Here I am with my dad at the Minneapolis airport before I headed home. I look a little nervous because I'd actually been assigned a seat on the 13th row and at this point I'd realized it. You all know my aversion to flying!

Alas, a very nice man requested I switch with him so he could sit with his wife so I flew safely home on the 11th row!

Here is one of the few pictures we took while in Minneapolis....this was after the Triple Espresso show Dad and I went to....very funny show! Check out their website atwww.tripleespresso.com

She looks like a bunny rabbit....with elf ears...

A pic from a few weeks ago of the rulers of our house...look how big Faith is getting!

Weather or not?

Maybe I'm just really tired because I drove to Tulsa this morning at 5:30 a.m.

Maybe I've just been cooped up in this office for too long.

After all, I'm no meteorlogist.

But, I'm not seeing these horrific storms with golf-ball sized hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding that we've been hearing about for 48 hours. And the wind--eh, I'd say average wind at best.

Norman Public Schools just released a statement saying they would keep the children in a secured area of the school until parents came to pick them up, and encouraged parents not to drive in severe weather if they weren't comforable.

Ummm...the sun is shining.

Weathermen drive me crazy....

Triple Espresso

Well, I'm having a very nice, relaxing time in Minnesota so far. We've done a lot of shopping and I've escaped fairly unscathed. Yesterday we went outlet mall shopping before heading into downtown to a show called "Triple Espresso". It was really really funny. Good clean family fun. It really was enjoyable and I'd love to see it again sometime to get more of the jokes.

Today we went to IKEA and the Mall of America. WOW--IKEA is amazing. Can't wait to go down to Dallas in the Magnum and bring back some good stuff! All I bought were some fun boxes for the office. But I found a lot of stuff! At the Mall of American the only thing I bought was a jar of white chocolate creamy peanut butter from the peanut butter store. I was so tempted to have them make me a PBJ....it was such a cool store!

Tomorrow is even more relaxation day. Going to the gym to soak in the hot tub....my joints are inflamed and sore from all the activity today! Then maybe a movie, maybe dinner....who knows. I love bumming around on Saturdays, so I'm up for whatever.

I did go to two cool shops today. One was "Relax the Back" store, and I finally found a pillow/wedge designed by an orthopedist to put between my knees at night for support of my hips and knees. Paid a little money for it, but it will definitely make a difference. Then I went to "Storables". It was a giant store full of organization tools! What a dream job that would be--running a store and designing a clean, orderly house for people. I loved that shop!

I'm getting pretty tired now....off to bed. But I wanted to check in. Pics to come...hopefully!

Bracketology 101

Apparently I need to take a course in bracketology because it is ridiculous how bad it has become.

I lost 13 total teams in the FIRST round.
Which means after the second round I had 17 teams out.
I've already lost 6 teams in the Sweet Sixteen and the stupid round hasn't even started.
I've lost 2 teams in the Elite Eight already.
BUT--my Final Four is still intact. If UConn, Villanova, UCLA, and Texas survive to the Final Four then maybe I won't look as dumb.

March madness is making me MAD...

Plus....I hate Texas. I'm a little angry at myself for moving them on into the Final Four, but what can you do? I will not root for them, I promise. They are not in my final 2.

Go UConn.

I'm Fine!

Ok....to all my friends and family who called yesterday and today about my blog yesterday--I'm fine! The response has convinced me that I don't talk about God enough in my life because when I did everyone thought something was wrong!

No--I was very worried about a situation at work yesterday. As I tend to do in many situatins, I got myself all worked up and overreacted. In the meantime, I just asked God to help me see clearly and make good decisions. By 1:00 yesterday almost everything had fallen into place, and by 5:00 details I hadn't even worried about yet were all worked out! I was just saying thanks in a public way because I don't thank God often enough for taking things over and taking care of me.

This event for work takes place on Monday, so I still have a lot of prayers to say. But at least for the planning portion--God just swooped in and made it happen. I'm fine, we're fine, and I now vow to talk more about God and thank him more often. I don't want to be one of those people who only go to God in crisis mode--he's pretty great to answer prayers even when, in the grand scheme of things, the request doesn't matter.

I will actually have pictures to post next week....exciting I know. It's been a while! I am headed to Minneapolis tomorrow morning (very early) to visit my dad for the weekend. I haven't been there in a couple of years, and I'm excited because it's still cold and snowy up there. I'm not ready to hang all my cute sweaters up just yet!

No big plans--a show, shopping (Hello my first trip to IKEA!), movie-watching, and eating (my favorite pasttime).

By the way, Girl's Night at Sara's was a huge success. How fun was it to look at everyone's wedding albums? It was so neat to see that, since I have known most of those girls since they've been married. Also, we shared childhood pictures of our husbands. I need to find a scanner and post some of the ones Nina found for me of John. He was so blonde! Lisa Hardin is convinced John curled his bangs as a child....what can I say, he had two older sisters who I'm sure tortured him with hair products!

