A Little bit of this, a little bit of that

The title of this post really sums it up because so much has happened since the last post. Let's start with our couples shower. First, I need to recognize the hosts/hostesses: Justin and Heather Huskey, Caron Dillard and Larry Davis, Brenner and Brooke Farr, and Lina and Jerrod Cravatto. These 8 really went above and beyond to give us an amazing first shower! They reserved the back room at Yokozuna. We had appetizers, cupcakes (my weakness) and drinks (another weakness.) So many of our friends and family made it and we had a wonderful time so a HUGE thank you to everyone who made that night so special.
Next up, the Medford shower. From the day this was planned, Alan was not too thrilled about having to attend. Obviously nothing personal but not too many guys are jumping with joy to go to an all womens shower. He went. And he liked it:) I literally am speechless about how generous everyone was to us. We are truly grateful to all of the hostesses, those that attended and those who thought of us. We really are blessed! I am so lucky to be marrying someone with such a great family. Everyone has been so welcoming to me and my family and we are very thankful for that!
On we go, the bachelorette party, and a party it was!! We headed to KC for a weekend of girl time and basketball. Let me preface the planning of this party. When Carrie and I had originally discussed the dates we agreed on the weekend of March 18. Well it totally skipped my mind that KU could potentially be in Tulsa that same weekend playing at the BOK center. Low and behold we moved it up a weekend for the Big 12 tournament in KC. All of the plans, and I mean ALL of the plans were scheduled around if and when KU would play. Did I mention KU won the Big 12 conference 7 years in a row?? I didn't?? Well we did:) So the Thursday before we leave, we play at 11 v. OSU aka my fiance's alma mater. All we kept saying (the girls) is KU better win or they are really going to screw up our plans. We won, by 1. Or rather, we survived by 1. It was not pretty. Alan did not call me until about 30 minutes post game and I didn't call him either. Quite honestly my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't dial. Friday our road trip starts. 2 cars. 7 girls.(Me, Carrie, Heather, Morgan, Allison, Licia and Brandie.) Talala,OK. Speed limit 45mph. Me 56 mph. Carrie glued to my ass at 56 mph. Double pull over. 2 tickets. (will show cleavage next time:)) I'm used to being pulled over. "I never break the rules" Carrie, NEVER been pulled over. She literally got her first speeding ticket ever. I bet she was about to poo herself. I smile thinking about it:) And we are off again...we go straight to the sports bar to watch the KU v. CU game. Shannon met us since she lives in the KC area. We win. We end up having a great time just talking and playing "I have never...". We walk back to our hotel after stopping at a second bar for a quick drink. That's when the drama started with random hotel guests. All I will say is "Prove It!" :) Saturday we got up, shopped, Leslie drove in and met us, lingerie party (thank you girls) and off we went decked out in blue to watch KU v. TX where MK met us. I had been hoping for this rematch since we lost in the regular season. Great outcome! Back to the hotel to change, off to Kona for dinner, a wine bar next and then O'Dowd's for dance party USA. In all actuality, I wouldn't consider any movements I might have made that night to resemble any dance move you have ever seen. Regardless of my lack of rhythm, we had a BLAST!!! So to the girls that made my last weekend as a "single woman" one of the best weekends ever, THANK YOU!!!! I literally could not have asked for a better weekend! You never know what you get when you mesh 10 girls from all over for a weekend, but in this case everyone meshed perfectly! As Heather said on the way home, "Can you get married again so we can do this again?" Haha:)
Lastly as I'm getting sick of typing, March Madness is here! It literally was here last weekend when my beloved Jayhawks came rolling into T-town. I just loved seeing so much crimson and BLUE roaming the streets. Alan and I went to the game on Friday night v. Boston University with our good friend Rich who gave us 2 tickets. My whole family actually went to the game as well. Before, we went to the KU pep rally which I always consider a good time. Sunday, same old story. We went to the pep rally and then back to BOK to watch KU v. Illinois. We advanced!!! Wahoo! Next up was the Sweet 16 v. Richmond. We pretty much controlled that game from the start. Elite 8 here we come!!! Next up is VCU tomorrow at 1:20. I might be counting down the hours. A lot is riding on this game. One is a win will move us on to the Final 4 which is awesome. Two is, we have already booked out flight to Houston next weekend and bought our tickets to the games. Granted we can get flight credit and sell the tickets and probably make a good chunk of change on them, but I don't want to lose!!! So as it stands...IF we win tomorrow, Morgan and I will fly out EARLY next Sat. for Houton, while our boys are in KC celebrating Alan's last weekend as a "single man." However, if he acts "single" at all that weekend, he might have a problem on his hands! Hehe Morgan and I would have our own fun parading Houston and going to the games. I need to stop before I get ahead of myself. First thing is first, BEAT VCU! Please!! I know it is no secret that KU is an obsession, but I am going to give a shout out to my wonderful man for putting up with this crazy side of me. When we first started dating which was April 2009, it was obvious we had something special, but my own Mom basically says, "let's see if he can handle her through football and basketball season...if he can handle that..." You get the point. I almost feel like my Mom was thinking I would run him off with my enthusiasm for sports:) I know his heart is with OSU, but he never hesitates to throw on a KU hat or shirt to support my team or sit by me at a game where there is a good chance I stand up and clap more than that damn Pelosi does during one of Obama's speeches. So thank you Alan for putting up with me!

