnett to help me plant flowers in our new flowerbed--I'll have to post pictures sometime of her front-yard garden. She has an amazing greenthumb, and she's off work and school for the summer--I know how to use people!!!

We have discovered a FABULOUS new restaurant! Moe's Southwest Grill! It just opened on Thursday, and we ate there twice this weekend. If any of you have been to Chipotle, then you will love Moe's! I've been wanting Chipotle FOREVER and this totally satisfied my craving. It's medium-priced Tex-Mex, including a "build your own burrito" option, plus AMAZING queso sauce. AND--many of the menu items are named after favorite quotes, chracters and plots of the "Friends" TV show! So, you can order a Fun Bobby, a Joey Bag of Donuts (my favorite), the Ugly Naked Guy, an I Said Posse, Puff the Magic Dragon, etc. Visit www.moes.com or the restaurant (33rd and Broadway by Charleston's) and enjoy! You can also ask for Tiffany--and tell her Jess and John sent you.

Packed up about 10 boxes this weekend....we're getting close!

Well, I had another baby shower this weekend! It was a HUGE shower and Sara (next to me on the left) got lots of great stuff for Baby Chase! And we finally took a picture of all the class Girls--if you look closely, how many pregnant women can you find? (hint--there's 6 in the picture!) 

A beautiful yard....we're only 13 days from closing!! 

Here's the best I can do for you. The house is locked, and we're never there in time to get a key to inside. But, as you can see, we have tile inside! 

We have a tree! And bushes and sod....it has the promise of curb appeal (though it will probably take a lot of time and work on JOhn's half to REALLY look nice!)