All right, I'm signing off. I'll let you know how the trip goes (returning Sunday) and how the event on Monday pans out. Not too worried about it anymore!

Heavenly Sunlight

I just have to say--God came through for me in a big way today, and I totally didn't deserve it.

I don't know why I'm so surprised--he always comes through for me. It remains to be seen if it keeps going well, but I have a good feeling!

It's nice to see the sunlight even on a cloudy day like today....

At this rate, I won't have any teams in the Sweet Sixteen!

That's it. I'm officially screwed. This is, by far, the worst year EVER for my brackets for March Madness. We're not even through the first round and I've already lost 9 teams.

I officially hate March Madness.

Shoe Addiction and My lack of it

I have to tell you--I am not a shoe person. I'm just not. Do I like shoes? Yes. Do I think there are a lot of cute shoes out there? Yes. But do I enjoy matching shoes to my outfit and do I go crazy over buying cute shoes? No.

I would be happy to wear flip flops every day. You can get them in various colors, match them to your outift, they look cute with skirts and jeans, etc. But when it's not appropriate to wear them (i.e. winter, business meetings, etc.) I'm not a cute shoe person. Now, that's not to say I don't have a lot of shoes--I do. But I do not update my shoe shelf very often. In fact, I went out on a limb a few months ago and got a pair of pink shoes and a cute pair of plaid shoes with that "kissable" heel. I have worn both pairs one time each. I just stick with my ugly, reliable shoes day in and day out. Don't worry--I know they are ugly shoes so you don't have to feel bad for me! Sometimes I get concerned that I'm not a normal girl because I don't enjoy shoe shopping or wearing cute shoes. Then I see my purse and handbag collection, and I feel a little normal. I love purses--weird shaped, off colors, prints....I love purses.

I also love jeans. I could shop for jeans every day. Luckily, my job is very laid back and unless we have client meetings or media events, we're in jeans or sweatpants every day.

This weekend our little office world is marrying off Jeanna Bond. She's worked with us for a little over a year and she's the last in out office to bite the bullet. So I'm excited to attend my second wedding for the year! Geez....I thought wedding season was over for me! But, alas, no worries--there's another baby shower next weekend as well which makes more baby showers than weddings. Also, Saturday night is Girl's Night for our class at church. It's at Sara's house and there are only three requirements: wear PJ's, bring pictures of our husbands when they were younger so we can all laugh, and eat junk food.

Fortunately, I am an expert in all three of these areas, so I will be set!

Please keep my Grandma DeBusk in your prayers. She took a bad fall on Tuesday and is still in the hospital. In fact, when she fell she hit her head and injured her eye very badly. Currently she can't see out of that eye, so we're praying her vision is restored. She is such a wonderful, caring, special woman and really has my heart--please just say a little prayer that she is released from the hospital, her vision is restored and God continues to keep her healthy for many many more years.

Have a great weekend!

A Shout Out

I promised a shout out to my blog stalker, Jenny, so here it is....What's up Jenny?!

Funny story about how this small little blog world after all. Two of my friends in Norman were talking at a church function one evening. Some how or another they begin talking about me (because who, really, could resist talking about me?). Another friend of theirs overhears and says
"Are you talking about John and Jessica Anderson?"
Pam: "Yes...why?"
Crazy friend who doesn't know me: "John and Jessica Anderson from Edmond? With two cats and a new car and she just built her house?"
Pam (obviously a little weirded out at this point): "Yes....how do you know her?"
Crazy girl: "I read their blog all the time!"
Pam (beginning to realize the irony that this girl knows more about me than she does lately, and she's been my friend for 7 years!): "How did you even find this blog?"

Well, long story short it's because of links from other people's blogs. Which actually makes me feel not so crazy. There are a handful of people I've never met in person, but that I know all about because of their blogs. I don't know....I thought it was so awesome that someone actually reads this thing!

So last night, Pam calls me and asks me to come visit her and have coffee. I haven't seen her in several months so I head down I-35 for a little visit (GREAT time to go to Norman--only like 6 people live there right now since it's Spring Break). And guess who is at this little swarray but Jenny, my official blog stalker. How fun was that to meet her in person?!

Anyway--Hi Jenny!

We had coffee, then went to The Mont....ah, the old stomping grounds. Throw in Prairie Kitchen and a little Target trip and I would have felt like a bonafide student again! I guess the three of us who went to The Mont looked like official college students--they carded all of us (and I won't say how old Jenny is...heehee) and then this drunk guy came and sat at our table to chat. But we must not have been very friendly because he got up and said "wow, you guys aren't very friendly". Guess you had to be there.

Anyway--thanks Pam for inviting me. It was great to catch up with several old friends and meet a new one!

The 4's

Ok....I've seen this on a lot of blogs, and now I'm getting it from friends and family over e-mail. I'm a sucker...so I'm filling it out. Enjoy!

