Heidi of the Future

Phoenix.

2012-02-13T09:08:00.000-06:00

My mom and I started our road trip on Thursday.

We made a pit stop in OKC.

Where I perfectly parallel parked my car on the first try. Thank you east coast for teaching me something.

We stopped to see Cathy.

And we needed her internet and printer.

Win. Win. Win.

After we hugged each other

My mom and I were off.

I don't really have any pics of our drive. Because we were driving and that isn't safe. Plus. I'm originally from Arizona so I've seen the drive before :) Just imagine mountains and desert.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be here. Marshall and I get to experience a new place and make more memories. Living with my Aunt Nancy is going to be good for my soul, the weather is going to make me a happy little sweaty girl and living back in the state where I lived for 5 years and my family grew up is fun!

My mom and I had a great drive and wonderful conversation. I'm so thankful she was able to sneak away and make the drive with me.

The past few days we have taken over my Aunt's house. We have done a little shopping.... maybe a lot. Arizona has good shopping.

My mom and I bought matching blazers. My aunt was loving them so she went back and got the same one. Twinsiesss

Auntie Nancy has been showing us around, pointing out all the hot spots and she took us to this cool little family owned restaurant.

I ordered a sloppy joe. That's how cool this place was.

Also, the bathrooms were even unique.

MW.

Marshall Walker. Mrs. Walker.

I can't wait to spend the next 3 months with my roomies!

Thanks Aunt Nancy for being so kind and gracious to us.

We love you!

kisses.

tiny update

2012-02-10T18:53:00.000-06:00

My mom and I made it to Phoenix (where I am loooving it), but I never talked about my few days in OK.

Let me recap you.

Jett was there controlling the TV.

For the 20 minutes that Marshall was there he and my brother wore matching shirts.

Jett was sick and passed his cold on.

Oh, and I chopped my hair off. And that's my stylist who did the big change.

Still getting used to having a little nub for a pony tail.

And when it's curly I think Marshall and I look like twins....

I'll update later about my trip. But for now, I'm going to enjoy this beautiful weather. You all should be jealous. Really jealous.

kisses.

AZ we go

2012-02-09T09:09:00.002-06:00

I know I have been MIA... what else is new. I have been busy busy in Oklahoma. My mom and I are about to head out to Arizona in a few minutes so I thought I should post something...

Prayers for our road trip! If we get a flat tire, we are in trouble....

I'll post the post of all posts (whatever that means) when I get to Arizona. Or I'll just post a normal post and you will be happy I posted anything. How many times can I say post in one post?

I'm feeling sleep deprived and we haven't even left yet...

kisses.

future walkers

2012-02-05T20:58:00.000-06:00

My friend Kara- the one from Oklahoma who I taught with in China, who met the cute Korean, and fell in love, got married, stayed in China, is now pregnant, and moved to Korea- you know that friend Kara. She is about to have a baby girl and she posted on her blog how she used thebump.com "baby morpher" to show their version of her baby.

You have to go read her post, because the picture of her child does not even make sense. It is so incredible, and I can't stop laughing about it.

So I decided to morph Marshall and I's unborn, unconceived child. Just because I'm not preggo doesn't mean I'm not curious how hilarious they will make my child look. Like Kara, I used 2 completely normal photos of Marshall and I.

Here is baby girl.

A few thoughts on her.

She isn't bad.

Her side braid is an interesting choice.

Her hair cut on the other hand looks like I gave it to her myself.

And now for the boy...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

This kid freaks me out. Let's try and look past this hair, wait, you can't. It's disgusting.

The first thing Marshall said, besides a laugh, was "He has a (whatever the fancy optometry name for a lazy crazy eye is)"

Ahhh, the hair...

I'm so glad that the only one who knows what our future (wayyy future) children look like is God. Not thebump.com

Thanks Kara for giving us a ridiculous activity this Sunday afternoon! Make sure to check out Kara's picture. And laugh and laugh and laugh. And go make a baby yourself!

kisses.

Surprise! Let's get married and have a birthday!

2012-02-03T23:43:00.000-06:00

My Friday night was not a normal typical Friday night.

Family friends of ours, The Jacksons, were throwing a surprise 25th birthday party for their son Peter. His girlfriend Nicole was in on it. They had planned a great party at Stillwater's newest hip restaurant and as far as everyone knew Peter had no idea.

Nicole was so excited she pulled it off.

Peter started in on a (planned) speech.

She was just listening...

And then...

He dropped to one knee and proposed!

Peter had planned the whole thing, and Nicole had no idea it was an engagement party for herself!

I love this picture. Peter is hugging his mom Paula, and Nicole is admiring her giant rock.

The rest of the night was full of celebrating a birthday and an engagement!

So glad I knew this was happening before it happened so I could emotionally prepare myself!

The usual "Marshall isn't here" pic.

2 families joining together.

It was a mini Stillwater reunion and I got to catch up with friends I haven't seen in years. I got to watch 2 people in love get engaged. And I actually got to be around for such a great event. However, I was missing and wishing Marshall could have been there.

Peter did such an amazing job planning everything and her ring, oooh boy. Her ring! Peter and Nicole, Congratulations! I am so happy for you 2!

kisses.

OK rocks.

2012-02-03T16:14:00.001-06:00

I saw these 2 Oklahoma things on Facebook today and thought I should share them. After all, I am in Oklahoma.

To my 2 followers not in Oklahoma, it really probably won't be as entertaining. But for my fellow Oklahomans, aren't they both so true? I laughed out loud at the list one.

