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!) 

Memorial Day Weekend

What a great Memorial Day weekend! I thought I would be mad that John didn't go (he wasn't feeling well on Friday when we left), but it turns out I was kind of glad. Not because I was away from him, but because it was an extra special weekend with just me, my mom, and my grandparents. I don't know that it's ever been like that before. Visits are usually with them and my aunt, sister, John....it's never just been the four of us. So, it ended up being a really neat, special experience.

My grandparents are both from Arkansas, orginally. My grandmother grew up in Guy, AR and grandfather grew up in Pearson and Quitman, AR. They lived about 10 miles from each other their whole lives, but didn't meet until they were in their late teens. My great-grandparents, the DeBusks, lived in Pearson until they died. In fact, my great-grandpa DeBusk died just 3 years ago at the ripe old age of 101! But our family still has their house and land in Pearson--a tiny 2-bedroom house on 70 acres of beautiful Ozark land. That is where we stayed.

We spent most of the weekend letting my grandpa show us around town. He gets so excited to show people his roots and where he grew up. He has so many stories of crazy things he did as a kid....it was so fun to listen to him. And it's amazing how many cousins and uncles and aunts he and my grandma had....they lived near and hung out with these countless family members every day growing up. I lost track of who was who through all the stories! But it was neat to see how grounded and family-oriented they have ALWAYS been. I think that's where I get it from. Family is so important to me and has always provided my strength and support. Some people wish and hope to leave their family and their hometown--and I've always considered it an honor, privilege and a blessing to be so close to mine. People have encouraged me to "branch out" and move away to find a better life. I can't think of a better life than the one I have here, surrounded by people I love. I guess the important things in life and reaching your goals is all relative--big-time career in the big city isn't as important to me as being near the things that really matter.

I also got to see how important church and God have always been to them. Those of you who have grown up going to church with your parents, know it can be a struggle to find your faith and truly believe in what you've always been taught. And I'm not saying I am without question on a lot of practices in my church. But to see that for generations in my family, God and the church have been the focal point--it helps put things into perspective. I was raised in a loving, Christian home because that's where my family came from. They were just doing what was right--but I see it as they lived a life worthy of the calling, lived a life to inspire generations to love and worship God. Did my great-great grandparents think into the future? Did they wonder about their great great grandchildren and their faith? Probably not...but they lived a life and left a legacy of love and faith that makes me want to do the same. Suddenly, I've begun to think about my great-great grandchildren and how hundreds of years from now, I can only pray they know God and love worship the way my family does, and the way that I hope to.

I am SO blessed to have four wonderful, living grandparents. Four grandparents who are in overall good health, and who have been close to me for 24 years. I know what a blessing this is, and I treasure it. And I encourage any and all of you to call, take a trip, or write to your living relatives and ask them their story. I not only wrote down tons of stories this weekend about my grandparents as children and teenagers, but I heard how they met and fell in love. I heard my grandpa say more than once this weekend how beautiful my grandma was (and still is) and how he just couldn't get her off his mind. I even heard him slip and say how he ended up pretty lucky to have her. :) I also followed him around to his childhood homes and heard about getting caught smoking. About walking home from church in the dark, afraid all the things from the Southern Baptist Fire and Brimstone sermon would somehow come true in that 1/2-mile walk home. I saw the church my grandma was raised in.

Thay love telling their story. They want me to know where they came from, and most of all they don't want their memories and the people they loved when they were younger to be forgotten. I can't wait to type all these things out and put them with the hundreds of pictures I took. I'm going to put it in a book for my grandpa and grandma. But I'm leaving blank pages, too. So I can fill it in with even more stories as I hear them. They lived through so much--the Great Depression, WW2, JFK and more. If you get a chance, do it. You won't regret it.

And I also came back with some cool stuff from my great grandparents home. An old toaster from the 1930s, old pictures of them in a Model A Ford, cool postcards from an old collection. It was fascinating!

Ok--done rambling for now. John missed out, but I think he had a great time playing Uncle of the Year with Mason and Easton. He went to the zoo with them, played baseball, watched movies....spent a lot of time being Uncle John. So, I think we both had great weekends centered around our families!

Well, it's CLOSE to the kitchen...maybe it made it's way by this afternoon... 

Oh the promise of heat and air conditioning... 

Look at the beautiful ceiling fan! 

The kitchen (notice the counters and the light!) 

Our dining room light... 

Let there Be Light!!

Well, I'm at work, so I can't post the pictures from last night's trip to the house. But I can tell you--we have LIGHT! The front porch and living room were lit up when we drove in yesterday. I was so excited--all the light fixtures are in, the ceiling fan, all the smoke detectors, the thermostat--all of them. And, yes, they all work. I flipped them each many times. Oh the excitement...

Also, currently our kitchen range lives in the living room. Not exactly where it belongs, but I'm happy to see it out and about! I'm sure that's being moved into place today. I also caught a glorious glimpse of a boxed dishwasher in the garage. We use the dishwasher more than the range any day!

