The best part--the kitchen is coming together! Look at our new cabinets! 

Now that the house is locked up, we had to find alternate routes in to check on things. The back door was unlocked, but it's been raining A LOT. So, John sacraficed his new shoes to walk around back and let me in! It was worth it to see ALL they had done in two days!

We have doors and trim work! 

Baseboards in and painted... 

We have a garage door, which means doors, cabinets and tile come next! The house is now locked, so it will be harder to get inside pictures....but it will be no time at all until we move in! 

Here we are at the house...you can see our neighbor's house is going up fast as well! John said we have a Garage Door now! I'll post as soon as I can get out there. 

John had a class party tonight, to celebrate graduation a little early after picking up their caps and gowns. This is us at the party--it was A LOT of fun! I'm so proud of him I can hardly stand it! 

Live, Local, Latebreaking...

I have had two fantastic days at work so I decided to relax the rest of today. Yesterday I held a press event in Tulsa, and a similar one today in OKC. For those of you in the media and public relations field, to have one station come out to an event is like having chocolate cake. To have more than one, it's like adding icing on top. And to have 2 come to your event, and the others do a mention of the event during a newscast is like having sparklers on the cake!

I had two stations in Tulsa come out (one even sent a REPORTER with the cameraman--amazing) and two stations come out to my event in OKC. I also had mentions on an additional station in Tulsa, and hopefully (day's not over) on two others in OKC. This excites me a lot. My boss was so excited she said "Kick @$$". It's weird when your boss says that!

My job reveolves a lot around begging and pleading with egotistical assignment managers to please send a camera to my events. Because if you can't get free publicity with local news, public relations doesn't exist. Begging media is the least favorite part of my job--I hate it. But when it pays off, it becomes the most fulfilling part of my job. Few things provide me with such satisfaction as a successful media event, in front of my client, that allows my boss to say "kick @$$". That, and when the client claps for me during monthly presentations....it's an ego boost!

Make sure and visit my client this weekend to buy an apple pie and a pink paper ribbon. All proceeds benefit the Komen Foundation in OKC and Tulsa. How do 50-cent Apple Pies and Dollar paper ribbons help? Well, since this same fundraiser raised over $35,000 last year in one weekend, you can see it helps a lot. 171 stores can add up fast. And tune into the great local stations of KOCO and KWTV in OKC or KTUL and KOTV in Tulsa--they covered my wonderful story, and will hopefully help the fundraiser to drive traffic!

House has textured walls...will post pictures when I can get out there!

Movin' on up!

We had such a nice suprise for us on Friday--the siding was up and the sheetrock was starting to be installed! By Sunday, we had complete walls all across the house. No more walking from one bedroom into another in one step! Things are looking GREAT to move in in mid-June!

John and I went to Missouri this weekend to visit my grandparents and aunt. It was a nice, relaxing weekend. John even made it to a show in Branson (and boy did he have fun!). We're so lucky to have such a wonderful family to enjoy being with.

There really is not much more excitement going on. We're biding our time until it's time to move. I have packed up the guest room already--it's all in boxes! But I can't even wrap my brain around trying to fit the rest of this house into boxes!

I promise I'll update with any other excitement or fun stories....we're just kind of boring right now!!

We have siding....it's looking more and more like home each day.  

Living room with fresh sheetrock... 

Yes...we have walls! Here is the kitchen/dining/master bedroom hallway area! 

We have neighbors coming! And a sidewalk...check out that fabulous front porch, too! 

We have insulation which can only mean one thing...next come real walls!! 

This is my sister, Julia, and I at the Arts Festival this weekend! 

Feeling Lost...

Oh my gosh.

My computer crashed this morning. My work computer. I know for some it doesn't seem like a big deal, but everything is on that computer. I mean, I know I've backed most documents up on a server, and my palm has all my contact info and calendar in it...but my E-MAILS!!!! I am literally lost without my Outlook. I sat at work for many hours today staring at a wall and bugging my coworkers because I had nothing to do without e-mail. I feel completely helpless, and it makes me realize I am much too dependent on my computer! I am truly an example of the new generation when I cannot work without my Outlook calendar, task list and inbox.

Therefore, it may be a while before I can post pictures. Or I might try to do it from home...we'll see.