You know you're from Oklahoma if:
1. You can properly pronounce Eufaula, Gotebo, Okemah, and Chickasha.
2. You think that people who complain about the wind in their states are sissies.
3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.
4. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
5. You've ever had to switch from "......heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
6. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.
7. Stores don't have bags, they have sacks.
8. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.
9. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
10. You measure distance in minutes.
11. You refer to the capital of Oklahoma as "The City."
12. It doesn't bother you to use an airport named for a man who died in an airplane crash
13. Little smokies are something you serve only for special occasions.
14. You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.
15. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
16. You know cow pies are not made of beef.
17. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.
18. You have known someone who has had one belt buckle bigger than your fist.
19. A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.
20. You know in which state Miam-uh is and in which state Miam-ee is.
21. You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, and bait all in the same store.
22. Your "place at the lake" has wheels under it.
23. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 or Ford F350 4x4 is.
24. You know everything goes better with Ranch.
25. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
26. You actually get these jokes and are "fixin" to send them to your friends. Finally, you are 100% Oklahoman if you have ever heard this conversation: "You wanna coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr. Pepper."

**********************************

Uh. I am obsessed with Oklahoma.

kisses.

PA to OK

2012-02-02T15:21:00.000-06:00

We made it to Oklahoma! After 2 days on the road, and driving through 6 states, we made it.

I didn't snap too many pictures along the way (because I was driving our car most of it) but here you go...

My dad flew in to help us and we were so glad he did!

The mess of our house.

Loading the Uhaul. You can tell how tiny our street is considering cars park on the right side.

Our great neighbor Patrick helped us load.

Also, our furniture has to go through the window because our front door is too small!

Saying goodbye to our first little home!

Ready to drive.

We found an Amish buffet in Indiana.... who knew?

We pulled into Owasso late last night and we unloaded the truck into storage this morning.

The guys were trying to get the gas out since it had more than we need to return it with.

Boys being boys...

Thank you dad for everything!! We appreciate you so much!

Tomorrow Marshall and his brother drive to AZ and I will drive out next week.

The gas stations are loving us this week.

kisses.

see ya

2012-01-31T07:08:00.001-06:00

Please excuse my break from updating.

(as if that isn't normal...)

My dad has flown in and we are about to pack up the Uhaul and get the heck out of here.

Our drive to Oklahoma is 24 hours. And then another 18 to Arizona.

I'll update once I get to Oklahoma.

kisses.

getting there...

2012-01-27T22:41:00.000-06:00

Marshall didn't have class today so we spent the entire day (minus a trip to Target and Chick-fil-a) packing.

And I even snapped a few pics so I didn't have to google happy children and parents and their perfectly taped and packaged boxes.

I have been putting off doing a few packing tasks on my own. I didn't want to tackle wrapping all of our mirrors and pictures. That's hard work.

But Marshall and Felicity (Ben) helped a lot.

And when we are all done I'm going to be as happy as our Chinese friend.

kisses.

moving blues

2012-01-25T10:40:00.000-06:00

I really want to update this blog thing. But honestly, my days are the same. And really not even fun to read about.

I stay in my sweats all day, and I pack.

And if I'm lucky, I shower.

Since I am lagging in my documentation of our moving process. I googled some pics of moving.

I don't think these people are really moving.

They look like they are enjoying it too much.

source

I think we need a clipboard with a checklist.

kisses

Happy Birthday Aaron!

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Birthday Shout Out to my brother Aaron!

Happy Birthday!

I wish I could say how I remember when you were born. But I wasn't even close to being born yet.

Thanks for being such a great big brother.

I love you!

kisses.

slumber party recap

2012-01-22T14:45:00.001-06:00

Val came to Philly.

We hadn't really intended on such a lazy weekend. Or maybe we had.

We blame it on the weather.

Whatever. It was just what the both of us needed.

As expected...

We got our chain restaurant fix. And we continued to eat it all weekend.

Philadelphia had its first snow of the season. Just in time for us to leave...

The view from my mail slot. I wasn't going outside.

We went through my closet.

And Val was mean and wouldn't let me take EVERY color cardigan with me.

I'm sure I will thank her later. Maybe.

We ate a lot, maybe a brownie an hour. And we watched A LOT of TV.

Lifetime, Felicity, scary haunted shows, the DVR, Kardashians.

There just wasn't enough hours to watch it all...

And then, it was Sunday and time to subway it to the train station.

We realize we never took any pictures of the 2 of us, so this was my self portrait try.

Fail.

That's a little better.

It was the weekend I needed.

I sure am going to miss being 2 hours from her. Until August when we can be east coast buddies again.

p.s. Go visit her Etsy shop and shop! She makes her items custom to you, so it's a win-win-win.

kisses.

double date

2012-01-19T09:42:00.000-06:00

With a week a half left in this city, we went out.

We never get out.

But this time, double date style.

It was fun. And they are cute together!

I really have missed social interactions!

kisses.

sleep over

2012-01-18T15:46:00.001-06:00

This upcoming weekend is my 2nd to last weekend in Philadelphia.

Until we are back next fall of course.

So it is only fitting that I have a slumber party with Valerie.

Her husband is out of town, and mine has board review classes all weekend.

So let's call it a girls weekend.

Possible activities on the agenda:

-Chili's (because who doesn't love chain restaurants?)

-Sonic (we don't have easy access to such luxuries on the east coast)

-Target (I just threw that in)

-Netflix. (anything that isn't science or history)

-And helping me sort through my closet (she is a pro)

Excited for the weekend!

Now, I have to get the guest room packed up so she has a place to sleep....

kisses.

Tuesday laughs

2012-01-17T09:41:00.001-06:00

I was introduced to these videos over Christmas break.

So, by now I am sure that mostly everyone has heard of the "Shiz Girls Say" videos.

