HALLELUJAH!!!!!

We. have. cable.

After 3 months of quite frankly just being stubborn, we have cable. I found out today that we could have bought an antenna and at least been watching the basic channels in Chicago, but instead we've been Hulu, Netflix, Redbox, Friends DVD freaks. Honestly, it hasn't been that bad since it was summer but once football season started and premier week last week we really started missing it.

Even with the wonderful technology of the Internet, I have to say I'm really disappointed with Bravo's lack of posting current episodes online. Ugh. If you know me, you know my guilty pleasure is watching ridiculous shows like Real Housewives of OC, ATL, NYC, NJ, etc etc (hello drama!) ; Flipping Out (how can you not think Jeff Lewis is absolutely hilarious?!?); Rachel Zoe Project (bananas); Bethenny Getting Married (I love her.). Bravo swept me off my feet when they started airing Project Runway and it just snowballed from there. Now, PR has moved to Lifetime(?!?) and it's been replaced with stupid Top Chef cooking shows. No thanks. Thank goodness Bravo is notorious for showing re-runs and marathons so I can get caught up!

This afternoon, I've been watching E! and HGTV because I can and who knows, maybe I'll even watch a little ESPN while I wait for Matt to get home from work! :)

R.I.P.

So...our DVD player bit the dust sometime over the weekend. Sad day. Probably from being over used with Friends DVDs and Netflix. I just wore the poor thing out.

After a lunch date with my boo {Matt--for those of you not hip with the lingo kids use these days} I headed over to Target to replace our deceased DVD player. Hey, I gave it 2 days...plenty of time to come back to life.

Tonight I'm back on track!

SIDE NOTE: I conquered the "buggy escalator" {or shopping cart for those of you who don't know what a buggy is} at Target today and I'm a little ashamed to admit this was exciting for me! Our Target is two story, so they have these special escalator type things that carry your buggy to the second floor while you ride along side on the normal escalator! I've always used a hand basket but I was feeling a little crazy and got a buggy today! Watch out!

Chicago Apartment Living 101

I've lived in apartments before, but there are some obvious differences between Oklahoma apts and Chicago apts (or any big city for that matter). Obviously, apts here are usually more than 4 stories tall and have doormen and elevators instead of stairs and you're lucky if you get a washer/dryer in your unit or at least in your building. But I discovered something else a little different yesterday in my humble little home!

One of the perks of the apt we're renting is that our water/heat & air are all included in our rent. So we never really worry about what the thermostat is set on or how often we're running the air. Our thermostat is also different than any I'd ever seen. It has a dial with a 50-90 degree range but instead of automatically turning on or off when reaching that temp, it just constantly runs. You can change it from low, medium, high or off. Well, we usually keep it at low or medium at all times. This weekend it was pretty chilly so I turned the thermostat up to something in the 70's. Well yesterday, I was getting pretty toasty in our living room. I just thought to myself that maybe it's messed up and it was running hotter than usual. So I turned it back down into the 60s and opened the balcony door and windows to let in some fresh air. Still no relief! When I walked into the bedroom it was quickly turning into a sauna!!! What's going on?!?! Then, I felt the air coming out of the vent in the bedroom. HOT AIR! Still confused, I just turned the whole thing off and figured I would need to have Matt take a look at it.

Fast forward to dinner. I decided PF Changs sounded good so I called it in and walked over to pick it up. (it was yummy by the way.) As I was riding on the elevator, I happened to notice the flyer maintenance had posted "The building has switched over from a/c to heat effective Sept 27. Hello Fall!!!" WHAT?!?!? The whole building switches from air to heat?!? Who knew?!? I just thought we were supposed to change the temp on the thermostat!

Matt just laughed at me like I should've known, but in NO other home, apartment, sorority house, living quarters have I EVER lived in has there been a situation where the entire place just switches from air to heat!

Ready or not!!!

The seasons are changing and while I love fall, it means winter will soon follow suit! I'm not sure I'm ready for it!!! This summer was absolutely beautiful! Potted plants and hanging baskets lining the streets. Outdoor seating at restaurants to enjoy the nice evenings. How could you not fall in love with a city like Chicago in the summer?

