Happy 4th!

So my grandpa, Pop (Daddy's dad), passed away when I was about 9 and I do have lots of memories with him but I never really knew much about him. Well, as I get older, I try to ask more questions about him and his personality. I remember him being such a kind & sweet grandpa! I would stay at their house once a week (most of my family lives in Wichita Falls so I would stay at each grandparents house and my aunts house certain days of the week while my parents went to work) and I remember us going on bike rides to the park to feed the ducks and playing games! They had one of those bikes built for 2! SO FUN! When I was really little there was a kid seat on the very back and then as I got older/taller, my Mimi and I would ride it together!
Anyway, since then, Mimi has remarried. My Aunt Tana came to visit from Arizona to go through Mimi & Pop's things so that Mimi & Ron can have more space and have their things. Well, Tana has come across all kinds of family photos and letters and things but my favorite is my Pop's Navy uniform! I had no idea he was in the Navy! I knew he did something in the military at some point b/c he received a flag at his funeral. I think it was maybe a day to day uniform, not the nice, crisp uniform but I don't really know. Well, while I was home, I decided to try it on and it fit almost perfectly! haha! I don't remember Pop being short but I think the pant style wasn't like today's style. The pants were just long enough for me (I would imagine they were MAYBE to his ankles) and they were SUPER high waist-ed! He must've been a string bean in his early 20's!



So here's my best salute! Happy Independence Day and thank you to all who have & are serving our country so bravely! We are so proud of you & forever grateful!

PS: Shout out to my cousin, Keith! Happy Birthday! I had so much fun celebrating your birthday every 4th of July when we were kids! Fireworks AND birthday cake?! Can't beat that!

Saying Goodbye to the best LifeGroup on the planet...

Ok! I know these posts have been a bit out of order but I'm trying to get caught up! A few weeks ago, our LifeGroup had a little bon voyage party for us! We've spent the last year & a half or so of our lives with these wonderful people and they've become like family to us! We've shared lots of memories and laughs together and we would do anything for each other! Even though we're 800 miles away, we hope to be lifelong friends with these folks! You know I love you all & I hope y'all can make it up to Chicago! Girls...we can shop til we drop!!!


The "grub"! Crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, corn and onions! Cajun feast!


Kris and Tilly! Everyone in our LG has "kids" and we're going to miss those pooches! But...we're glad we didn't let the "you guys have to get a dog" peer pressure get to us! Can you imagine taking a pup down 42 floors and around the block to find a place to pee in the winter?! Uh...no thanks! For now, we'll just love on other people's pets! :)


Amanda & Jo! They're absolute dolls and I love them so much!


Matt & Kris sporting their World Cup gear!


Matt & John discussing sports...the usual!


Amanda, Jo & Libby! Precious gals in my life!


The whole gang! Or almost everyone! It's a messy meal but a GOOD one! YUM!


Mmmm mmm good!


Robin, Emily, Amanda, Jo & Abby! Thanks Libby for taking pictures!

WE LOVE YOU GUYS BUNCHES & miss y'all already! Skype us in to LG sometime! :)

STL!

We decided to stop in St Louis for the night A) b/c I'd never seen the Gateway Arch and B) our belongings are on a truck in Ohio so why not?!
The arch was incredible! When you see it up close, it's amazing to think about how someone came up with the design! I got a little dizzy looking straight up at it though b/c the clouds were moving and it was a weird optical illusion!





We saw a ton of people in Cardinals gear and found out there was a game that night so we bought a couple of tickets in the nose bleeds and had a great time! We got to watch one of Stillwater's Hometown Heroes, Matt Holliday! He was drafted straight out of high school, can you imagine?!

Sorry Officer...

After we said our goodbyes, we set out for Chicago! After about 20 minutes on the turnpike in OK...we get PULLED OVER! Awesome. We're off to a great start! It was basically a speed trap and Matt was going 5 over MAX, so we were kind of shocked the guy pulled us over! Well, as soon as he got to the window, he told us he was only going to give us a warning but to keep it at 75. WHEW! He also mentioned the left lane is for passing cars only. OK, let me just say it is my PET PEEVE when people drive in the left lane constantly and Okies (in my experience) tend to be the WORST about it! It used to really bug me when we first started dating b/c I pass and get over and Matt will pass and hang out. His reasoning, I'm still going faster and I'm gonna pass this next guy in a few miles so why not just stay here?!



BAH HAHAHAHAHAHA The officer wrote the ticket for IMPROPER LANE USE! I laughed for about the next 10 miles and don't kid yourself, I thanked the officer for settling our 5 year argument! :)

Moving Fiasco!

Well...it wasn't horrible but it was a learning experience! I was thankfully at work or I would've had an anxiety attack! Matt is the level-headed one in our relationship! I tend to freak/stress easily. Weird I know. :) Anyway, I already had anxiety about the move b/c I'd never had movers before...we always loaded it up in our cars and made trips back and forth until everything was moved. We can't really do that between OKC and Chicago, so we hired movers. Since the company is paying for it, we decided "What the heck?! Why not have them pack it for us too?!" Well, I found myself wanting to pack things in boxes before the movers came. I was anxious they would walk in and wonder why it wasn't packed & ready to go. Matt just kept telling me "Relax, we got the full packing service. They'll pack it".

