Charlie Brown Christmas

One of the hardest things for me to part with when we moved was our Christmas tree and decorations. I sold our tree in a garage sale and packed up our ornaments and placed them in storage at the Wilson's house. I always love getting my ornaments out each year and reminiscing about who gave me the ornament or where I got them. BUT, when you move into a little apartment, closet space becomes a precious commodity! {sigh}

Thankfully, a few years ago, my mom gave me the cutest teeny little table top tree! So here's a little Christmas in Apt 4203!


Our etsy stockings that I keep meaning to get monogrammed...haha!

And our cute little Christmas tree with the Nativity. Jesus is the reason for the season! Sorry...I couldn't resist the rhyme! :) And yes...that's Chelsea Handler in the background. You can always tell when Matt's not home b/c the TV is usually on E! or Bravo...

Food, Family, Friends and Football!

We were fortunate enough to go back to TX and OK for Thanksgiving weekend and we had a BLAST! What a wonderful time with friends and family. Liz, my fab sister in law, so graciously let us borrow her car so we could visit Wichita Falls, Stroud and Stillwater while we were home! We did more driving over those 4 days than we have done in the last 4 months! weird. We've done so little driving in fact that when we went through security in the OKC airport on Sunday, the TSA agent informed Matt that his DL had expired at the end of September. WHOOPS!!! Yet another thing to be thankful for...thank goodness we didn't get pulled over while we were driving all over the place! Whew!

On Saturday, we made the short trip to Stillwater, America for Bedlam weekend. I bought my annual Oklahoma State t-shirt from DuPree's (my best friend Lauren and Matt's college employer) and then it was a mad dash to try and see as many friends at as many tail gates as possible. We still failed miserably to see an entire list of people we so desperately wanted to see but I was so happy we got to hug and catch up with so many dear friends! We were excited to cheer on our Cowboys even though the outcome was NOT what we were hoping...still so proud of their awesome season! Go Pokes!

I was TERRIBLE about taking pictures the whole weekend and I always kick myself when I only come back with a couple of pictures. Here are a few!
We got to see the Clinton's!!! Look at her barely there belly! She looks SO great and is due in February with their first little one, a baby BOY! Congratulations Tyler and Lindsey! We love you!

Our dear friends, the Aufleger's! These two have been a part of our lives since we were dating. They were our small group leaders when we were a part of a "newlywed/young married" group (we were the unmarrieds haha!). They were such an amazing example of a marriage that honors God and taught us so much while we were dating/engaged and now that we're married!

And this gorgeous gal is their amazing daughter, Ali! She's now a freshman at Oklahoma State and she's on pom! She's so talented and to make it even better, she's a great girl who is so smart, humble and down to earth. Now if only we could get her and my brother in law, Landon, to date. :)

And last but not least, James! He and his wife, Joanna, are some of our closest friends. They came to visit us when we first moved to Chicago and even helped us unpack. (and bail us out when the movers pulled a last minute charge on us and we couldn't access an ATM) Now THAT my friends, is true friendship! Jo is in her last year in dental hygiene so she was home studying...and I pouted while these two got in some man time. :) Love y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The countdown is on for Thanksgiving weekend!!!! I could care less about the food, which to some, is probably a blasphemous statement, but I've never gone crazy over turkey and pumpkin/pecan pie. I just can't wait to see our family and friends! We fly home Wednesday night and will be in TX Thursday through part of Friday and then OK for the rest of the weekend! I'm ready to hug necks and just spend quality time with the people we love most!

Matt and I went walking around Chicago this weekend for a special project, and I was just blown away by the beauty of fall. I always rolled my eyes as a child when my mom and grandma would talk about the changing leaves. I always thought it was so lame. Oh how the times have changed! These last few years, I can finally appreciate the beauty in the changing of seasons and fall has crept into my heart as one of my favorite seasons. I just look around in awe of God's creation. Really, I don't know how people don't believe in God. I just don't believe that nature came up with all of this on it's own. So here are a couple of pictures from today's trip over to the park.




I LOVE the contrast of the skyline and the gorgeous trees! They were even more vibrant in person! Beautiful. Oh and those people in the bottom corner are looking at the ice skating rink down below! Matt took me ice skating on our first "official" date in OKC. :) I remember smiling/laughing the WHOLE time and loving every second. Oh and the fact that he didn't tell me we were going skating and I wasn't wearing socks that day. He gave me his socks and went without {ewww!}! What a true gentleman.