It's time to bust out the sweaters stashed in the top of my closet and start switching out tank tops and sun dresses for long sleeves! That's on this week's list of "To Do's". And I'm quickly realizing, I may need to add "cute jackets" into the budget. I have lots of fleeces! But now I have reason to stock up on things I love like scarves and cute hats!

This weekend it was in the upper 50's and overcast. Perfect for the first crock-pot soup of the season...chicken taco soup! Yum!
Here's the recipe:
2 cans of chicken broth
2 cans of chicken breast meat(13 oz each)
**I used some chicken tenderloins I had stashed in the freezer. I just cooked them in the ckn broth on high in the crock pot and then shredded it when it was cooked.
1 can of Rotel
1 can of family size chicken & rice soup
1 can of corn, drained
add some cilantro to taste
**you could also add some beans of your choice too if you prefer.

Then of course, I love to top mine off with crushed tortilla chips and cheese! Mmmm...

So...I'm off to enjoy the beautiful fall weather while hoping it will stick around long enough until I can afford to purchase this bad boy!!!

(my "Michelin Man" head to toe puffy coat!)

Fun with friends!!!

Thursday night I met up with some friends from Wichita Falls (I wish I could say new friends in Chicago but I haven't been very successful at that!) and we went to dinner! Let me preface this by saying I honestly wasn't sure how it was going to go down. All I knew was that I was taking 5 adults and 3 little ones to dinner and I was to pick the place. NO PRESSURE!!! My past attempts at being a tour guide to parents with small children was a disaster so I was 0-1 and really nervous to strike out again!!! I'm really not used to navigating this city with a stroller but I'm gaining experience! haha!

So, I go to meet everyone at the hotel and we're off! I picked a Mexican food restaurant that I knew was big and loud. (let's face it, taking 3 kids to a quiet restaurant is just asking for it.) I know, go figure, I picked Mexican. Of course the place I pick isn't right around the corner, so I decided a bus would be the best choice b/c the trains usually mean stairs and strollers + stairs= too much work. So we get on the bus. Which is GREAT at first, but at EVERY stop 6 more people get on the bus (NOT exaggerating). By the time we need to get off, we're literally trapped on this bus. We start moving to the exit and we've taken so long, the bus is starting to go again! We yell up to the driver to please wait b/c we're coming! Eventually, people start getting off the bus to make room for us to get off! haha! Obstacle one...TACKLED!!!!

We finally make it to the restaurant (45 mins after I had called ahead to have them set up our table) and they had to give away our table. Which I understood, I had told them we'd be there in 15 mins and we didn't make it. Again, I'm NOT used to converting normal time to "traveling with little ones" time. haha! But, the restaurant was awesome and accommodated us perfectly and we had a GREAT TIME! Obstacle two...TACKLED!!! I'm on a roll!!!

I really was anxious about the dinner and it was so wonderful! The kids were great!!! I was picturing food flying everywhere and screaming b/c for some reason 3 kids=disaster in my head and well, I'm a "expect the worst, hope for the best" kinda girl! I made some new friends and got to spend time with some old friends. Erin & Dutch & their adorable little girl, Liv. They're the kind of people you can be around for 5 minutes and feel like you've known forever. She's from Wichita Falls, and I swear looks like Kate Hudson, but now lives in Indianapolis. Then, Crystal & her beautiful little girl Savannah. I feel like I know Savannah from following Crystal's blog. Crystal is Lauren's (my bff) sister in law and she helped make sure everything was perfect on my wedding day. Their husband's were at the Cubs game. And then Lauren and sweet Luke were there too! Did you get all that? I hope it made sense.

Lauren, Crystal, Erin & co: I had a BLAST with y'all! Y'all are the cutest mom's on the planet and it was so refreshing and fun to be with such amazing women! I hope I'm half as cute as y'all when I have a little one and I hope I can make it look half as easy too! Luke, Savannah & Liv are so blessed to call you their Mommy! And Dutch, you were a trooper hanging with us crazy girls while we almost blew away in the monsoon winds on the way home!

So if you've got kids and you're in the Chicago area, BRING IT ON! haha!

Still no cable...

