Last weekend we made the drive to OKC for a chance to have some date nights and shopping days. I know our house is not near completion but this girl is a planner and I've known the style and design of our personal house for years now. Once I heard about a few certain stores that OKC has and Tulsa doesn't, I knew a weekend trip was in order.
We lined out child care with the great Nana, my mother in law, Denise. The boys love when she watches them and enjoy all the extra play time they get with their cousin Nathan. It's really a win-win for them and for us:)
We didn't even arrive in OKC until 6:30pm on Friday because the majority of the day we actually spent in Tulsa picking things like windows, carpet, tile, grout, backsplash, shower tile and design, etc. We spent 3 hours just at one store!
My hubby was quite the trooper, never complained, and drove me around to a million and one stores that I wanted to go through. We even went back to one store twice in one day because we both loved it. Shout out to Urban Farmhouse Designs in downtown OKC. If you've never been, I urge you to visit. There aren't many words to describe this place other than awesome, fabulous, tremendous, amazingly cool, and many others I can think of.
We ate our dinners at 2 places that I had never been. We went to Mickey Mantle's the first night and KD's the second night. Both totally different atmospheres but both totally cool. We enjoyed our time together so much.
While we were gone, these guys had a scheduled Field Day at school. They are growing so fast and they can't wait for SUMMER, which for them starts in 9 1/2 days. Yes, they are counting down!
Time sure does fly, doesn't it? You blink your eyes and months, even years, have gone by. I remember when I was a child and hearing my parents (or really any adult) saying this and I just shook my head because I had no concept what it really meant. Time DID NOT fly by. Science and History class drugggggg on and time was NOT quick.
Fast forward many years (I won't say how many because that ages me) and I fully live and know how time really does go by too quickly.
Today would have been my grandma's 81st birthday. Just last year we celebrated 80 years of her life knowing that it would more than likely be her last birthday with us on this earth. We were correct and now she celebrates with Jesus on streets of gold this day.
Time doesn't slow down. We shouldn't either. We should live every day as it's our last day on this earth. We need to cherish the moments and ponder how quickly life and the people in it change and grow.
I was doing just that when looking at our Easter pictures this year. Then, I looked at our Easter pictures just a scant 5 years prior. 5 years! That's nothing in the scheme of life and man oh man, how times have changed. I'm fairly certain in 5 more years my boys will be taller than me and I will be the shortest one in this family.
Please remember to give your love ones some kisses and hugs today and hold onto them tight. They are worth it.
On a completely random note...I really want this mixer for our new house. Anyone want to buy it for me? Steven says it's not, "In our construction budget." Psst...what does he know?!
Monday was my birthday and here it is Friday and I still have ONE MORE friend taking me out next week. What can I say? I am blessed with amazing family and friends who love me and want to spend time with me to celebrate. A week long birthday palooza sounds right up my alley!
My first stop was Cheesecake Factory with my parents on Sunday night. Delicious. They have the best eggplant there. So yummy! Did I mention the massive cheesecake I consumed? Yep, that's pretty much why I pushed myself in cycle the next morning and rode 17 miles in 50 minutes. My quads screamed at me for 2 days due to that fiasco.
After my legs stopped shaking it was time to head to another celebration on Monday at PF Changs for my birthday lunch. I had planned on shopping the stores of Utica Square afterwards but thanks to my birthday being filled with rain the entire 24 hours, that didn't happen. I had grand plans to walk off some Changs calories but instead I just drank more when I made my birthday stop to Starbucks. I was livin' in up!
Wednesday was filled with friends. One took me to breakfast at Panera and gave me one of my favorite gifts (a Starbucks GC). Wednesday afternoon my besties took me to sushi at Sushi House in BA. Of course, they let me pick the restaurant and I unknowingly picked one of Melinda and I's favorite but not Kristi's. Oops. The girl does NOT like sushi. I will give it to her though. She attempted two different rolls and pretty much spit them both promptly out. Again, remind me to not pick sushi the next time they take me out. I kinda felt bad about that...BUT, not too bad that Melinda and I (mostly I) couldn't throw down some major Japanese yumminess.
The rest of my week was filled with family memories. I attended a Land Run on Friday with Will. He was so cute decked out in his pioneer gear. We ate a picnic lunch under the shade of the football bleachers. Isn't that how all the early Oklahoma pioneers did it?!