So the special project...Flat Hunter. Matt's mom is a 3rd grade teacher and she has her students make a little cut out of themselves and send it to family members that live somewhere other than Stroud. Then, they take pictures and write in the journal and send it back for show and tell. I think it's great b/c it's a way for these kids to essentially go on field trips all over the place! Well, this little boy lives with his grandmother and just simply didn't have anyone who would show Flat Hunter a good time! We were so excited to show Flat Hunter around Chicago! He got to see the downtown Christmas tree {even though it's not lit yet...}, Chicago Theatre, Michigan Ave, The Bean, the train, Wrigley and the ESPN College Gameday bus. I think he had a blast and so did we! We got a couple of strange looks, but after explaining what we were doing, they loved the idea.
As I was editing the pictures I came across this gem! The sign says "Thank Wilson". How crazy is that?!? We were so focused on getting quick pics that I wasn't even paying attention to what the sign said. The Northwestern/Illinois game was going on at the time and it was a madhouse around the ballpark!

Can't wait to put all of the pictures into Flat Hunter's journal so the real Hunter can show his classmates Chicago! My educational husband already told me we need to be sure to put in some historical facts about the places we saw. He's a true teacher's son, thanks Beth! This will surely come in handy when we have kids someday! Hopefully, they'll take after Matt and be valedictorians! :) smarty pants.

Thoughts for the week...

*Target's Humor...Genius!

Have you seen the Target Black Friday commercials?! I think they're hilarious! Whoever came up with the idea should get a big bonus this December. Just sayin...

*Shoe repair has saved my life/wallet!
The lady I take my dry cleaning to is seriously my new bff! She also offers alterations and shoe repair. I've taken a pair of jeans to her and she did a great job so I decided to take a chance on some boots that were looking PITIFUL. I seriously should have taken a before/after picture of these boots. Honestly, I thought they were too far gone. The leather on the heel was all scuffed, the metal was exposed, and the toe was a different shade of brown. I got them back this week and it's like having a brand new boot! They look amazing. I figured it was going to be a pretty penny and I was already making my story to justify the cost to Matt, but it was only $18!!! Side note: You know you're BFF with your dry cleaner when she lets you take a suit you haven't paid for yet...don't worry, I went by today and paid for it! :)

*USPS=terrible customer service
They wonder why they're unprofitable. It's because everyone dreads going to the post office to ship things! I had to mail my sister in laws birthday gift to Spain ,so I went in and didn't see the labels, plus I'd never shipped anything int'l. So I waited in line to get one at the counter. Well, I was sent over to get a label and told to stand in line again. Second time around, I was told I needed to write "Spain" on the label. I had written Espana {per my sis in law's instruction}, which to me is pretty obvious...whatever. Ugh. Needless to say, it was finally shipped {probably beaten and battered b/c I gave the lady some attitude} and that was 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back. It didn't need to be that difficult. I had tried to avoid the USPS and take the package to FedEx, but it was going to be $95 to ship to Spain, sorry Liz...not happening!

*Better late than never
I'm always at least 10 steps behind everyone else. I was late with the skinny jeans, UGGs, shoe repair, Forever 21, H&M, eye brow/lip wax, etc. Basically any trend or common girl knowledge, I'm always the last to join. As of today, I now own a curling iron. I know! A Texan that doesn't own a curling iron?! It's like blasphemous. I blame it on the years of torture I endured with getting my hair {aka my bangs} curled as a little girl. Hated it. And hair spray...I'm just now to the point that I can handle using hair spray. Sorry Mom. Now if I could just learn how to tease...

*Loving my job.
Seriously, it's such a great fit for me. Who doesn't like working 7 hours and getting paid for 8? Loving the people I'm meeting/working with, even though it's the most quiet work environment ever. It's like working in a library sometimes, but once you get in someone's office, much more my scene. :) love my little department. I work with the coolest ladies in the firm, BY FAR! Don't tell everyone else that though...I might be a little biased b/c I'm working with a fellow Texan! :)
Side note: In my short time working with atty's, I've discovered that they really like to use big words/fancy language in writing and make themselves sound really smart. Funny, really. To all my legal friends, I love you!