4 jobs you have had in your life:
1. 4-Year-Old Teacher (daycare)
2. Professional Intern
3. Proof Operator
4. PR Account Executive

4 movies you could watch over & over:
1. Zoolander
2. Old School
3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
4. A Christmas Story

4 places you have lived (well this is boring....only two places!):
1. Edmond, OK
2. Norman, OK
3. Edmond, OK
4. Edmond, OK

4 of your favorite tv shows
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Lost
3. The Office
4. Gilmore Girls
5. Had to add Friends on here--love it anytime, all the time

4 vacation places you have visited:
1. New York City
2. Washington D.C.
3. Chicago
4. St. Louis

4 websites you visit everyday:
1. Yahoo!
2. NewsOK.com
3. MSNBC
4. Various blogs....probably too many

4 of your favorite foods:
1. Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Jack Daniels Burger at TGI Friday's
3. Chips and Queso
4. Panera Chicken Noodle Soup

4 of your favorite beverages:
1. Iced tea
2. Diet Dr. Pepper
3. Diet Coke
4. Starbucks Peppermint Mocha

4 places I would rather be:
1. At home (with my DVR, fluffy cats, and John)
2. New York City (after I won the lottery so I could spend a lot of money!)
3. Anywhere with family--hey, even Hunstville, AL and Branson, MO can be fun with family!
4. TGI Friday's

Ah, the girls of book club. And, of course, all our yummy food. I have to admit--I came up with some great ideas for food this time. We had two different kinds of soup (hearty chicken noddle and minestrone) in Panera bread bowls! It was a hit. But the real favorite of the night was the chocolate fondue I made.

I had these little fun fondue sets I'd received when I got married and never used. So I ran across this recipe on Betty Crocker's website for Chocolate Raspberry Fondue. It was so easy--one can of chocolate frosting, 1/3 cup of raspberry preserves melted together for 20 seconds in the microwave. YUM! As you can see, we had strawberries, bananas, raspberries, rice krispy treats, graham crackers and marshmellows for dipping. It was almost too easy--easy to make like every night!

BTW--our next book is "Drowning Ruth" by Christina Schwarz.

It was a good thing to have this event to prepare for. I kind of had a rough day last Friday. I ended up spending the entire evening eating pizza in bed, watching TV and sleeping. A girl needs that every now and then! John was so great and understanding--just ordered the pizza for me and left me alone to watch crime shows in the dark. I'm not sure I would have had the "umph" to get out of bed over the weekend if I wouldn't have had people to prepare for.

I have discovered through this strange time in my little life a most inspiring song. This is going to sound crazy, but Bon Jovi has provided me with a little peace through the song "Welcome to Wherever You Are". John keeps rolling his eyes at the thought of Bon Jovi providing inspirational lyrics, but this song truly is! Download it to your MP3 player of choice, especially if you're soul searching as I have been lately.

John got the results from his training exam in California today--he finished 2nd in the class! He's already had the director of his office call him to congratulate him. Apparently, the OKC office has never had anyone finish in the top 5 in training, let alone 2nd in the class. John's already been asked to go to a really in-depth class in Illinois for two weeks for additional training, since he's showing so much promise. Only a select few people in the country get to go to that class. So, this is very exciting and something to be proud of.

That is about it in our neck of the woods. Random piece of info--I got an e-mail from a high school friend yesterday. I haven't talked to her in about 4 years, and she was telling me all about her life. She just broke up with her long-time boyfriend, who has now legally changed his name to Brittany and is a "pre-op transexual". WHOA! How random is that?! It makes me thankful my life is relatively normal...

Boring Days...

Reason for no post since last Tuesday? Because absolutely nothing exciting is going on! Pretty good reason, right?

John and I went to Springfield last weekend to visit my grandparents. It was a relaxing weekend, and we even took Monday off work to have a little extra time. My aunt and I shopped at the mall some, but other than that we just chilled at the house and ate good food.

Tonight is clean the house night. I think I mentioned it before, but John really knows how destroy a house. Such a mess! I'm having my book club over tomorrow for our monthly meeting, so I want to make sure they don't have to wade through piles of bill and dirty dishes. I have to say--we had a great book this month to read. "Memoirs of a Geisha" was the book, and it was very vivd and easy to read. I was afraid I would get all the names mixed up since they were Japanese names and sound a lot alike (think "Crime and Punishment", the Russian novel we read in high school). But it was actually very easy, and I have this newly discovered fascination with Japan.

While it's fun to discuss the books, MORE fun is the getting together and pretending to discuss the books. There are 6 of us in our little group and we have so much fun getting together!

John bought some new toys yesterday at Academy. A golf net thing, so he can hit golf balls in the back yard and not break windows, and a new football. Now that the weather has warmed up, the kids from the neighborhood are going to be over all the time trying out John's new toys!

Literally, nothing else new going on. Perhaps things will get more exciting this week...