(I said "Shiz" because I'm a lady)

And if you haven't. Stop what you are doing and watch. Shooot, even if you have seen them. Watch again. They have yet to get old to me.

They are hilarious and so true.

You can also watch Episode 2 and Episode 3

So funny.

Well, I recently came across another.

"Shiz Nobody Says"

Again, all so true.

And here's another funny one for you. My dear friend Andrew Tower, of the famous Tower Family, who showed me these videos in December. Well, Andrew has made a "Shiz Climbers Say" video. Now, I have no idea what any of this stuff means because I'm not a climber. But I think If I was, I would think it was really really funny.

Maybe this video will get him on The Ellen Show.

kisses.

class and the eye ball

2012-01-16T19:03:00.002-06:00

I've been MIA. But I've been busy.

Let me tell you about my weekend.

I actually left the house for a change.

I took a photography class downtown.

It was more like a "this is what all those buttons on your camera do" class. I figured after a couple of years it was about time I learned. But it was fun and hopefully I learned something.

And then last night Marshall and I went to the prom.

The Eye Ball as I call it.

Every 3rd year class at his school always has a fancy party to celebrate the end of classes and start of rotations.

So, we got dressed up, ate a fancy meal and danced the night away.

It felt like a wedding. It was in a big hotel ballroom, with fancy centerpieces, and a dance floor that was calling my name.

And Marshall wore his dancing wedding shoes so I knew it was going to be a party.

And it was.

Come on, he taught his friends how to tie bowties. Party.

BTW... that guy in the picture who looks in awe, he will be doing his rotation at the same place in Denver when we are there. So we are all going to live together. Talk about a party now.

And this is Tai.

Tai and I were matching and loving it.

My opinion of the night... Optometry students are not just a bunch on nerds. They know how to throw a party.

And, of course we have been packing all weekend.

I don't feel like we have even made a dent in it yet.

kisses.

pen pals

2012-01-10T17:45:00.000-06:00

Today I received one awesome piece of mail.

You all know my friend Candace?

Her wedding was blogged here.

She is so good about sending cute little cards and letters.

Well today, I got one heck of a letter.

Scrapbook cut outs and all.

Her and her husband, Matthew, live in Arizona (about 2 hours from where we will be) and we are so excited to be together and dominate the desert country. So she sent me a "get ready for AZ" letter.
Oh I'm ready!

Personalized mail rocks!

kisses.

nyquil vs. dayquil

2012-01-09T21:45:00.000-06:00

Today I learned a very important lesson.

Taking NyQuil during the day does nothing but bad things to you.

In my defense, I thought it was DayQuil. And I've been so tired from not sleeping from this miserable cold that I was not thinking.

I didn't realize I took the wrong medicine until hours later after being VERY groggy and crazy feeling.

Next time, I'm double checking.

kisses.

organization.

2012-01-08T17:35:00.000-06:00

Well people we started the thought process of packing.

But we had to get organized.

This move isn't just a normal pack up, drive a Uhual across the country, unpack and settle into your new home.

Oh no!

This move is a pack up, but organize what you are taking with you and what you are leaving in storage for a year and a half, and then hope that you don't need anything in storage.

It makes the process much more chaotic.

Here's to moving!

And hopefully one day, never having to do it again!

kisses.

OK to PA

2012-01-05T23:28:00.000-06:00

Our time in Oklahoma has come to an end, for now.

Back to Philadelphia, for 3 whole weeks, and then we drive across the country for our next adventure.

Before I end this post, let me share with you what Marshall and I saw while we were in the St. Louis airport.

Yes, that is a giant check that just came off a flight from Las Vegas.

I told Marshall and I needed a picture and he encouraged me to do so.

Not only is a giant check hilarious to see in real life, in an airport it is even better.

And for winning the World Series of Beer Pong has to be the best.

Winning $50,000 as beer pong champs.... it leaves me speechless.

How does one even get to such a prestige level?

They weren't on our next flight, so I never had my questions answered.

Something to ponder.

kisses.

birthday celebrations continue!

2012-01-04T18:56:00.000-06:00

My mom's birthday is the 4th. But Marshall and I were heading to Tulsa so we celebrated her birthday on the 3rd.

Marshall and I decided we would cook dinner for her because who really wants to cook on their birthday!?

We did salmon.

Our favorite.

And what mom doesn't love flowers on their birthday, or ANY day!?

And the most exciting birthday gift ever...

A single cup coffee filter thing for the coffee maker...

We gave her her present early, new slippers!

It was a delicious meal celebrating her!

We woke up the next day, packed up our stuff, and did a birthday lunch.

We love celebrating by eating food.

Jett was having a few eye issues he needed to discuss with his Uncle Marshall.

He is a much better patient than me.

My dad photo bombed this one and it is amazing.

Happy Birthday Mom!
I love you!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We headed to Tulsa to spend our last moments with Marshall's family.

All of my pictures from this post are of us eating.

We hung with his parents, went and visited Mashall's good friend and his adorable 3 year old, and ate way too much red velvet cake.

Hmm.... hitting the gym hard when we get back!

We fly back to Philadelphia tomorrow which will probably mean a lot less blog posts because all I will be doing is packing to move to Arizona in a month!

Excited, overwhelmed, but feeling blessed.

I can't wait until we live back in Oklahoma.

kisses.

Mom's birthday!!

2012-01-04T08:02:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

You have blonde hair, I have dark hair.

But yet, we are so much alike.

I have loved every minute I have spent at home with you these past few weeks.
I love learning from you and watching you as a mother, daughter, and Mia.

I hope you have a great birthday. Sorry I'm leaving on it.

I love youuuuuu.

kisses.