*TX/OK here we come!
So excited that next week is a short work week and we'll be on our way to TX and OK to see our family and friends! I'm just beside myself with excitement! I can't wait to hug everyone's neck and catch up. We found tickets to Bedlam so we'll be in Stillwater on Saturday to cheer on our Cowboys! I've really missed tailgating and seeing all of our friends and our favorite team play football! Not to mention, I get my Sonic fix...and if I play my cards right, maybe a trip to El Vaq for some Mexican food. Can't wait to scream at the top of my lungs for my Pokes! :) Next weekend is going to be epic!

Christmas Cards!

It's about that time again! I love sending photo cards during the holiday season to our friends and family. Especially since we're so far away and we haven't seen a lot of our friends in months. {Insert pouty face here} I love getting them too, so send them my way! I've heard that the city decorates quite a bit so I'm hoping Matt and I can take a fun picture around town somewhere and use Shutterfly to make some FAB cards! They have really cute designs. Check them out here.

Shutterfly lets you do amazing things with your pictures. Like make fabulous gifts for family members. What grandparents wouldn't want a calendar of their favorite grandbaby?! Or you can make your own canvas art. One thing I've always wanted to do is get a big canvas made using one of our favorite pictures from our wedding. Maybe that will be our Christmas present to ourselves. :) I'm sure Matt will be PUMPED!

Shutterfly is being so generous to give away 50 FREE Holiday cards. Check out this link for the details to see how you can join in on the fun! I can't wait to design our cards this year. One problem...I don't know how I'll narrow it down to just ONE!

Girls Night Out

Friday night, Matt had a dinner obligation for work so I was on my own. Marisa, my sweet new friend I made at work, graciously invited me to tag along with a few of her girlfriends to go see The Social Network. I was so excited to finally have plans with girlfriends that I have met here in Chicago!

Marisa and I started at the law firm on the same day. She was so warm and friendly so of course, 5 minutes into our orientation training, I knew we were going to be fast friends! As we were small talking, we found out we're birthday twins...well sort of. She's exactly a year older than me! I knew I liked this girl, a fellow April 9th gal! :) She's from Chicago originally and just moved back after spending the last couple of years in DC. After DC, she spent a few months in Africa teaching English. Now she recently found a roommate that is an exchange student from Iran. I mean really, one of the friendliest people ever! She's much more cultured than me, and I admire her for her adventurous spirit {much like my awesome sister in law}! Uprooting and moving to Chicago will probably be my biggest adventure and I'm ok with that! I like roots. I do hope that many travels are in the Wilson future, a week here and a long weekend there. :)

So Marisa and I grabbed a latte and met up with her girlfriends at the movies. We went to see The Social Network. I thought the movie was good! Call me naive, but I had no idea that Harvard was really that "uppity". I mean, I know it's Ivy League and a big deal to go there, but the "formal clubs" and the pompous Harvard row suit jackets {you know, with the gold trim and "H" on the chest}. ugh. It gave me an icky feeling that people get so caught up in that world. I would not fit in at all. Maybe Hollywood fluffed it a little for the movie?! It made me thankful that I grew up in Texas. In a family that appreciates the little things and works hard, not necessarily for money, but because it's what you do...have a good work ethic. I didn't grow up in a mansion and my first car was a really old, boxy Chevy blazer that I loved and still miss sometimes! Anyway...off that soap box. I really did like the movie!

After wards, we went out for a drink and chatted for quite awhile. The girls were so nice and I had a great time! We talked about lots of things and somehow, accents came up. They think I have one and I don't hear mine. In fact, I feel like I lost it since I haven't lived in Texas for years now. Matt says it comes out when I talk to my family, but I don't hear it. Likewise, they don't hear their "Midwest" accents. So we started talking about words that sound different to me. Best example, Wisconsin. Most people up here say it like Wiscahhhhnsin. That's the best way I know to spell it. When I pronounced it, they tried to say it like me and finally said "That doesn't sound right, it's too much emphasis on 'con'." I feel like it's too much work to say WisCAAAHHHHHNNNsin. haha agree to disagree!

