Christmas was a whirlwind weekend for Matt and I! We flew home to TX/OK and spent time with our wonderful families! Christmas Eve we went with the Wilson's to Tulsa to exchange gifts with Matt's Aunt/Uncle/Grandma and then we spent Christmas morning with the Wilson fam. We were able to Skype with my sister-in-law, Liz, and it was good to see/talk to her even though we missed her being with us in person. Technology, when it works, can be a pretty cool thing! :)
Then, we packed up and headed south to WF to see my family. Christmas night we had dinner with my extended family. It was a little hectic. The little ones were a pretty crabby :(. I guess the excitement of Santa was too much and they'd had a long day! Sunday morning, we pretended like it was Christmas morning again, and opened gifts with my parents. Before I knew it, it was Monday and time to drive back to OKC to catch our plane. One of these days, we'll have more vacation time and be able to spend more time with everyone. One day!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
Today, I walked out of the office as the train was passing. Not uncommon since it's rush hour and all of the trains are running constantly. Something just happened to catch my eye with this particular train...it was COVERED in Christmas lights!!! Of course, I didn't have my camera, but I found some pictures online so you can see what I'm talking about. It made my day!
The CTA has a holiday train schedule that runs through Nov-Dec. They decorate a train and it runs on certain lines (Red, Blue, Brown, etc) on certain days! I'm so happy that I finally saw it! It seems so silly, but you know it would brighten your day and put you in the Christmas spirit if you happened to catch "Santa's Express" after a long day at work!
Merry Christmas Y'all!!!
The CTA has a holiday train schedule that runs through Nov-Dec. They decorate a train and it runs on certain lines (Red, Blue, Brown, etc) on certain days! I'm so happy that I finally saw it! It seems so silly, but you know it would brighten your day and put you in the Christmas spirit if you happened to catch "Santa's Express" after a long day at work!
Merry Christmas Y'all!!!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
We've lost it.
We're officially insane. Today we went to the Bears/Patriots game in the FREEZING COLD! I have to say, although I was dreading going to a football game in the snow/cold/wind, I was also really excited! Nothing says "Bears football" more to me than being that crazy person outside cheering on a football team while it's snowing! I always saw these people on TV and wondered why on earth anyone would put themselves through it! And we're not even true Bears fans. But it was actually a fun experience, and that's what we're all about while we're living here...new experiences!
This was what I woke up to this morning...
Awesome, right?!
Here's a summary of what I wore:
-2 pairs of leggings
-2 pairs of socks
-jeans
-under armour long sleeve shirt
-cable knit sweater
-scarf
-knit gloves
-down mittens
-ear warmers
-big puffy coat
-Uggs
Let's just say my jeans looked painted on and I had to do some lunges just to be able to bend my legs with those 2 pairs of thick leggings on underneath! Whew! Glad I didn't eat a big lunch! :)
And then we also took 2 fleece blankets. When we left for the game, the temps were in the 20's but the wind was gusting so the windchill was about 13 or less. I was actually sweating by the time we got to the game if you can believe it.
Walking into the stadium. Why isn't he wearing his gloves?!? Silly kid.
The funny thing to me is teams like the Packers, Bears, Steelers, etc all have outdoor stadiums in areas where it's known to be freezing cold in the winter! Then there's my Dallas Cowboys who are spoiled rotten to play in Jerry World/Texas Stadium while fans sit comfortably in their t-shirts. So backwards! I've got to give it to these crazies who cheer on their teams in the most uncomfortable of weather circumstances...they're pretty great fans! At one point, they announced that the windchill was -5 and people actually CHEERED. Crazy I tell you!
It's hard to tell from the picture, but the snow was swirling all around the field. There were even a couple of snow tornadoes! :)
Bundled up and pretty warm all things considered!
One of the "warming stations" at the stadium! Genius!
We lasted until halftime. The Bears were losing 33-0 so it wasn't the best of games to stick around and cheer. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Bears...lots of fumbles and the Patriots were making every play. Oh well! Still glad we went.
Too bad I already ordered our Christmas cards, this one would've totally been on it!
This was what I woke up to this morning...
Awesome, right?!