Fiesta Bowl Baby!

2012-01-02T23:42:00.000-06:00

I couldn't be more proud to be an Oklahoma State University Cowboy!

I'm so thankful I got to watch the game in Stillwater with my Cowboy family.

And I think my husband was secretly quoting Toby Keith.... He should have been a Cowboy.

kisses.

NYE parrrrttyyyy

2012-01-01T12:55:00.000-06:00

NYE.

Normally I am not excited for this day.

But this year, it was different. I was excited about our plans and happy to be with friends.

Marshall and I headed to OKC to go to the art museum for the reopening of the Chihuly exhibit.

But first, we had to get ready.

It felt like living in the sorority house. I have sure missed getting ready with girls.

We headed down to dinner.

The censor glasses were making an appearance tonight.

After we ate way too much queso and chips we headed down to the museum to get our art on.

Little known fact:

Marshall and I went to the Chihuly exhibit on one of our first dates.

We had to stop for photo opts.

After we walked through we hit up the museum bar.

Duh.

Apparently this is a bar that you sit on the floor?

Kylie met up with us!

It was so great seeing her!

They opened the rooftop at 11:30 for the midnight fireworks show!

It was cold. And surprisingly full of the older generation. But it was fun.

After we headed back to Cathy's house where Cathy performed a sold out vocal performance show. The video will not be making it on the blog.

Hope everyone had a great new years.

Wherever you were.

kisses.

2011- the year of tears

2011-12-30T15:14:00.000-06:00

I keep reading all the blogs and everyone has 2011 recaps. I thought about going through each month and posting my favorites, highlights, all the memories. And as I started to, I started to just cry. 2011 was such an emotional year for me.

So much happened. So much changed.

Marshall and I drove a Uhaul to Philadelphia which made it real that I was actually moving. My first niece was born all the way in Virginia, we found out who our adopted Korean nephew is but still no date of when they will get to have him, WE GOT MARRIED (pretty big one, it probably deserves a featuring picture) and I immediately moved to Philadelphia, start the water works flowing. Cathy came to visit in July and we watched every season of 'Make It Or Break It'. We had fun weekend trips with The Bryants, here and here. My parents came to visit a city they forgot they had already visited. Marshall and I road tripped to Canada. Marshall's parents came to visit and we took them to Amish country. We spent Thanksgiving in Richmond with my brother and his family. We had a China wedding reunion in Baltimore and I forgot how much I missed these people. The Cowboys won The Big 12 Championship and Marshall and I played for high stakes. And Christmas happened in Oklahoma.

But the biggest, most unexpected, unfair event of 2011. Was when my sweet Grammie was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer in July. The unthinkable. No one expected, no one had any idea. It hit our family hard. But she hung on to celebrate her 61st wedding anniversary in early August. But then lost the battle and was taken from us in late August. Our sweet and gracious Heavenly Father wanted her with Him. Who can blame Him. She was the best. And my heart still hurts.

And I still miss her every single day.

2011 has been quite the year.

A very bitter sweet year for our family.

I'm ready for 2012.

kisses.

december birthdays recap

2011-12-29T23:16:00.000-06:00

The last few days have been Birthday Days!

For Marshall's Birthday we had a birthday breakfast.

Then we put him to work for the rest of the day...

His parents came into town for wine bar and Thai food. But none of my pictures turned out, it was all too dark. So imagine the fun!

We came back home and opened up a few gifts.

What person doesn't love shoes on their birthday!?

+++++++++++++++++++++++

For my dad's birthday, well he worked most of the day.

But Marshall, my mom, and I met Teri and Jett at the children's museum.

Future Doctor??

Family photo??

Teri holding the Asian baby... missing her own Asian baby Pryce!

The slide was for kids only...

Mia helping make sure Jett didn't get his entire body wet at the water station.

I have no idea what I'm looking at.

The children's museum was just as much fun for adults as it was for kids. Maybe even more fun.

After that, my brother, Marshall, and my dad went golfing... because it was 66 degrees outside... and it's almost JANUARY!!! Amazing.

For dinner we grilled out steaks for dinner, sat in the fancy dinning room, and had a grand old time.

And of course, there were presents...

iTunes gift cards... and after we taught him how to use them, and that you can purchase other things besides music, he got pretty excited about them.

We topped off our evening with more family time.

Happy Birthday you 2!

Wouldn't be the same person I am today without the both of you!

kisses.

My dad's birthday!

2011-12-29T08:32:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

If you all missed our father/daughter dance at my wedding, then you missed out on a historical moment.

It was awesome. Epic even.

And it described my dad and I's relationship perfectly.

I have the coolest dad ever.

Happy Birthday Dad! We will party and celebrate your day!

I love you!!!

kisses.

A Birthday for Marshall

2011-12-28T08:22:00.000-06:00

Happpppy Birthday Marshall!!!

29 years old!

almost time to start having babies... joke, no way dude.

I'm so excited to be celebrating the birth of YOU today!

If you weren't born... as Kelly Clarkson sings... my life would suck without you.

I love you to the moon!

kisses.

Christmas #2

2011-12-26T19:52:00.000-06:00

We headed to Edmond for Marshall's family Christmas.

Typically, all of his aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin's kids, family friends, whoever, gets together for dinner and a night of intense ornament exchanges.

I opened the pretty Pottery Barn angel but got it stolen.

Marshall's brother and his girlfriend and their ornament.. which was also stolen from them.

Marshall and I ended up with a pickle... and a star thing that I stole from my in-laws.

We embroidered Marshall's dad a few company shirts.

The perks of a family business!

Brothers.

The Walker Clan.

Marshall's cousin and her family. Her kids are adorable. I can't handle it.