Anyway, the weekend was an easy weekend. John did manual labor on Saturday, helping Matt and Robin put up a new fence. We're hoping that Matt returns the favor in a few months when it's our turn for a fence! I spent the day relaxing....it was nice not to have anything planned.

Sunday I went to the Arts Festival with friends Melissa and Cameron and my sister. What a fun day--I have a sunburn as proof of the great weather!

House is looking good...insulation is in! New things are happening every day. Please pray that things continue to go well as we get closer to "signing our life away"!

Looking Up

Well, this weekend proved to be much better than last week! John and I had a GREAT time at the Redhawks game on Saturday. They went in to 11 innings! (I was almost asleep by the end. Not because I was bored but because it was after my bedtime!) But it was literally a perfect night weather-wise. The hot dogs were good, the fireworks were good...no raving drunk people spilling beer on us as they do at most of the sporting events we attend!

Saturday we grilled out burgers and hot dogs for the first time this season. And I got a WONDERFUL surprise. My dear, dear friend from college, Mario Tobias, stopped by my house to wish me Happy Birthday! He currently lives in Manhattan, KS as a campus ministry intern with K-State University. He was at a wedding for the weekend, headed home and remembered my birthday. I was so glad to see him, even if it was only a couple of hours. He is doing great, applying for campus ministry jobs. Thanks, Mario, for making my Saturday!

Can you believe that the Red-White game at OU on Saturday had 45,000 people there, not counting the number of people who watched it on TV from their own homes? I am a Sooner fan and all (and a crazy one at that), but seriously people--it's a scrimmage. I am amazed. Or maybe I'm just still a little bitter and disillusioned with my Sooner boys after the last two National Championship games. Whatever the case, 45,000 people at a football scrimmage is extreme! I saw a note yesterday that there is only 137 days until college football starts. My heart is a little lighter knowing that it's getting so close. Boomer Sooner.

Sunday was a feeding frenzy for Jessica's birthday! We ate at my all-time favorite spot, TGI Friday's with bits and pieces of the family. Then that night, John invited some of our Norman friends up for PF Chang's!! Yummy Mongolian Beef....and I got free cheesecake with a candle in it.

We got the official word yesterday--we're closing on the house June 17th (two months exactly) at 4:00 p.m.!!! It's getting so close...I think I'll start packing up our current house this weekend!

Yeah! We have a driveway and a sidewalk! We're looking about "a week ahead of schedule". Looking like mid-June now! 

Thank Goodness it's Friday!!

The House is coming along splendidly. John met with the builder again this week, and he walked him through all that is going on. We have air conditioning pipes up, electric has been run, we have a driveway, sidewalk....it's going so fast! We even have the beginnings of an actual next door neighbor...their foundation is laid, so it will be nice to watch that process as well.

It's been a loooong week. John and I have been very stressed about things this week, so we're taking the night off and heading to the Redhawks Home Opener this week. Hot dogs and baseball and fireworks....it will be so nice! And the weather is perfect...maybe our week is looking up.

John's dad, Arni, has been in the hospital all week with chest pains. He actually had his 22-year-old pacemaker replaced yesterday, and is about 110% better. So we are quite relieved to hear that! My birthday is Sunday, so John has a couple of things up his sleeve getting ready for that. I'm so excited about my present from him....he bought me the sleigh bed I've been wanting for 3 years! I can't wait to see how it will look in our new house.

I'll update more next week. Sorry it's been so long...like I said, it's been a very loooong week! Have a great weekend!

We even have doors and windows now too!! I'm ready to move in now! 

Check it out!!! We have a house! I can't believe it went up so fast. One day it was a foundation, two days later we have a roof and everything. We took a tour last night...it's awesome! 

Here is our Master Closet....it is HUGE!!! 

Max likes to help John play X-Box too. I guess somehow, sleeping on your belly in front of the TV helps John with his X-Box skills. This is where Max is anytime NCAA 2005 is on! He's not fat--just big-boned! 

Here is Max--I haven't sent out pictures of him! Sunday night is his favorite time. He likes to help me change the bedsheets and do laundry. Loves jumping in the dryer and laundry basket, and likes to get under the sheets when I fluff them! Sunday night is a fun time for us together! 

Bed Bath and Beyond John's comprehension

Ok, so John and I have been having some serious arguments lately. And I'm sure the many women who read this can relate (I know he has a lot of gal pals at work who agree with me!). I'm trying to be patient.