Here's a summary of what I wore:
-2 pairs of leggings
-2 pairs of socks
-jeans
-under armour long sleeve shirt
-cable knit sweater
-scarf
-knit gloves
-down mittens
-ear warmers
-big puffy coat
-Uggs
Let's just say my jeans looked painted on and I had to do some lunges just to be able to bend my legs with those 2 pairs of thick leggings on underneath! Whew! Glad I didn't eat a big lunch! :)
And then we also took 2 fleece blankets. When we left for the game, the temps were in the 20's but the wind was gusting so the windchill was about 13 or less. I was actually sweating by the time we got to the game if you can believe it.
Walking into the stadium. Why isn't he wearing his gloves?!? Silly kid.
The funny thing to me is teams like the Packers, Bears, Steelers, etc all have outdoor stadiums in areas where it's known to be freezing cold in the winter! Then there's my Dallas Cowboys who are spoiled rotten to play in Jerry World/Texas Stadium while fans sit comfortably in their t-shirts. So backwards! I've got to give it to these crazies who cheer on their teams in the most uncomfortable of weather circumstances...they're pretty great fans! At one point, they announced that the windchill was -5 and people actually CHEERED. Crazy I tell you!
It's hard to tell from the picture, but the snow was swirling all around the field. There were even a couple of snow tornadoes! :)
Bundled up and pretty warm all things considered!
One of the "warming stations" at the stadium! Genius!
We lasted until halftime. The Bears were losing 33-0 so it wasn't the best of games to stick around and cheer. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Bears...lots of fumbles and the Patriots were making every play. Oh well! Still glad we went.
Too bad I already ordered our Christmas cards, this one would've totally been on it!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
New Nativity! Thank you Giggs!!!
I came home from work on Wednesday and had a sweet surprise from my thoughtful grandma! A beautiful Nativity scene! I was so confused at first, because I hadn't ordered anything and couldn't imagine who had sent us something from Vermont! Finally I found the gift message. My Giggy is so sweet!
I LOVE IT! So simple. And it fits perfectly on our bakers rack. Thank you so much, Giggy for such a thoughtful and sweet gift! Can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks and eat some of your FAMOUS apple pie! yum!!!! I love you bunches!
I LOVE IT! So simple. And it fits perfectly on our bakers rack. Thank you so much, Giggy for such a thoughtful and sweet gift! Can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks and eat some of your FAMOUS apple pie! yum!!!! I love you bunches!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Christmas Came Early!!!
So...I was trying to hold out until Christmas to receive my big puffy coat. Call me a pansy, but I wasn't going to make it! It has been flat out COLD these last two weeks. During one of my many daily chats with my dear mother, we were talking about how frigid it was getting. Well, that day just HAPPENED to be Cyber Monday! YAY! So I hopped online and got a heck of a deal along with free shipping on a fabulous coat! It's silly the things you get excited about as an adult. It used to be all about the hot pink Barbie corvette and basketball goals wrapped in bows, but now it's necessities like coats and household things. love it! :)
I was on pins and needles all week checking the tracking status every second. I came home after buying a humidifier {another silly thing to be excited about, but it rocks!} and our doorman announced that he had a package for me. I exclaimed in giddy excitement, "Is it my puffy coat?!?" He usually laughs at me and my ridiculous comments. It came in a much smaller package than I expected for a big coat so I was a little worried they had sent me a sweater or something, but I guess they just sucked all the air out of it. Whew!
Let me just tell you, this coat is GLORIOUS!!! So comfy and warm! It has fleece in the pockets and around the shoulder/neck area so I really haven't even needed a scarf/gloves yet. Thanks Mama and Daddy!
*Note all of the coats/jackets in our closet behind me! haha! Good grief.
A couple of nights ago, I was watching TV and I happened to look outside and saw this...
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! :)
I was on pins and needles all week checking the tracking status every second. I came home after buying a humidifier {another silly thing to be excited about, but it rocks!} and our doorman announced that he had a package for me. I exclaimed in giddy excitement, "Is it my puffy coat?!?" He usually laughs at me and my ridiculous comments. It came in a much smaller package than I expected for a big coat so I was a little worried they had sent me a sweater or something, but I guess they just sucked all the air out of it. Whew!
Let me just tell you, this coat is GLORIOUS!!! So comfy and warm! It has fleece in the pockets and around the shoulder/neck area so I really haven't even needed a scarf/gloves yet. Thanks Mama and Daddy!
*Note all of the coats/jackets in our closet behind me! haha! Good grief.
A couple of nights ago, I was watching TV and I happened to look outside and saw this...
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! :)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Vista Holiday Party in the ATX!