My brother-in-laws. I have a lot of brothers now.

We stayed up super late catching up with his brothers over drinks downtown, slept in, woke up, had lunch with his family, Marshall and I went on a movie date, then headed back to his aunt's house for leftovers.

And games.

A very, very strange game.

It was so great to spend so much time with his extended family. Does make me miss my extended side. But I feel blessed that I get to be apart of another family that is so close and supportive.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

kisses.

Christmas #1

2011-12-25T15:27:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas a little different this year.

We woke up and went to my brother's house and watched Jett open a few presents from them.

The main gift he got.... a car. He has been talking about a car for months.

It was hard to peel him away.

My bro and sis-in-law got everyone lottery cards in honor of my Grammie.

The lady loved the scratchers. It was perfect to get to penny scratch first thing Christmas morning.

After we ate our traditional breakfast, cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate, we went back to my parents house to open all of our presents.

My mom wrapped up a box of Lucky Charms and the gyro bowl, and of course, it was his favorite. He kept feeding us all cereal all morning.

Jett getting loved on.

Marshall got me a new lens for my camera (that I still have no idea how to use). I for sure thought I was not getting this, so I was soo surprised!

And my mom got me the bag I wanted! I have a tendency to break lenses... so this bag/purse is magical.

A few of Marshall's awesome gifts.

Teri and Aaron got me 2 pretty hilarious gifts.

A book of Jett.

And a t-shirt of Jett's face (perfectly clear thanks to our new digital printer at work!)

Now, I can take Jett with me wherever I go.

I feel like a crazy soccer mom.

My dad went and bought himself an iPad before Christmas.

So my mom wrapped the empty box.

My dad busted out the big guns and got my mom a beautiful diamond.

My mom gave him a magnifying glass because he always says he can't see.

You don't need the magnifying glass to see her rock.

Marshall taught Aaron how to tie fancy knots.

And Jett loved playing in the wrapping paper.... why do we buy kids presents again?

After we picked up all the trash, we ate a late lunch and then Marshall and I were off to Edmond to have 2nd dinner and 2nd Christmas.

Christmas just goes by toooo fast.

kisses.

a Christmas without the matriarch

2011-12-24T22:01:00.003-06:00

This Christmas has been great... but not great.

At church this evening they said something along the lines of "Christmas is a magnifier, it magnifies the good times and the hard times".

This is our first one with out my precious, sweet, unforgettable Grammie who we lost back in August. Everything is weird, everything is different. And not in that "good different" kind of way. There is an empty seat at the table, no funny presents that say "To Grammie" under the tree, and the hardest one, my Papa is lost without his bride.

I would be lying if I said I have had dry eyes at home, especially at our Christmas Eve service (that was just hard to get through). It's hard being here, I miss her, I see my Papa hurting so much, my mom needing her mom, and I can't help it. We keep saying we wish the rest of our family could be here. It would make it a little easier to get through this.

But with God, we will get through this.

These pictures were taken last year at Christmas.

We never thought she wouldn't be at this years Christmas.

Never thought.

This Christmas is not the "good kind of different". But it is the way it is now. We thank God that we had so many past Christmases with he, and we are thankful that we have the rest of our family to celebrate with.

We continue to remember her life.

Missing her and loving her.

kisses.

friends=family

2011-12-23T21:13:00.000-06:00

My extended family is spread all over the country (actually world, my cousin Jessica lives in Scotland with her fam). So our family friends have become more like family, than friends.

When all the kids are back in town, we all get together... just like a family.

We drink festive drinks that taste like Christmas, eat until we are full, laugh, watch youtube videos, ya know... the usual family fun.

They are our stand in aunts, uncles, and cousins.

They are our family.

kisses.

niece Addie

2011-12-21T20:46:00.000-06:00

Marshall and I headed to his hometown of Owasso, Oklahoma to hang with his family for a few days.

We got to hang out with his niece, Addie, for an afternoon.

She is wearing an OU jersey.... unacceptable.

We gave her "I love cookies" pajamas... very fitting for myself.

It was great to get to spend time with them relaxing, catching up, and eating lots! We will see them in a few days for Christmas with his whole extended family!

kisses.

life lately.

2011-12-20T21:36:00.001-06:00

My last few days have been busy!

Cathy spent the weekend in Stillwater.

We tried to win $10,000. It didn't happen.

We also bought funfetti whoopie pie mix... and beer.

Stillwater Screenprinting Christmas party at my parents house.

We ate a bunch of food.

Still eating the food, btw.

Jett was a camel in the church Christmas play.

He had a hard time sitting still, and wouldn't leave his camel head on!

But he was the cutest running around like a crazy camel.

I've also hung out with my my parents and their friends every night... they know how to have fun.

And Marshall made it to Oklahoma!

The holidays are busy, but always so fun!

kisses.

few days home

2011-12-16T22:56:00.001-06:00

I've been home for a few days but have been so busy! Between working, wrapping presents, eating, hanging with my people, I haven't had time to hardly even get on the computer and read blogs.

Thank goodness most of my TV shows aren't new for a few weeks.

There just isn't any time... there's never any time.

SBTB reference, anyone?

Here's what I've been up to.

I love home.

kisses.

packed up.

2011-12-12T19:21:00.002-06:00

All packed and no where to go.

Until tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'll be in O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A.... Oklahooooommmaaa STATE!

(for those Cowboy fans, I hope you sang along)

I'll be leaving Marshall in Philly for a few days as he finishes his finals, but then we will be reunited in OKLAHOMA!

I'm excited. There's just something about that state that I like!

kisses.

Stratton turns 3!