John and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond a few weeks ago. There, I presented many shower curtains that I liked for the new house. He then told me which ones he liked, and we agreed. Then, I found out that the shower curtain had matching towels, soap dishes, rugs, etc. I was so excited--we could get it all taken care of rather than trying to color match everything at various stores. So I told John all about it. And he didn't quite seem to understand why we would need new towels, since we have about 10 towels already.

I patiently (of course) explained to him that our current towels do not match the shower curtain we'd picked out together (that had already been bought). Well, he just told me that he was putting his foot down--we were NOT getting new towels when we already had perfectly good towels to use. I again, patiently, told him that the towels I would purchase were not for use--they were for decoration (duh!). He told me no--he was putting his foot down, we were not getting new towels for decoration.

So, I promptly stepped over his foot, and bought new towels. Along with washcloths, hand towels, soap dish--the works! Well, he really did not like anything that I bought. So I drug him to BB&B and made him spend 2 hours picking out shower curtains and color-matching accessories that he did like. But by the time I got home, I realized I really didn't like what we'd picked out. Heehee...it was so much fun!

So, I returned everything AGAIN and bought the bathroom stuff at Target (that John and seen the entire set for and liked). The best part--I was able to get enough stuff for BOTH new bathrooms and it cost WAY less than BB&B for one bathroom!

Also--they're framing our house!!! We are about to have a structure!!

See! I told you I was cute and crafty. They would have been so cute to wear with all my red clothes...RIP cute flip flops. 

My Creative Weekend

Well, I was crafty for TWO whole days! Despite my true belief that I am not creative or crafty or handy, I was all three on both Friday night and Saturday! It's quite a feat, actually, and I'm happy to share! Friday night I went to a "flip-flop" gathering with some girlfriends. I had two cheap pairs of flip flops that I worked quite a long time to spruce up and add character. To one, I put red ribbon and bright red giant flowers on them! On the other pair, I added sparkly silver sequins. I was so proud, and many of the girls copied the flower idea and I was so excited to wear them the next day. I'll post pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The flower, ribbon and sequins promptly fell off both pairs before I could even wear them to work.

With a little more reliability, I went to a beadery on Saturday and made a necklace and a bracelet with sparkly beads. Although the jewelry turned out quite nice, I am well aware that I don't have the patience to do that. It was overwhelming--thousands of tiny little beads to choose from and no creative inspiration. It was literally painful to pick out each little bead and then arrange a pattern then string it and so on....

Creative? For a while. Will I do it again soon? Let's see...I don't tend to follow through on these things! My college scrapbook is still not done, not to mention I have boxes of vacation photos from to years of marriage not even seeing the light of day. I doubt I'll take up beading!

Here's John standing on the foundation (trying not to be blowm over by the 100-mile hour wind we had yesterday!). Notice all the wood to the side--framing will start VERY soon! 

Happy Easter!

Well, they've done quite a bit more on the house, as you can see from the pictures! JC and Courtney told us that once they get started, it goes really fast. They were right--let's hope they stay on this timeline. ;)

Had a pretty mellow weekend. I was off work on Friday, which was wonderful. One of my dearest friends from college, Pam Robeson, just had her second baby that I hadn't seen yet! So I made the trip to Blanchard, USA to visit Pam, big brother Luke, and new baby Payt (dad Todd was at work). It was so good to see her and the new baby, and I got lots of kisses blown to me from Luke as I left. I designated Friday as Norman friend-catch-up day. I went shopping with friend Tara (who I hadn't seen in forever) and caught up with old roommate and med-school-sufferer Laura. She went to Mexico for Spring Break, so it was good to talk to her. Makes me miss living in Norman...but not enough to move back for sure!

Saturday I made John go to Garden Ridge. Of course I didn't buy a thing b/c John is so awful to shop with. He doesn't understand home decor and making a house a home. He'd be happy with an empty house and a mattress as long as he had X-Box and Golf Clubs!