My blog post must have jinxed me. Now the cable company isn't coming until Friday morning. So...it's more of this



Not that I'm complaining. It always makes me laugh and I can still get things done around the apartment with it playing in the background. Love me some Friends!

"Beau" the Beta AKA "Bait"

I named our new little fish, Beau, b/c he's so handsome. My clever husband chose to name him, Bait. Very funny. So he has 2 names b/c we both refuse to give in to the other's name choice! haha!

I was a little nervous to leave Beau in Matt's care for the last 5 days, but the little guy made it! I figured he would be belly up when I got back! He's safe and sound and survived a week with the Wilson's!

Better late than never...

I am ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS a step behind on things. How have I JUST NOW discovered the goodness of Pumpkin Spice Latte's from Starbucks?!? Delicious. I guess I just figured I would hate it b/c I'm not a big pumpkin fan when it comes to food. But I'm in love. YUM!

I'm under lock down today as I wait for the cable guy to come. He is scheduled to be here between 1 and 6 today. grrr...why are they so broad with their times? I'm excited to be able to watch Modern Family, my Bravo reality shows and have my laptop back when we decide to "watch TV". For the last few months, we've been watching Hulu and Netflix like it's nobody's business, but given that it's football season...it's time to finally get our TV/cable turned on! :) We love our football in the Wilson home!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far!

So, I'll admit...I've got the fever...

Before you rush out starting any rumors, let me clarify! I've been having pet fever. Just wanting a little buddy to keep me company while Matt works late into the evenings (or in this instance...all weekend. boo! but they're closing a new deal so I guess I'm happy that the business is going strong!)

I think our friends back home thought we hated dogs/animals. Not true. We just didn't jump on the "gotta get a dog b/c it's the next milestone" bandwagon. No offense. It just seems like people get married and then think, now we need a dog to practice taking care of something before we have kids. Not to mention, we couldn't squeeze the cost of maintaining an animal into our budget. Anywho...for the record. Matt and I LIKE animals!

I like dogs, but given our current living situation, I do NOT want to take a dog down 42 floors and around the block to pee when it's 20 below here in Chicago. No thanks. Plus, I like bigger dogs like goldens and that just wouldn't be fair to keep one cooped up in an 850 sq ft apt without a yard to run and play in every day. Lots of people in our building have dogs and I pet them when we're in the elevators, but there's one in particular that breaks my heart. An obese wienie dog. Bless her heart, her eyes look so sad when she looks at you. As if to say "Help me! I'm miserably fat and my little ankles hurt from holding all this weight." And...she stinks. Sorry, it's true.

I also like cats. For some weird reason, most of my friends have this weird hatred against cats like they are the scum of the earth. And I also think people have this mental screw lose that you can't like both dogs and cats. You. Must. Chose. I disagree.
I had BOTH growing up and I like both. I may even venture to say I lean more to liking cats more than dogs but it's probably due to two things. I don't like being slobbered on and I don't like to hear constant barking. Our dog was a sheltie and she wasn't a licker or a major barker. She went deaf in her later years and would bark randomly b/c she thought she heard something but it wasn't a yippy annoying bark. The cats I grew up with were always good cats. No horror stories of scratching or hissing at me. I like that cats can pretty much take care of themselves. They will come snuggle with you but they aren't all over you all the time. You can leave for the weekend and they can survive just fine without needing to ask someone to care for them. Cats just fit more into our lifestyle right now.

Well, I find the local PetCo and there are some ADORABLE cats up for adoption. CUTE! I stick my finger into the little holes and they purr and rub up against the cage. So I call Matt and confess and ask him what he thinks. Matt (after 5 years together and constant trips home to my parents house w/ 3 cats) tells me HE. IS. ALLERGIC! What?!? Apparently, he keeps eye drops at my parents house for it but I just thought he had dry eyes. I think it's boloni!!! Also, our lease states no pets. :( I could probably talk our landlord into it but I decided against it. I got to thinking about it last night and we'd have to find a place for a litter box, find a vet, etc etc. So I put it on hold and went to Plan B.

So...for $3.99 I ended up with this little beauty! Introducing Beau!