2011-12-11T17:34:00.001-06:00

I know I'm not alone when I say that the holiday season automatically makes people crazy and forgetful.

Yesterday I forgot hard.

I knew it was the 10th, but I didn't KNOW it was the 10th, ya know?

I missed this cute boys birthday.

Happy Birthday Stratton!

3 years old!! And soo funny. I could listen to him talk all day long!

I hope you can forgive your aunt.

If everyone I knew had a Facebook account, and if I actually remembered to look on the right side of my Facebook page to see who had a birthday, I would never be that girl that sends the belated wishes....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STRAT!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

kisses.

Update on Baby Pryce

2011-12-08T11:07:00.001-06:00

A lot of people have been asking me when my brother and sis-in-law are going to be able to go get Baby Pryce in Korea.... well....

They still don't know.

But they did get new pictures of Pryce!

Go check them out on their blog HERE

Seriously, how cute is he? I just want to eat him up!

I want him to get here now!!!

kisses.

38 years!!

2011-12-07T09:00:00.001-06:00

Today is my parent's anniversary.

38 years today.

I sent them a group text this morning. And this is how it went..

me: Happy Anniversary you 2 lovebirds. I hope you get to do it today.

dad: me too

I'm still waiting for my mom to reply... maybe they are doing it.

I love you both so much and am so glad God brought you crazy kids together.

Thank you for being such a great example to us. I am lucky to be your daughter.

Kisses.

Strip Football. Big 12 Champs.

2011-12-04T11:05:00.001-06:00

If you follow me on twitter then you might have read about the little game Marshall and I were playing. We had bets in place, but they somehow all ended up with Marshall cooking for the next 2 weeks, win or lose. But seeing as he has finals for the next 2 weeks, I couldn't do that. So we settled on something else.

Strip Touchdown Football.

Now, this only worked because #1 We are married. #2 We were alone. #3 We are newlyweds :)

But it might just be our regular house divided bedlam tradition.

It worked like this.

Everytime the Sooners scored (extra point not included) I had to lose an article of clothing. Everytime the Cowboys scored, Marshall lost one.

I'm pretty sure Marshall knew that the Cowboys would dominate the scoreboard because he was layered. Our house is cold.

I lost my orange socks.

That is all.

So proud of my cowboys. So proud to be able to call Oklahoma State University my alma mater.

And now, we wait in anticipation to see if if those idiot voters pick Alabama to play LSU for the National Championship or if OK State is going to have its try. But if you pick wrong, Boone Pickens is coming after you BCS jokesters.

“If we don’t get in the BCS (championship game), I’m not kidding you, if I have the power to do it, I’m going to have an investigation,” - T. Boone Pickens

-Tulsa World

kisses.

#GOPOKES

2011-12-03T12:18:00.001-06:00

Today is a big day. It's a HUGE day.

Today is Bedlam. And not just any Bedlam game. THE Bedlam game. Maybe the biggest game OSU has ever played. Okay, the biggest game I can remember OSU ever playing, and I've lived in Stillwater since I was 6.

It's huge.

Besides the obvious reasons why it's a big game tonight, it's also a big game because I am married to one of those... those sooner fans.

And we have to win.

Household bets have been made. The stakes are high.

But I will say in my husband's defense he is a way better Cowboy fan than I am a Sooner fan. I might have even heard him say "the Cowboys deserve to win this year". You will never, ever, never hear me say such words about his team. He is a much better than me. I'm trying to be nicer though.

And for the sake of our marriage, and all the other house divided couples... I hope it's not another repeat of last year.

#GOPOKES #BEATOU

I wish we were in Stillwater right now.

*All photos were taken during our engagement session with Amanda Watson last December. She rocks.

kisses.

decorating

2011-12-01T11:10:00.000-06:00

I cannot wait until I have a home, our home, that we can decorate for Christmas and actually make it our own.

This is a year of learning to be patient. In all things.

p.s. Next year at this time we will be living in Miami. And 3 different cities before that.

Again, I cannot wait until we have a home.

kisses.

6 months already!?

2011-11-29T16:04:00.001-06:00

The "newlywed" stage of your marriage is just like a childs first year. Every month is a new milestone. A celebration.

Today, we celebrate 6 months since we tied the knot.

Half of a year. How did that happen already!?

Everyday I wake up so excited to be married to this man. We ask each other all the time "Does everyone have this much fun being married?"

I hope so. Because it's the best.

If he didn't have a ridiculous school/clinic schedule and was home at a decent hour tonight I would slap a "6 months" sticker on us, sit in a chair and take pictures.

(Example shown here from my friend Boz's baby blog, seriously, how cute is her baby???)

Can't wait for the next 6 months, and the next 6 months, and the next and next...

You are good for my soul Mr. Walker.

Love you.

kisses.

DC family

2011-11-26T21:25:00.000-06:00

We woke up on Saturday, played with the kids, and said our goodbyes. We stopped on our way back up to Philly outside of D.C. where Marshall has family. His aunt, uncle and cousin live there. His cousin has a 2 year old who we haven't even met yet!

We hung out for the afternoon and stayed for dinner.

It was great to catch up and spend some time together.

It's a shame our schedules are so crazy because we really don't live that far away.

And bonus his cousin is an OSU alum, so I had another one on my side...

kisses.

post turkey day

2011-11-25T23:23:00.000-06:00

Friday was spent playing in the house, eating leftover and venturing into town. With 3 kids, it's not the most simplest of tasks to just venture "out".

Marshall and I wanted to go to this pretty cool spice store.

They were so sweet and took us there.

We walked around this cute part of Richmond and enjoyed the sunshine.

How do 2 boys look on me?

Do I look like a 15 year old (because I look 15) with 2 kids?