It was so fun to connect with some girls and have a night out in Chicago with some true Chicaaaagoans! :) Pretty sure Matt is thankful for Marisa too b/c now he doesn't have to suffer through all of the chick flicks I want to go see. You're welcome honey.

From scratch!

I can finally say I made something homemade! I made cornbread from scratch! Who am I?! I don't even know anymore. It was a lot of ingredients & mess, but I think they turned out pretty good! Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins!


Suffered a small war wound though...burned my knuckle on the oven rack! It blistered immediately! Yooowwwwcccchhhh!!!! Other than that and the sink full of dirty mixing bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons it was relatively easy and painless! We now have cornbread muffins for about the next week though, so next time I'll have to figure out how to cut the recipe down a bit.


We had cornbread and taco soup for our Game Night dinner! We beat Texas for the first time in a long time. And beat them pretty badly. I'm so used to being the underdog. I'm so proud of those Oklahoma State Cowboys and all they've accomplished this year! Go Pokes!!!
Thank goodness for these incredible plastic liners for the Crock Pot!

"Luvya Dubya"

When I was in college, a group of my sorority sisters made shirts in support of President George W Bush for the 2004 election. The beautiful and classy First Lady, Laura Bush, and his twin girls were fellow Theta sisters {an added perk, not my sole reason to vote for him} and I just remember being so excited to vote for that man. It was my first Presidential Election to take part in and so there was that excitement of fulfilling my civic duty. Since then, I'll admit, I've become a little jaded. Politics can be ugly and the media usually makes me annoyed and disgusted with both parties when it's all said and done. But during that election, I felt GWB was the right man for the job. I admired and respected him for the things he had to do during his time in office. He had to deal w/ September 11 right out of the gates. I still admire and respect that man, and I can't wait to read his new book. I think he is a wonderful man who had an incredibly difficult responsibility to make decisions that none of us could ever imagine doing if we were in the same shoes.

Proud Papa of his little girls! I think we forget that our Presidents are also PEOPLE with personal lives and family.

Awwww...they love each other and they are just adorable!

He came and spoke at the 2006 Oklahoma State spring graduation and as an OSU grad, I was a little bummed that I had graduated just one semester shy of sitting out there in my cap and gown. I was in the audience though listening to our President encourage my fellow classmates to go out and do great things! Matt and I even sent them a wedding invitation to our wedding! I stole the idea from a dear friend who got married the year before us. Of course, we didn't expect him to attend, but I was so excited when we got a little note from the White House a few months later congratulating us on our special day! I'm not sure if every President does that, but if you're getting married, it's worth a shot!

He's been out of the spotlight since leaving the White House and I love that he doesn't criticize President Obama. He speaks through his actions. He knows the "Leader of the Free World" is always going to have critics and he chooses not to treat people in a way that he wouldn't want to be treated. The Golden Rule. I've been watching his appearances as his book hits the shelves this week and I think he is so genuine and charming. He is honest and it is refreshing. I really don't know why people don't like him. He said something on Oprah {& something similar when talking to Matt Lauer} and I just think that no matter what your political stance is, we can all agree on this statement: "If you chase popularity, you're chasing something that is just a fleeting moment, but principles last forever."

Luvya Dubya

**Note: I am not a hugely political person and I don't like debates. I try to pay attention to the issues, but until people in office can get over themselves, I'm not sure we'll really get anywhere. I feel that government is getting too big and people have lost their sense of personal responsibility.**

Cooking Update!

Ok, so I should probably clarify that I do cook. I cook really easy stuff, but I want to learn to be more comfortable in the kitchen...maybe make something from scratch or enjoy cooking fancier, more "impressive" meals. :) During our first year of marriage, I cooked pasta so often that Matt actually suggested that we try branching out b/c of all the carbs. haha!

After blogging my last post, I ventured over to the grocery store. I decided to drive b/c I now know of a couple of stores that have free parking and since I had procrastinated until just about every last edible thing was gone, I couldn't carry everything like I normally do. :) The grocery store was swamped...that's what I get for going on a Sunday evening.