He's the newest addition to our family! I can't pet him but he's pretty fun to watch. He was the most fiesty one at the pet store. So for now, I'll just enjoy everyone else's pets! :)

3 years ago, I said YES!

Well...actually, my first words were "Are you serious?!?" And then I realized it was really happening and I hugged Matt and said yes! Matt and his brother, Landon, are 7 years apart and have a birthday one day apart (Sept 8--Matt and 9--Landon) so I thought nothing of his family and my family meeting in OKC for a birthday lunch! Our families had become friends and we'd spent my birthday together before so no big deal!
We had our lunch and the boys had finished opening their gifts and we were kind of wrapping things up...so I thought. Well, Matt starts thanking everyone for coming and then grabs my hand and starts saying wonderful things about me. I still was just a little out of it until he got down on one knee!

Out of his pocket comes this BREATHTAKING ring and I went into shock! I couldn't believe it was happening! I wanted to be surprised and I truly was surprised! I learned a few moments later that everyone knew for months about this and had kept it a secret from me! He had driven down to Wichita Falls to ask my dad for my hand on a weekend that he was "golfing with his buddies in OKC" back in June. sneaky sneaky.



It was one of the best days of my life!

Happy Birthday Matthew Christopher!!!

Today is Matt's 27th birthday!!! We've been together since he was TWENTY TWO years old!!! (when I put it in that kind of perspective, it sounds so dramatic!)This is our 5th year together (in October-ish) so I've been doing some reflecting over the course of our relationship! We've made this incredible commitment to love and honor each other forever. For-Ev-er. (picture kid in The Sandlot) Time has really flown by, so when I stop and think about how long we've been dating/married it's so bizarre! In a wonderful way!

We were in Wichita Falls visiting my parents (a long time ago...I think we were still dating) and I have no idea what we were really talking about but I just remember this part of the conversation. My Daddy said that he still sees my Mom like she was 18 years old. Of course, as a woman, Mama rolled her eyes thinking "What about these wrinkles?" "My figure is not what it used to be at 18." "My hair is starting to gray." The typical things we, as women, beat ourselves up about. **For the record, my mom looks amazing and I think she's stunning! I hope I age half as wonderfully as she has aged.**Anyway, the point I think Daddy was trying to make is that he sees her through his love for her. He sees her still as the 18 year old girl he fell in love with all those years ago. I thought that was so amazing. And, even though we haven't aged all that much or have near as many years of marriage under our belt, I feel the same way about Matt! I don't feel like we have aged a bit. For the most part, we're still crazy college kids who just happen to go to bed a bit earlier (it's true) but still pull some of the same antics.

Fall of 2005--Stillwater, America

When Matt and I VERY first started hanging out, I thought "No way this will work". I thought he was way too fratty for me and I figured he was just going to take me to a date party or two until he found a different sorority girl to chase. If this had been a few years earlier in his college career, maybe. But God's timing is perfect. He allowed us both to have our own college experiences and to grow up and become more of the people we are today. I think we would've held each other back if we'd met any sooner. Anyway, he swept me off my feet with his charm and the rest is history! For most of you that know Matt on the surface, he is very much the funny guy, always making jokes or being silly. He's usually the loudest person in the room and tends to enjoy being the life of the party--or thinking he's the life of the party. I love that Matt but I also love my Matt. The guy who loves me unconditionally, smiles and shakes his head when I say something dumb, tickles me when I try to get into bed even when I'm beating him to stop, makes me forget that I don't like PDA b/c I forget others are around, dreams with me...correction, teaches me how to dream (sometimes I'm a realist to a fault), and he takes care of me. He's always patient with me and encourages me. He makes me a better person and balances me.

Fall of 2010--I never would've guessed we would be in Chicago! LOVE IT!

I am so thankful God gave me this wonderful man to lead me as my husband and be my best friend!!! Happy Birthday Matthew Christopher! I love you!

Enough with the sappy talk!!! Here's the rest of his birthday week gifts...
Yesterday: a universal remote (we lost the DVD remote somewhere along the way) and cupcakes!
Today: A cardigan he can keep at work for when he gets cold and some awesome brown shoes! They're kind of a distressed leather and I think they'll look great with jeans and a button up shirt when we go out for dinner! :)

Kris & Abby's visit to Chicago!!!