I SUCK at blogging

I really do. I would rather read other's blogs. I really want to be good at this but it really is not natural for me. Right now I'm lounging on the couch fighting a virus of some sort...blah. Alan and I went out on Friday night with 2 couples, Morgan and Jeff and Licia and Pauly. I woke up Saturday feeling awful, and not the awful feeling I am used to waking up to on a Saturday morning...although that may have been part of the headache but I don't think a hangover can cause a fever?? I spent the entire day in bed or on the couch and I'm still on the couch. After 2 weeks of snow and ice, I was looking forward to getting out of the house to enjoy the nice weather, but scratch that. Instead I have been stalking FB pages and blogs, as if I hadn't done enough of that on the snow days. I sincerely want to thank all of my fb 'friends' who feel the need to air ALL of their dirty laundry. It truly is entertaining. On to the next topic...the wedding...go figure:) We are a little over 3 months away. I was supposed to pick up my dress yesterday. Maybe next week. Our office is starting to get bombarded by wedding stuff. The challenge is realizing ALL of that stuff will be traveling with us. It looks like we will have around 60 people traveling with us. WOW! That is a great group and we are so looking forward to everyone celebrating with us! We are also looking forward to some warm and sunny weather!! Us Oklahoma folk have seen quite a bit of snow as of late. No, we don't hold a candle to states that really get snow, but we also don't know how to handle snow when we get it. People panic and the place shuts down. Not good for business...or is it?? Keep shoveling people and don't watch our for those slick spots:) Totally kidding...kinda:) Well, Alan just got home with Ave. She has been at the groomer today. I'm going to go tell her how pretty she looks and smells, because that is what good moms do.

Say 'Yes' to the dress!!!

It's official, my wedding dress and reception dress were purchased on Friday!!!! A couple of months ago my Mom and I headed over to OKC to JJ Kelly to look at dresses. I found one I loved, but I could not commit because that would have been too easy. So I continued to shop around. I looked in KC, one place in NYC and around Tulsa. I found a couple I liked in Tulsa but not the way they were, so a lot of alterations would have to take place to make it the dress of my dreams. In my mind, I kept going back to this dress in OKC. So, last Friday my Mom, Heather and I drove to OKC to try it on one more time. Deana, my future MIL, met us there. I tried it on and needless to say...it is the one! Ironic enough, it is the very first dress I tried on! I love it and I can't wait to wear it for our wedding. Since we are getting married in the morning, I am planning on wearing a second dress for the reception and I found it that day too, so 2 more things to check off the list!
Since I am on the topic of wedding talk, an update on planning. Our save the dates have been delayed. We are hoping to get them out asap. We, as in not including Alan, met with the florist in Medford on Thanksgiving. He is more than willing to take a backseat when it comes to flowers, colors, really anything that involves details:) Her name is Margie and she will be making our bouquets. I can't wait to see what she puts together for us. Bridesmaids dresses have been picked and Heather got her dress on Friday. I think they are going to be great and easy to travel with. I love the color too. As much as I am a planner, we are kinda at a standstill until we have an idea how many guests will be attending so we can order everything. Less than 6 months away...crazy!!!!

Happy 7th Birthday Avery!