Anyway, I decided to make a chicken, broccoli and brown rice dish. It was delicious! However...it. was. messy. The recipe said to put some veggie oil in a pan and cook the chicken for about 10-12 minutes until it was brown on either side. Well, the oil went EVERYWHERE. I mean, the floor was slick, splatter was all on the stove top, bar, places I didn't think it could get to {see story below}. I know what you're thinking...you used too much oil. I measured exactly what it said to use. 1/4 of a teaspoon. I took a few deep breaths and told myself "it'll be ok. This is normal to the cooking process." But of course, I get the 409 out and start cleaning the part of the stove that isn't in use. I know. I'm lame!



Look at all of that! Gross.



The final product! Not sure it will be a frequent meal at the Wilson home, but I'll make it again for sure! When I forget how messy it was. :) Mom, can you believe I actually cooked broccoli and I ate it too?! I know you thought the day would never come.

Today, 2 days later, I noticed our fish was looking a little sad. I peered into his bowl {behind the 409 in the picture above} and noticed an awful film on the top of the water. It was like the BP oil spill hit my poor fish's tank! I'm telling you, the oil splattered everywhere! I felt so bad for the little guy. We'll see if he survives...

Tonight...I made pizza. Not gonna lie, I just bought the Pillsbury pizza dough and threw on the ingredients. Someday I might actually make the crust. Not today though.

Confession...

I would really love to LOVE to cook. I just don't...yet. I feel like saying that makes me a bad wife and a bad future mom, but it's true! I'm determined to develop some sort of a love of cooking though. Maybe it will come with time. Or practice. I spent some time browsing online today for inspiration and recipes. I envy Pioneer Woman and the way she makes it all look/sound so easy. Here's what I think is holding me back:

*When I look at recipes, it stresses me out. I've made a list of all the things I need to get at the store to make about 4 things, and it is literally 2 columns long on a piece of 8x10 paper! Granted, some are things I hope will be useful for other recipes, but I'm hearing cha-ching in my head when I think about checking out at the register. :/ {this could also be partially due to the fact I haven't been to the store in a few weeks}

*I'm not comfortable in the kitchen. I think I need to force myself to have a "go with the flow" mentality while cooking.

*I don't like messes. That being said, I'm not a "clean freak". It's just that lots of ingredients and/or cooking things that require multiple dishes to be used is not ideal to me. A pile of dirty pots and pans to clean makes me wonder if it was even worth the mess. {This is also what makes me nervous about my ability to be a good mother. Messes=stresses for me. HEY! I titled this entry, "confession". Don't judge me. :) }

*Dinner for 1. During the week, I'm usually on my own for dinner. I don't have a hungry boy to help me eat what I've cooked. I'm not always great about eating leftovers and when the weekend comes around, I'm usually ready to go out to eat.

*I'm a procrastinator/impatient. I lack the foresight to start cooking before I actually get hungry. All of a sudden, I'm starving and I want to eat ASAP! This usually leads to a bowl of cereal, a grilled cheese or something I can cook quickly in the microwave.

So...here we go. I'm starting small and easy. I'm plan to try a few new recipes. A chicken, rice, broccoli dish; jalapeno & cheddar cornbread; taco soup and maybe a somewhat homemade pizza. Not all for the same meal of course. Oh and I decided I'm making puppy chow this week too. Just for kicks b/c I always crave it around this time of year!

Here are a few things I've learned in the last week:

*tights are essential in a Chicago office wardrobe...I've been told that I better just be prepared to wear them until at least April

*walking in tights while wearing heels is like Bambi learning to walk...I'm sure it was comical for people to see me slip out of my heel a time or two {or 20+}

*always pay attention when you're on the elevator...I've been busted a time or two getting off on the wrong floor with a load of files in hand. In my defense, we have 6 floors of office space and they all look the same in the elevator lobby.

*I really like & have missed wearing "office attire"...although it has sparked an urge to shop that I'm sure Matt will not appreciate. I think it's the preppy side of me. A girl can never have too many cardigans and pencil skirts.

And my most embarrassing revelation...
In OK, I had to leave my house by 7:30 at the LATEST to make it to work on time. Sometimes I was a few minutes late if I caught all the lights. Now, I walk to work and it is literally 2 blocks away...somehow I still manage to be rushing around at the last minute in an effort to be on time. Did I mention I don't even have to be there until 9am?! Really?! I've decided I need to start laying out my clothes for the week {thanks Marcie Belle, you're so wise!} in an effort to save myself from the "I have nothing to wear" melt downs in the morning!