Thursday night we rode the train out to O'Hare and picked up our guests, Kris & Abby! We were so excited they chose to spend their Labor Day weekend with us! We met them a couple of years ago in our Life Group. They're so fun and easy to be around and I was ecstatic when Abby texted me and said they were booking their flight to visit us!!! Their flight was supposed to arrive at 7 pm but due to storms, they were re-routed and delayed until about 9. The Chicagoan's didn't waste any time welcoming them to this crazy city. On our way back into town, a REALLY drunk and overweight man came and sat RIGHT next to us and would NOT shut up. He thought he was a comedian and just kept going with joke after joke that didn't make sense. I smiled and tried to be polite (NEVER anger an obese drunk man.) but Abby drew the short stick. She said his breath reeked of alcohol and it was awful.

Friday was mostly full of sight-seeing! Matt had to work until noon, but they were beat from flying so it worked out and they were able to sleep in a bit. It turned out to be a windy day (go figure) so after going to the park to see the Bean, we headed over to Willis Tower to see the sights from inside. It was awesome! There's a Skydeck on the west side of the building where you can walk out onto a glass floor and see straight down! Kind of freaky but really cool!

Kris is NOT a fan of heights but he was a trooper and went out on the Skydeck for a split second!






After that we went over to the John Hancock building to see the sights some more. They have a nice bar up on the 96th floor so instead of paying a fee for the observation deck (I think it's a few floors higher) we had a cocktail instead.

This is one of my favorite's from the weekend! It was nice to relax and enjoy the view! The city looks so peaceful and I love looking out on the lake.

Saturday was our shopping day! The boys went with us until Kris found some jeans (that was the only thing on his list) then they headed to the bar to watch college football all day! Abby & I tackled some stores and found some great deals before meeting up with them to watch the Oklahoma State game. There is an OSU bar in the Lincoln Park area called The Other Side and it was really cool watching the game with a bunch of other Pokes!






Sunday we had an awesome brunch and it was a pretty low key day. We shopped and tried to hit up the other sights left to see/do on their list!

Abby had a major blow out on our way to see Wrigley Field! I was glad we were pretty close to the apartment b/c there was no mending this sandal. She was a trooper though!


She made it most of the way before the sandal broke in another place and Kris was kind enough to give her a piggy back ride the last block so her feet didn't turn black! It was hysterical!

They really were wonderful guests and so easy to please! We had an awesome time and hope they'll come back again!!!

Matt's Birthday Week continued...

So...I'm sure my faithful readers are all chomping at the bit to know what else Matt has received for his week of birthday fun! Well, here goes!

Thursday was a pair of swim goggles. I know, sounds lame, but when we chose this apartment Matt was REALLY excited about having an indoor pool. We haven't swam in it one single time but we like having the OPTION to swim in the winter if we so choose. He has mentioned wanting to swim laps too so...I got him swim goggles. :)

Friday, he received a t-shirt I noticed him eye-ing a week or so ago. He's trying to phase out some of his SAE/college shirts (let's face it, he'll be 27. They need to be retired...)

Saturday, a Blackhawks coffee mug!!! Matt and I love our morning coffee on the weekends and I wanted to get him a Chicago mug (we have a Thunder mug and a Jim Beam mug along with my heart mug, snowflake mug, and "Beth" mug so he needed another manly mug!) And since the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup this year, it seemed fitting. We don't even really watch hockey but we got into it this year knowing we would soon be Chicagoans!

Sunday, admittedly, I failed to give him a gift. I had it all planned out to get him an umbrella for those rainy/snowy days but the store I went to was all out of manly options and I didn't think he would appreciate one with pink polka dots! BUT, our dear friends Kris & Abby bought our dinner Sunday night so I like to think they bailed me out!

Monday, Qdoba (specifically their chips and queso...YUM!) and football. I mean, I am the perfect wife! haha!

Today...a couple of things but I can't tell you until he gets them. And then tomorrow, the grand finale! We're going to dinner this weekend, probably to our favorite steak restaurant. We can't plan on weeknight dinners b/c there's no guarantee when he'll get home.