Yesterday was Avery's 7th birthday. Her Daddy bought her a couple of new toys and she was able to cheat on her diet. She went on a long walk and a car ride, so all in all a great day for her. Before Alan and I met, Bree told me she was moving in with him and he had a lab. I was kinda bummed because I told her I would never be able to hang out at his house since he had a dog. From the time I was 2 years old, I developed allergies to dogs, cats...you name it. I also develped asthma. Growing up, I was always the kid that had to leave slumber parties, friend's houses, etc if the owners had animals because my asthma would flare up, eyes would swell, and I would be on my breathing treatments in no time. I have always been hypersensitive to labs in particular. Although I am fortunate as things could always be or have been worse than that health problem, it was definitely not fun and there were many scary times. I have always said this health issue keeps me from having a zoo since I LOVE animals. So back to my point, since I have never been able to be in a home with animals, I prepared myself for short visits to hang out with Bree. I knew she wanted me to meet Alan, but in the back of my mind I was thinking it could never work because he had a dog and I can't be around an inside dog. I know that sounds weird but it is always something I had to consider. At the time, Alan was traveling a lot for work, so I would go over and hang out with Bree. I was noticing that my breathing was doing pretty well, crossing my fingers. So I started hanging out there more and more, (especially since Alan was starting to crush on me at this point:)) and my asthma was in control. I remember calling my Mom saying how crazy it was I could be around this dog. Low and behold, a year and a half later I have a four legged shadow that I can't imagine not having. I can't begin to explain how much I adore this dog...and I know it is mutual! Alan has moments of jealousy since she was his baby for years before I came in the picture;) She is my cuddle bunny, boo bear, baby girl, and the list goes on! Do I think it was fate? Absolutely! I am still allergic to animals and I can still only be in houses with animals for a short amount of time, so when we leave because I can't breathe, I'm not lying! I can't explain it but I'm thankful.

And the destination is....

Turks and Caicos!!!! We are so excited to finally have a destination picked and can't wait to start all of the planning. Alan and I had our engagement pics taken last Friday. One of our locations for pics was no place other than the Tulsa State Fair! Some might say our pick is a little WT, but I like to think of it as creative and really just downright awesome. What can I say...I LOVE the fair! I love everything about it. Alan was such a trooper walking around taking pics while people were staring. We paid $10 to park and $30 to get the three of us in the gate. That would be $40 and we didn't even get a corndog! If you do the fair right, you can drop some serious cash. We also went to Woodward Park for some pics. Heather met us there with Alan's Mom, Deana, and Hadlea. She took a few pics as well, so a big thank you to her. Later that evening, the five of us went to Hideaway to have dinner for Deana's bday. Happy bday Deana! Saturday, a couple of my girlfriends, Carrie and Morgan, went to Leon's to watch the KU game. Remember when I said we are somewhere in between being awful or really good? I was wrong, we are without a doubt awful!!! We looked like a bunch of a$$ clowns running around the field. Baylor scored so quickly on us back to back I had a hard time knowing if it was a replay or another TD. When does bball start?! Actually, I'm not a fair weather fan and I will continue to watch every week holding out hope that we might have a few more 'W's' left in us...particularly v. KSU, MU and OSU! I'm not asking for much:) Last weekend, I was in NYC for Bridget's bach. party. We had a BLAST! It took me a couple of days to get back to normal after that weekend. I'll leave it at that:) Last night, Alan and I went on a date to Ciao. Today, we slept in, went to the late service at church and then Hooters for lunch. Please don't judge, they make a killer grilled cheese. We have been doing chores and organizing most of the day. Alan informed me that if I'm ever pregnant and go through the "nesting" phase, he is moving out...can't say I would blame him. Now, my girl and I are cuddled up on the couch getting ready to go to bed. Gnite!

Bridget's Shower and Wedding Planning

Last Friday, I drove to KC for my friend Bridget's bridal shower. I was rushing to get there so I could see her for her final fitting of the dress, which I barely made in time...go figure. That evening we got ready and went to eat at Manny's, which is a Mexican restaurant in downtown KC. It has been around for 30 years, yet I lived in KC during chiropractic school and never had heard of it. Regardless, it was really good. We then went to the power and light district. One drink in and Bridget and I are ready to head back to the hotel. This is the same Bridget, where 2 years ago we met for a weekend of fun and couldn't remember our hotel room number:) Oh how I wish I would have gotten that on camera, trying our key in all the rooms we thought might be our's!:) We woke up Saturday and headed to her first bridal shower. It was a great time. She received a ton of great gifts. There was one that stood out the most, a KU apron! Lucky girl! It started at 10:30am. Well guess what started at 11?? You guessed it, the KU v. Georgia Tech game. So needless to say I had to check the score. I also kept Bridget and Mary Kate up to speed as we all graduated from KU. Keep in mind, I was not expecting much from my team that dropped the ball against North Dakota State the week before...yes, there is a North Dakota State and even crazier, they have a football team. How many points did we score on week one? 3. Three. Tres. And that is not touchdowns, that is total points. Final score: KU 3 NDSU 6. Since the game was not televised, the optimistic me was thinking, damn our defense must be unbelievable... and so was their's. Then I remembered, we haven't won a football game since last Oct. 9 2009! Well week 2 was a different story, we beat the #15 team in the country!!! I can't belive it either. I'm now thinking we had 2 fluke games in a row and we are somewhere in the middle of being terrible or really freaking good. If you know me, you know the attachment I have to KU. Some might call it an obsession. I truly feel a connection with the players and when they graduate, it takes me a little time to get acclimated with the new players. Last year, we lost one of my all time favs, Todd Reesing, or "my little sparky" as I like to call him. It's ok...Alan is totally accepting of this pet name:) Did I mention I LOVE football season? And don't get me started on basketball. Alan is a huge OSU fan, so he went to the game this past weekend. All will be good until KU and OSU meet up on November 20. OSU did win their game as well, but not without a little excitement. Last night we went to dinner and were talking sports. He is like, "yeah, all you KU fans are getting your hopes up because you had a big win." I then said, "well, yeah but OSU is the only school I know that lines up in the victory formation and fumbles:)" November 20, 2010, mark it down on the calendar! A true house divided!