Friday the boys were out of school so I had planned some fun things (like a movie) and some necessary things (like haircuts and a Walmart trip). For those wondering, "The Jungle Book" is worth a visit to your local theater. So so good. Many times in kid movies I am bored. Pretty good and bored. Not this time. I was enthralled from beginning to end but mostly enjoyed Owen's joy and squeals at seeing so many different animals in one movie. That boy loves animals like Will loves food.
Again, I am so blessed by all of you who wished me a happy birthday, sent me a message or a text, called me, or took me out. Thank you all so much:)
These are just a few of the other pictures that Kate shot for us a couple weeks ago. I adore this little grove of trees, the colors, the sun setting, the outfits. I love pretty much everything about these pictures and the people in them.
Will-Age 9 1/2. Loves sports. Almost any sport. He's a hard worker. He's quiet and shy. He loves me. A lot. He loves to eat. ALL THE TIME. He's great at math, not so awesome at reading (mainly comprehension). He's a follower. His favorite things to do are: playing sports, playing video games, and playing on his phone.
Owen-Age 6 3/4. Loves animals. Almost any animal. He's NOT shy and NOT quiet. He's uber loud and super outgoing. He's a leader. Not a big fan of organized sports but loves to play around in a family game of flag football, kickball, or baseball. He loves camping, exploring, and all things outdoors. He can throw down some sushi. He acts tough on the outside, but is actually very tender on the inside. He loves his daddy and his dog.
To say I'm thankful for these people in the photos seems like too little. It goes beyond thankful. I wouldn't know how to live without any of these three and I pray I never have to find out. I love them. They are my world and I am so blessed to be Steven's wife and Will and Owen's mom. Thank you Jesus!
Some weekends are great, some are good, and some are just awesome. This weekend was an awesome one in my book.
1. We got back our spring pictures we took with my talented friend, Kate. Man, these were great and some of the best smiles I think our boys have ever given for photos. They don't like to take pictures. They run, they squirm, they make silly faces. Usually, it's not a fun experience for anyone involved. I'm figuring out that these "mini sessions" photographers do are the way to go with my kids. 15-20 minutes and they are done and hopefully we can come away with a few gems. Kate sent me 12 pictures and I loved almost all of them. In this blog, I will show you a couple. These were probably 2 of my favorites. We are a blessed family for sure!
2. The other reason that it was such a great weekend was that I attended Vintage Market Days on Friday with all my girlfriends. Well, not all of them, but quite a few:) I got some great deals and LOTS of things/goodies/furniture for the new house. I came on Friday with a goal and a mission in my head. I had a budget, and I stuck to it. See the barn door. Literally, the barn door I purchased for our home off an old horse stable. I couldn't be happier with it. It was totally the type of cool addition I wanted in our home and it was right on the budget that I was thinking. Win win!
3. The boys got to have a play date with Will's good buddy, Mason. These boys were born within weeks of each other and have been friends since then. It's always so great to have him over and they had a blast playing for hours (mostly outside). He was able to hang for baseball pictures, lunch, and lots of trampoline/Xbox, Wii, baseball time with big and little brother Kueny.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend filled with family and friends as well. Here's to a great week!
Our last and final stop this weekend was to a place I've been hearing a lot about lately. This place is even closer than the safari, and it's in Oklahoma! Just when I am beginning to think there's not a lot of beauty in this state, I find out about Natural Falls State Park. This is right outside West Siloam Springs. I think the exact city is called Colcord, OK. It only took about an hour from our house in BA to get here.
The trails are short (there are longer ones but we were already tired from the safari) and the hikes are easy. There is lots of exploring to be done in this location. There is the one waterfall, which you can't miss, trails, bridges, and places to stop and eat and just relax. As you leave there are picnic tables and a little park/basketball goal for the kids to play at. Next time we come, I am bringing some food so we can stay longer, a basketball, and a blanket.
Oklahoma really does have some pretty locations and this is one of them for sure! It's worth the trip too if you have a free weekend!
My hubby was quite the trooper, never complained, and drove me around to a million and one stores that I wanted to go through. We even went back to one store twice in one day because we both loved it. Shout out to Urban Farmhouse Designs in downtown OKC. If you've never been, I urge you to visit. There aren't many words to describe this place other than awesome, fabulous, tremendous, amazingly cool, and many others I can think of.