So, alas, I will post tonight when I get home. I know how excited ALL of you must be to see the light of our new house! :)

John and I are headed to Arkansas for the Memorial Day weekend. My mom and I want to clean out some of my great-grandpa's old house, and see if there are any treasures we can find. Of course, treasures is a relative term. Last time I was there I found an airplane ticket from a trip my great grandma made in the 1950s! I thought that was pretty interesting...so, those are the kind of treasures I'm looking for. John will get to see the entire town of Pearson, Arkansas and it's surrounding areas once he meets up with Grandpa. I'm sure he will see everything from the local church, to the old high school, to the five and dime shop and more. Grandpa is pretty excited to show it off to him.

That's where we'll be, so pray for a safe trip! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! (Pictures to come, I promise Dad!)

Long Time, No See

I know, I know....it's been a whole week since I posted. But, there's been little excitement to follow-up on John's graduation! Last week was rather slow, so I didn't want to bore anybody!

We had a great weekend. John and I discovered a great secret. The best time to hit Wal-Mart for grocery shopping? Friday night at about 6:30. There is no one there! So, consider sacraficing your wild Friday night parties for a little grocery shopping and you'll avoid stress, anger, confusion....but you might feel a little pathetic like we did. Oh well. It was easy.

Saturday was pretty busy for me. John relaxed a little, and went out to the house. Oh yeah! When I get home, I'll post pictures of the house...we now have countertops. Every little milestone gets us closer to move-in.

I made a long-delayed trip to Norman to the wedding of the year: yes, ladies and gentlemen (that know him) Jeremy Looper is now a married man! And for those of you who don't know him, Jeremy is a very good friend of mine from those crazy college years. He dated just about every girl he came in contact with, and finally found exactly what he was looking for in Mandy Sutherlin. So, it was wonderful to see him so happy and settled. Not to mention I got to catch up with dozens of friends from OU. I am the worst at keeping up with people, and it takes an event like a wedding reunion to make me realize I need to be so much better about it. I felt like I'd come home....it was like I never left. So, my Norman friends, I'm going to try to make the 30-minute trip down South more often. I miss you all so much, and I'm going to be better about it! I might even drag John down there every once in a while! Seems like everyone I saw said two things: "How are you? Where's John?" I think they miss him too!

Saturday night it was yet another social hour. One of the things John and I really threw ourselves into when we placed membership at Edmond CofC was Children's Bible Hour. Probably because we'd been so involved at Westwood a few years back, and because Alan and Delores Jackson were leading it and they are just awesome. So, the Jackson's had a pool party for all the people who had helped with Bible Hour the past year. What a blast! There was food, family (the Gayle's), friends (old and made some new), and lots of water for children to splash in. It was a great night, and we got to know so many people better. And I think Brenda Gordon maybe got to know John a little too well....she heard lots of stories!

Had a baby shower on Sunday for Stefani and soon-to-be-born Ian Cain....the first of 6 I will be attending for the very fertile girls in our Sunday school class. In Norman, I broke the bank on wedding gifts. I guess I've crossed that bridge....I'm into baby season now! No worries, though. Since so many people are having babies, there is no reason to add another. I will get my fix of children through church!

John and I cooked out at Matt and Robin's last night. Then John found out I've never seen "Waiting for Guffman". So we rented it last night. I made it about half way through. Guess I'll finish it tonight (after I watch the season finale of Desperate Housewives that I taped--don't tell me anything).

See....the update really wasn't worth waiting for, was it?!!

Finally....Word! 

Us....doesn't he look so good with the square hat and tassle?! 

Graduation Day!!

What a Great day! John FINALLY Graduated! He officially finished his courses for a Bachelor of Science in Business, emphasis on Organizational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University. I've posted a lot of pictures, because I'm so proud! Scroll down to see....

John started his day at 5:45 a.m. this morning, when he got up to go golfing with long-time friend, Rob Carpenter. They left about 6 a.m. for Guthrie, and spent the morning on the course. And what a perfect day for golf--sunny and cool, little breeze. Considering it poured buckets last night and even dropped a little hail, it was amazing that the entire Saturday there was not a cloud in the sky.

Once he got home, he had just enough time to shower and head to SNU. I headed over in a carpool of the fam--my mom, her friend and his daughter, my sister, John's parents, his two sisters, brother-in-law and two nephews. We ended up meeting my dad at SNU, so John had quite a cheering section!

It was a long ceremony (2 hours--I guess that's about standard though), but it was very nice. Their keynote speaker of the commencement address was wonderful and kept everyone's interest.

Afterwards, it was off to Arni and Nina's (John's parents) where we had John's favorite homecooked meal, Meatballs and Rice. And, of course, cake and ice cream. Those of you who know John well will laugh at his cake..."Word"!

So, the 9-year journey is over. I know his hard work will pay off, and he'll never regret a second. He's taken a lot of different paths, hit a lot of dead ends and had to start over at the beginning. But now, he's finished this journey and can finally focus on something new! Who knows where we'll be headed next....one thing is for sure. With John, it's will be a journey full of laughs and surprises. I can't wait!

This is John's class, and a lot of new friends....he really enjoyed them all (he's second from left).