Wedding planning is going. We are patiently waiting for confirmation that the site we have chosen will be reserved for us...fingers crossed. I will let you know as soon as we know. Then the real planning can start and we are super excited. Finding a resort has been a task. First, we used Destinationweddings.com. FLOP. (Alan's idea btw, hehe.) Now we are using Gina Ho, who was Alan's cousins, Justin and Shelly, recommendation. She has a lot of experience planning destination weddings. She actually told me that she has NEVER had this much trouble with finding a resort that is available on the day we want. I guess we picked a popular weekend. Either way, we are confindent it will all work out the way it should. My Mom keeps reminding me, "Things happen for a reason." That doesn't mean I can't throw a fit along the way though:)
Another task is the guest list. Here lies the problem, we know a lot of people and we have a lot of people that we are close to, but it is not feasible to invite everyone to a destination wedding. We are planning on having a reception when we return, but it is still difficult. Last Sunday, Alan and I were going over the invite list once again...and we came across my Aunt's name. I started crying then, as I am now as I type. He asked me if I wanted to take her name off the list. As crazy as it sounds, I told him no. It's so hard because I know that she and my cousin would have been the only 2 that would come to the wedding from my Mom's side. My Mom said she has her "moments" and I guess I do too. I know we probably all will for awhile. While I'm on the subject of her, I thought of something I left out in a previous post. Back in 2004, when we lost my 2 uncles and Grandpa, (Mom's side)I was able to write poems for the funerals. It's something my Dad and I do, write poems. I have also written for my Grandma (Dad's side) and Grandpa (Dad's side.) The words and thoughts came so easily. For some reason, I was unable to write after Aunt 'Net passed. I still don't know why. It was frustrating. I tried on a couple occasions the week of her funeral and I had "writer's block." I think I have used this blog as a way to "write" as a tribute to her and express my feelings. Several weeks before she passed, my Mom, Tara, Aunt and I were all sitting on my Aunt's bed and telling stories. We laughed so much, so much so that my aunt said to stop making her laugh because it would make her stomach hurt. Great memory:) Miss her dearly.

More Catching up

Something I didn't emphasize enough in that last post is how wonderful Alan was throughout all of this, especially when another crisis happened during the last month. I will explain in this post. I honestly don't know what I would have done without his support. He was there any time I needed him. He knew when to say the right things or when to just let silence take over. I am so thankful for him and the support he shows me day in and day out. I am one blessed girl to be marrying this man and also into this family. His Mom and Sister came to the funeral, which was so thoughtful and greatly appreciated, espcically after what all they were dealing with. We received cards from other family members, also greatly appreciated, so a sincer thank you to all of you.
A few weeks ago on a Monday, Alan had gone to Medford for the day and then drove to Wichita for his monthly work trip. I got a call from him that night saying Jake, his brother, was pitching in a softball game and took a line drive to the face. All we knew was he had a broken nose. We soon found out it was much more serious than a broken nose and we both were on our way to OKC to the OU Medical Trauma Center. Basically, the ambulance had taken him to the Edmond hospital. Due to the nature of his injuries, they were preparing to transport him to OU med, but in the process he began having a seizure and his breathing stopped. Needless to say, they had to intubate him. Once he was stabalized, he was transported. He was in the ICU for the next 4 days. This was a scary time for everyone as we did not know how severe the brain damage was since they had medically induced a coma. He did have a broken nose, actually more of a crushed nose, plus he also had fractured his skull in 2 places, a fractured orbital bone on the left and a subdural hematoma. He would require a major facial reconstructive surgery, which was performed 8 days after the injury. He was in surgery for 7 hours. He was in the hospital another week after the surgery. As of now, he is on the road to recovery but he is still having some vision problems. We hope it will correct itself, but only time will tell. He gets his nose tubes out next week. His family was amazing throughout this time as it was scary with a lot of unknowns. We were all worried about him but are so thankful that he has come as far as he has. Jake has been so strong throughout all of this. We look forward to the day he is healed and all of the prayers have been answered. We love you Jake!