Sunday we enjoyed a festive Easter lunch at Shorty Small's. Great choice--no one was there. Guess ribs and burgers aren't traditional Easter food! The important thing was getting out of there in time to get Easton and Mason to the church for the Egg Hunt! Then, that night we got to watch the LTC kids perform, including Easton's small chorus. He did a GREAT job on his solo. It takes a lot of courage to sing by yourself at 9 years old in front of a whole church. His uncle even gets a little nervous reading scripture or praying in front of the church, so I think singing is a great accomplishment. ;)

I'll check back soon. Also, if you get a chance hit the "Gayle Gang" link under our links section, and catch up on Robin and Renee's fun trip to New York. Quite entertaining. I need a vacation...

John's making himself at home in his beloved 2-car garage already! 

We have pipes and wires and other things I don't know about! Concrete floor...here we come! 

A new update

They have done so much work on the house this week! John drove by yesterday and said pipes and wires are coming out of the stem every which way. I promise to get out there and get new pictures up soon, because our builder told us his framing guys will frame the whole house in two days! Call me a nerd, but I want to catch every step for our digital scrapbook. Who am I kidding? Our kids will never care--but maybe when I'm old and gray I'll look back and get excited about it all over again!

This week has been so busy. My grandparents and aunt came into town on Saturday, and left yesterday. I spent a lot of time with them, shopping and eating and just enjoying their company. They also celebrated my birthday a little early--I got new curtains and bathroom stuff for the house, plus some money for other items too. I have a huge pile in the living room of things to put up at the new house--I hope it keeps getting bigger!

It's also been a crazy week at work for me, with lots of meetings. Monday night for work I had to go to a livestock auction and help "buy" a cow for the client! It was a lot of fun...my job is never boring. One day I'm bidding on giant steers, the next I'm at the state capitol meeting with legislators.

John had a last-minute term paper crisis this week, but of course got through it with flying colors. He wrote a 10-page paper in about 5 hours Tuesday night, so graduation crisis over for the moment! He's getting so close to being done.

We had a great time last Saturday, having Guys and Girls nights with our friends from the Young Marrieds class. I think John played some poker, and I mostly sat around and talked like girls always do. It was a lot of fun, and a nice break from work-school-sleep grind.

I'm off work tomorrow for Good Friday. Hope you all have a great Easter!

Here is the "New Homes" sign that's in front of our house. They already have our new address listed! 

Here is a picture from last Saturday, when they set the stem. I'll update soon with more progress, I just haven't made it out there this week! 

Imagine That

Well, imagine that--they didn't get started on the house! I can feel you're shocked and in awe...I'm not! They didn't get it together on Monday, and Monday night it began to pour for 2 days. So, once again we're in limbo and not sure when anything will happen!

That's pretty much been our life...waiting. Work is very crazy for me right now. I know it sounds very funny, but sometimes I lay in bed at night wondering how on earth I'll get everything done at work. God must have little elves come into my office at night and do some of it, because somehow it always gets done! I keep saying "After this date, it will get better" and the date keeps moving farther and farther away! Now I think after June things will slow down. We'll see.

My grandparents and aunt are coming in town this weekend! I'm so excited. John and I are such family-people, and we love being with our extended family (yes it's true--we both get along with our inlaws quite well!). My family is coming to celebrate my sister's 19th birthday on Sunday, as well as my birthday about a month early. So, it will be a fun weekend of shopping and yummy baked goods, I can feel it! John and I are SO blessed to come from such great people!

Well, back to work! Only 58 days until John graduates!

And so it begins!

Good News! Barring any thunderstorms, they are beginning our house today! We'll see--at this point I'm a little hesitent to believe until I see! So, after work today we'll drive by and see what's going on. There is a sign out front confirming the lot is sold and there were quite a few boards out there as well. I'm so excited. We met with the builder on Friday, and I really feel like the house is in great hands with him. Anytime you meet someone who loves his job as much as Shane obviously does, it makes you feel better about trusting him with your home!

Anyway, if all goes as planned, we begin this weekend and if we don't have a really rainy spring, we're looking at mid-June for closing! I can't believe it! I'm driving John crazy with buying things for the house already--we'll be in debt before the mortgage papers are signed, I can feel it! ;)

Had a great weekend. Julia and I went to see Josh Groban in concert last night--how AMAZING! Not only does he have a great voice that just haunts you, but he puts on a great show full of rich music. I could have stayed and listened to him all night long! For those of you who don't know he is, you should check him out online. His music is wonderful.

Well, I'll let you know if the house actually begins today! Let's pray that it happens just like it's supposed to!