For the last few months, we've been looking forward to this party and I can't believe it's already come and gone! What a blast! Matt works for such a fun company and it was so great to finally meet the rest of his co-workers who live in San Francisco and Austin. And...the icing on the cake?!? I got to spend time with one of my ALL TIME FAVES, the one and only, Tori Branyon! This one will go down in the books as one of the best weekends in 2010. :)
Love you, Tori! Thanks for everything this weekend! See you at Christmas!
We flew down to Austin on Friday afternoon. Chicago was 30 degrees and Austin was about 70! Ahhh good ol' Texas! We met up with Matt's coworkers for dinner at an amazing Asian restaurant, Uchiko. If you're in the Austin area, check it out. Delish. And drinks on 6th street, always a great time.
Then, on Saturday the boys had a "jorts" party {at the Four Seasons, mind you} and I really regret not taking pictures. There's nothing more hysterical than a bunch of grown men, even Matt's bosses, dressed in ridiculous short jean shorts. Tori picked me up and we went out for margaritas and mexican food at one of my favorite places, Matt's El Rancho. Yum. We had the best time just catching up and she even took me to get my makeup done! The party was black tie so I had been stressing about it for a couple of weeks. eeek! I wish I was good at describing things but I'm afraid I stink at it, but the party was beautiful and so much fun! I'm already excited about next year's shin-dig!
Sunday we went to lunch and shopping with the Branyon's. They were so sweet to hang out with us all afternoon and take us to the airport. All in all, an amazing weekend!
While I was enjoying this beautiful weather, I was getting pictures of the snow falling in Chicago!
It's a Vista "tradition" to have the first year employees sing a few carols. The 3 in the back are associates who have some great talents! They play the violin, oboe, and flute! Yes, that's my husband wearing the elf hat! haha!
Most handsome elf I know... :)
Love you, Tori! Thanks for everything this weekend! See you at Christmas!
We flew down to Austin on Friday afternoon. Chicago was 30 degrees and Austin was about 70! Ahhh good ol' Texas! We met up with Matt's coworkers for dinner at an amazing Asian restaurant, Uchiko. If you're in the Austin area, check it out. Delish. And drinks on 6th street, always a great time.
Then, on Saturday the boys had a "jorts" party {at the Four Seasons, mind you} and I really regret not taking pictures. There's nothing more hysterical than a bunch of grown men, even Matt's bosses, dressed in ridiculous short jean shorts. Tori picked me up and we went out for margaritas and mexican food at one of my favorite places, Matt's El Rancho. Yum. We had the best time just catching up and she even took me to get my makeup done! The party was black tie so I had been stressing about it for a couple of weeks. eeek! I wish I was good at describing things but I'm afraid I stink at it, but the party was beautiful and so much fun! I'm already excited about next year's shin-dig!
Sunday we went to lunch and shopping with the Branyon's. They were so sweet to hang out with us all afternoon and take us to the airport. All in all, an amazing weekend!
While I was enjoying this beautiful weather, I was getting pictures of the snow falling in Chicago!
It's a Vista "tradition" to have the first year employees sing a few carols. The 3 in the back are associates who have some great talents! They play the violin, oboe, and flute! Yes, that's my husband wearing the elf hat! haha!
Most handsome elf I know... :)
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Christmas Crafts!
Lauren and I decided to do some crafting a few weeks ago. We saw some pillows in Ballard Designs catalog, but they were slightly out of our budget...
So we slaved away and a few after work train rides to the 'burbs and finger pricks later, we had our final product! No wonder they charge $75 a piece! This project set us back about $10/each and we made four total, one for each of us and our moms!
Obviously, I better get to fedex quickly or Mom won't be able to enjoy hers very long!
We're also going to make a word pillow {with a word that can apply to more than just Christmas-time} and this wreath. All three projects total cost $25-30! You're welcome Jason and Matt for saving you TONS of money! :)
Thank goodness I have such a fun crafty friend! Love you Lauren!
So we slaved away and a few after work train rides to the 'burbs and finger pricks later, we had our final product! No wonder they charge $75 a piece! This project set us back about $10/each and we made four total, one for each of us and our moms!
Obviously, I better get to fedex quickly or Mom won't be able to enjoy hers very long!
We're also going to make a word pillow {with a word that can apply to more than just Christmas-time} and this wreath. All three projects total cost $25-30! You're welcome Jason and Matt for saving you TONS of money! :)
Thank goodness I have such a fun crafty friend! Love you Lauren!
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