After we got back home and nap time was over, Uncle Marshall set up some vision screenings.

We don't charge family.

Dawson got to wear the awesome glasses for some fancy named eye test.

Eye patch for the wee ones.

My brother had a hockey accident involving his eye and someone else's hockey stick a while ago, so Marshall was loving checking that out.

Babysitting Vivian!

For dinner, my brother already had plans at their friends house so we tagged along.

Everyone had their kids, we ate dinner, and played games while the kids all played in the other room.

It was a weird feeling to experience what our life could very possibly be like in 10 years.

And I couldn't be more excited.

I am loving all this nephew/niece/family time.

kisses.

turkey day in VA

2011-11-24T23:02:00.000-06:00

We woke up on Thanksgiving (earlier than our normal wake up call due to 2 little boys and 1 sweet little girl who are ALWAYS full of energy) ready to party.

Marshall and I brought presents for the kids. Who doesn't love a thanksgiving gift?

We actually didn't give Vivian that tambourine. We gave her baby leg warmers.

We started our cooking...

It was like we had our own little sou chefs... we just had to be careful not to get our fingers chopped off.

My brother lives in this beautiful part of Richmond with a GIANT backyard and beautiful trees. Behind his house is a creek and miles of exploring.

And because his family is super outdoorsy (and 2 little boys that need to play outside), we went on a before dinner hike.

You have to cross the log to get to the other side of the creek.

There is also a rope swing, and leave it to Marshall to use that to get back across.

After our hike, my sister-in-law Audrey and I got back to cooking, and the boys got back to doing boys thing.

If I have boys one day I am going to have to learn to love the outdoors...and not just the outdoor malls...

And then it was dinner time!

Believe it or not, these guys did not like the majority of the Thanksgiving items. Stratton, age 3, the blonde one, loved the rolls and tried to eat straight butter.

And of course, they LOVED the dessert portion.

Stratton pretending he is an eye doctor!

After dinner we took some self-timered family pics in the kitchen.

I am so thankful for today.

We are so blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving.

kisses.

Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-23T23:19:00.000-06:00

After rain and hours of stand still traffic, we finally made it to our final destination.

What should have been a 5 hour trip, took 8 hours.

Philly to Richmond.

They used to do that in the Colonial times... by horse... imagine that.

I can't wait to get some much needed family time in.

kisses.

we love visitors

2011-11-20T15:00:00.000-06:00

Kylie flew back to the land of dreams, Oklahoma.

But not without a cheesesteak.

Please check out that ladies shorts...

I want... Christmas list.

Love Love Loved having her here in our world for a few days.

kisses

@timothycorbin gets married!

2011-11-19T20:51:00.000-06:00

Kylie and I made the trek up to B-more for the big wedding.

She was in charge of filming the festivities so we needed to get their early to scope things out.

We also needed to make sure we got our pictures with their Chinese photo shoot banner.

Seriously, how amazing are these? Tim is wearing feathers. He is a great husband and did the whole traditional Chinese engagement pictures while he was in China. Amazing.

And before we knew it the ceremony was starting.

They've gotten married a lot... They had their first ceremony in China. His parents were able to fly over and they had a legit service. Tim had a live stream happening and we were all able to watch it on the internet! Then they did another one for all of their students. And then this one. They have been waiting on Michelle's visa to be approved so she could come over to the states. They wanted to have ANOTHER wedding here for all of his family and friends. And we were so glad they did so we could see it all happen in person.

They had a fun questionnaire for everyone to fill out for Michelle. Her first time in America! Must be pretty overwhelming!

Our amazing ELT Edge leader Jo. She has been amazing to me since I decided I wanted to go to China!

The former ELT Edge teachers. We didn't teach with the 2 guys but it was so fun to swap stories and know that our experiences are all so much the same!

After everyone cleared out, and the building was all cleaned up Kylie and I went over to Tim and Michelle's to hang out. Yes. We realize they just "got married" but who cares!

We made them open our awesome gift. We don't own wrapping paper or bows in our house. So newspaper wrapping happens.

We also found the card in the Target parking lot. It's a Christmas card for your sister. And it has tire marks on it.

We are so awesome.

We stayed way too late talking, catching up, and laughed off all the food we ate at the wedding! Poor Michelle had no idea I was so crazy! Kylie and I finally said goodbye and made the drive back to Philly pretttty late.

It was such a fun wedding, and so great seeing everyone. I wish these could happen every month and I wish everyone could be there. We were missing our other teammates.

kisses.

@kbswan in Phila

2011-11-18T20:37:00.000-06:00

Our China reunion was in full force...

Kylie arrived Thursday afternoon ready to party.

We had all day Friday to hang out in the city.

We walked by all the tourist stuff.

Pretended to be protesters.

Those people are hardcore.

And then shopped the rest of the afternoon.

We met up with Marshall for dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant.

And we just laughed all night.

It's so good to be people who actually know me.

Tomorrow, we head to Baltimore to watch Tim marry his wife, again!

kisses.

tv time

2011-11-15T17:44:00.001-06:00

To ALL my Family and Friends that live far away (that's all of you)

Glad we never run out of topics to talk about...

And p.s. If NBC ends up canceling Community I will throw down.

kisses.

my china people tribute

2011-11-13T16:27:00.001-06:00

Recently I have been talking to a friend about my experiences in China. She is thinking of leaving everything, moving away, and having an adventure. I tell her, if she doesn't do it, she's crazy. Not even taking into account where I was, what I was doing, what I was seeing, the friendships that I made will last forever. And that was worth the trip. My team shared an experience with me that I can't even begin to describe in words. And they are the only ones who will really fully understand it all.