WELL!!!!!!! They show up Tuesday morning and A) didn't know we were on the 3rd floor and B) didn't know we'd requested a full packing service!!!!!!!! What the heck?!?! At this point, I think I would've had a meltdown and panic attack but Matt handled it like a champ! He called the guy to sort it all out and basically it was a HUGE miscommunication between the guy who set up our move and the movers. Kind of important details, right?! Ugh. Needless to say, Matt kept the movers hydrated with plenty of Gatorade and ordered lunch for them. I mean, you don't really want to tick off the people moving your possessions! So then, the estimate was WAY off so we owed them more money than we initially thought. For example, the guy quoted us for our kitchen table but NOT our 4 chairs! How do you eat at your kitchen table without chairs?!?!? Seriously?! Again, not a deal breaker since the company is paying for it, but we still had to pay up front until the company reimburses us!

So we've been nomads since Tuesday! We have our airbed, a couple of suitcases and personal items we didn't want the movers to take and we've been trying to soak up as much family time as possible! The movers told us they COULD be in Chicago by next Wednesday (again the vagueness of moving companies is so frustrating!) So we went to Wichita Falls Thursday-Saturday and then we're in Stroud Saturday-Monday.

Crossing my fingers that the delivery goes more smoothly than the pick-up! drama, drama, drama!

Officially Unemployed...

It's official. I am unemployed as of Tuesday 6/22! I worked at SNB for the last 4 years of my life and met some wonderful people while I was there! Some of those people have become dear friends to me! It's weird when you think about it...you spend just as much time, if not more with your co-workers than your own family. So Monday night we went out to Republic for drinks after work and had a great time!

Matt & I with my boss, Kurt & his beautiful wife, Jenny! They're so much fun to be around and I'm going to miss them!

The "Linduff sisters!" Marcie & I became good friends over the last 2 years and her sister, Melissa is a doll! Marcie is due with July 15th and I can't wait to meet her little girl, Adelyn! I miss feeling her kick in the mornings!
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8Ry7CbVIPwFmmkmPq4z4j7BWLURTBcOOhhaMXR2pZj76z9eZHf1G6vE7YEjcVHHf-GyxC849BZPA0OrYHmskQEov5k7XB18pzc-_qtuihhxXTmzDQCsw1bI9mx0sVVtJacNk0caY-Zo/s1600/DSC01739.JPG">
Robin is my boss too and she's one of the most successful women I know! She's a wonderful person to work for and I'm going to miss her! She's hilarious and smart and beautiful!

And last but certainly not least, John Robbie! Robbie & I worked together in Stillwater and he became a dear friend to me! We lived next door to each other and I think he had to bail me out a time or two when I would lock myself out of my car or do something else dumb! He's one of the sweetest & most genuine guys I know! Robbie, you better come visit us in Chicago!


And then Tuesday, we ordered in (Pei Wei,one of my favs!!!)and had a little going away lunch with the folks who couldn't come Monday night! They gave me a sweet going away gift. An engraved photo album with pictures and notes from my co-workers! I'm really going to miss these people!

Sweet Lorri & Sharon! These gals are so great!

Molly & Austin! They used to work at our branch but Molly is now staying home with her 2 precious little girls and Austin moved to the Edmond branch to shorten his commute! We had so much fun together! We would play pranks all the time! Including the infamous fart machine and hiding the stuffed rat in each other's desks! Good times...


Austin holding Molly's little girl, Sofia (or Sophia...I can't remember!)


Wednesday, my first day of unemployment was spent doing, you guessed it...NOTHING! I slept in, layed out by the pool and then some sweet friends had us over for spaghetti! I think they felt sorry for us b/c we had no dishes and I had cooked my lunch in the oven using a top of a pizza box as a tray! haha!

Happy Father's Day!!!

This weekend I went home after the OKC Relay For Life...lets just say it was the longest 2 hours after being awake for 27 hours straight! But...I finally made it home and got to spend the weekend with my parents and my Aunt Tana! She was in town visiting from Arizona and I just realized, I hadn't seen her since our wedding 2 years ago. Time flys! Mama and I enjoyed the most amazing pedicures on Saturday and my feet never felt (or looked) better! It was a relaxing weekend just spending time with my parents. Sunday, we attempted hooking up a webcam so my parents could skype with us while we're in Chicago but we realized their internet provider needs to do a bit of an upgrade on their connection! Grrr...so my Father's Day gift was a bust. Luckily, he loved the cards we got him. I gave him one specifically from the cats...you have to meet my parents cats...he thought it was funny! Even if you hate cats, these felines are hysterical!

I got a later start than I intended so I missed dinner with the Wilson's in OKC, but I was glad Matt got to spend some quality time with his family. I know the Wilson's love me as one of their own, but I'm sure it was nice to just have their son to themselves. :) So I met up with them later to watch the A-Team (I pity the fool!) I recommend it, good flick!

I feel so blessed to have both mine and Matt's family. We are so loved and I can't imagine my life without each and every one of them being a part of it. Here are a few pictures of our Daddy's! (note: I realize these are all 2 years old so just go with it! I've got to work on getting new pictures with our families!)


Here's Matt & Chris on our wedding day! So handsome!


Chris & Beth at our reception! They're the best and I love them to pieces. Best in laws ever! Well, I hope Matt thinks my parents are the best in laws ever, too! :)


Daddy & I dancing. For those of you who don't know my Daddy, he HATES having his picture taken. So...my solution...hire a photographer who takes lots of candid shots so I could still get great pictures of Daddy without him knowing. sneaky :)


This picture is one of my all time favorites. He was giving me a hug before we left the reception. I love him so much and I'll always be a Daddy's girl!

What is it about Dad's and their daughters? My mom is like my best friend but there's just something about me and my Daddy.