Matt's Birthday Week!!!

I think I've discovered a new tradition! Or, because I'm unemployed, I have way too much time on my hands! The jury is out...I guess we'll wait until next year before deciding if it's a full blown tradition.

Matt's birthday is September 8th and I'm a BIG advocate for birthdays! I love giving gifts and I LOVE birthdays! Matt jokes that I start counting down the days until my birthday every New Year. Not entirely true, but I start getting excited! I think it's because Spring is my favorite season and come January, well I'm basically over winter and want to see flowers everywhere and green come back into the trees! And usually when it starts getting nice out, my birthday is within sight!

Luckily, our birthdays are spread out enough that there's no um...sharing! Let's face it, I'm an only child. I share our anniversary and Christmas with him so give me April 9th! I think it's perfect really. Mine's in April and his is in Sept and then Christmas follows after that...then I start getting excited about Spring again. :) Vicious cycle! haha

Anywhoo!!! I woke up yesterday and thought "Why not celebrate Matt's birthday a little bit every day until the 8th?!" A week and a day! Everyone knows my mom and I celebrate our birthdays for at least a week so Matt surely deserves it too!

It's nothing fancy. I bought his serious gift last month and I've stashed it in my closet so these gifts are kind of little things just for fun. I started off yesterday by getting him a bag of Snickers, one of his favorite candies. I wrapped it with a cute ORANGE bow (to celebrate football season Go Pokes!) and left a little note. He got home about 9:30 so he was too tired to break in and eat any, but I think he liked it!

Today's gift is kind of silly...can't tell you though, he hasn't seen it yet!

And conveniently, my birthday is April 9th so MAYBE the tradition will go both ways! Wishful thinking!!! But I PROMISE I wasn't having those selfish thoughts/motives when I came up with this for him! I don't think he believes me though... haha!

NOW, I'm off to wrap up some last minute things before hopping on the train to meet Kris & Abby at the airport!!! We're so excited to have some guests in town for Labor Day Weekend!!! Lots of fun is sure to be had this weekend! Love our amazing friends!!!

Not the sharpest tool in the shed...

"but I'm the cutest! Right?!?" That's my reply when he tells me that. Not even that tools are even that cute, but if you could rate tools on a scale of cute-ness, my defense to my smart little husband is that I would hope he thought I was at least the cutest darn tool in that shed! :)

I do and say a lot of dumb things! (Matt won't let me forget or live any of them down...one of my most famous examples was when Matt was tickling me one day early in our relationship, I shouted "STOP! You're smuggling me!" I meant smothering.) I'm worse especially when I'm really comfortable around a person. I tend to turn off my filter and say the first thing that comes to mind or just act silly. Sometimes, it takes me a while to catch on to things and I don't always figure stuff out the quickest. And I really pride myself on being a pretty intelligent girl despite my "moments".

Enter...my blog. I spent hours, I mean HOURS last night and today trying to figure out how to change the background to be something "cutsie". All the gals I blog stalk have these super cute backgrounds with polka dots, flowers, paisleys, etc you know, shabby chic kind of stuff and mine was just...blah. I couldn't get past the basic template designs. So I snooped around on their blogs and found some websites they were using. www.shabbyblogs.com and www.hotbliggityblog.com to name a couple. Well, I found one that I liked and did the ol' copy & paste to add it to my blog template. Error. Over and over I tried and each time I would tinker with it a bit more to see if I could figure out what I was doing wrong. I let out deep sighs until Matt asked what was wrong. I knew it was silly to get all worked up over a silly website that barely anyone reads, but I was so frustrated! Finally, I called it quits and went to bed. I came back to it this afternoon with renewed hope and determination. I tried for a few more hours and ALAS!!! I made progress!!! I finally got it to where I could see a little of the design in the background! After much tweaking and editing of ever little thing, I finally was able to see ALL of the design in the background!!!!! GLORIOUS!!!

SO! I hope everyone thinks it's really cute b/c quite frankly, I think I have a few more wrinkles from furrowing my brow. ugh.

Best part. I texted Matt to tell him to take a look at it...his response "Can you center the header?" ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
sigh. That's on tomorrow's agenda.