So hang with me, I'm going to take a trip down memory lane. And if ANYONE is out there thinking "I want to go, I need a change, I need to experience something outside of my comfort zone" Go. You will never ever regret it.

It's hard to believe that this picture was taken August 2009. The first group picture of our team during training, days before we left for China.

Seeing as how our city of 2 million people had what seemed like a handful of Americans, we were together a lot.

Birthday parties! here and here... and other places I can't find!

Holidays

Halloween!

Easter.

Football game while all the non Americans looked at us like we were crazy!

Christmas.
And all the other holidays I just can't find pictures of.

We traveled together.

Beijing. Many, Many times.

Hong Kong.

Thailand. and lots of other posts.

Tianjin.

We celebrated an ENGAGEMENT

This girl's... who is not only married, but PREGGO now and still in China living the dream! I have asked Kara and Peter if I can have their child since they got engaged. Now, I have to stop, because she really is having a child...

We shared our lives together.

Awkward Chinese official ceremonies.

Awesome student parties!

supporting the other schools!

Beach fun and Marshall is there!

Exploring our city.

Supporting our American friend when he was in a Chinese rock band...

Taking awkward pictures at our favorite restaurant with the owner lady.

My back home friends even were excited to meet them when they came to visit!

We have gotten to celebrate and be together back in the states.

Tim and Kevin flew out to Oklahoma for Kara's wedding!

That's love.

And a few of us even got to get together during the 4th of July weekend this year.

East Coasters

And this weekend I get to experience another amazing reunion. Kylie, my rock while in China, will be flying in for a few days! Yes, another visitor!

Chocolate World!

Skied on fake snow

Awesome going away cat necklace purse?

Our room was right next to each other, we shared a kitchen, the only American girl at my school, and we even traveled on our holiday together for a month. We haven't seen each other since Marshall and I got married. (She is also from Oklahoma). We are pretty excited to catch up!

We will be driving to Baltimore on Saturday for Tim.

(photo taken in Tianjin)

This is Tim.

Long story short...Tim has been living in China for what seems like forever, he fell in love with this awesome Chinese girl, Michelle. They got married in May, but have been waiting for her Visa to be approved. He left China in June and they have been apart ever since. Well good news!

(photo taken at our World Cup watch party in China)

Her visa has been approved!!

Oh Joyous day! I can't even imagine what it's like to be away from the love of your life for that long... wait. Yes, I do. It's awful! So this weekend they are having another wedding for their American peeps.

And this one is my date! (Marshall has clinic)

(mustache photo taken in Oklahoma)

I can not wait to see these people!! We tend to have a lot of fun together!
We are trying to make Jessica and Justin, the married ones, come up from North Carolina.. it's just a few hours!

The point of my ridiculously long blog post is about these relationships. I never really thought I would see all these people after leaving China. But I can't imagine my life with out them. We don't talk everyday, but we email, read each other's blogs, creep on facebook, and have mini reunions when we can. They are so special to me. I didn't realize how much they would make an impact in my life.

Our last group pic. You can see the love a lot more after a year together.

kisses.

suburb date night

2011-11-11T22:05:00.000-06:00

While I taught in China I saw many talent shows. So when Marshall told me his school was having a talent show tonight I was so excited. I was surprised at how much I missed watching ridiculous performances.

Pennsylvania College of Optometry

Eyedol

Like IDOL. Get it? Amazing. Those eye students are real clever.

There was dancing, and singing, and then people who thought they could dance and sing.

And of course the one we wanted to win, didn't.

Typical.

Since we were already out in the suburbs we hit up 2 suburb locations, Wal-Mart and Chili's.

I can not get enough of their chips and salsa. And that avocado ranch. To die for!

kisses.

back to school

2011-11-08T10:13:00.000-06:00

Our guests have left us.

That means Marshall has to stop skipping school and I have to stop skipping work.

Busy week ahead!

kisses.

We The People....

2011-11-07T20:43:00.000-06:00

Because we are so popular we get a lot of visitors. And by a lot I mean our parents and besties come to see us. But we get pretty good at being tour guides. And learning about history.

Today we showed our guests the historical stuff...

Disney World Pose.

Chinatown is always historical even though every huge city has one?

These guys would not break their character. How lame.

Marshall's parents wanted to go to the National Constitution Center, we had never been there either. We found an awesome Groupon so decided we would go.

Any place that has the Oklahoma flag is fine by me.

The majority of the museum would not allow photographs but there was this one exhibit that had a true to life representation of the signing of The Declaration of Independence, including each person's real height.

They said that you could take as many photos with them, could touch them, but just don't do anything to them that you wouldn't want done to you.

Perfect for me. I pretty much have no boundaries.

Had we known this existed, we would have brought multiple costumes and props.

We had to work with that we had.

The nose taking photos were taken without the others knowledge of this happening.

Like father like son.

James Madison is my size!

Marshall's response to this picture, "is this what you look like kissing??"

We blind folded George Washington. Who was huge by the way.

Koozie?

And maybe our best prop...

The iPhone.

Words With Friends!!

The employees told us "our general rule is, keep one foot on the floor"

Next time we go, we are coming prepared.

kisses.

art, burgers, and wine

2011-11-06T20:04:00.001-06:00

We needed a cheap days worth of events. All of this eating out and activities are getting expensive!

So we decided to spend the day not spending as much money, as being the key word.

We started with lunch.

Mexican food can usually provide that cheap satisfaction feeling.

We walked around, drove around, hung around.

I remembered that the first Sunday of the month was "pay what you wish" day at the Museum of Art. Well I wish to pay a quarter. Thank you.

Now if you know me, then you know museums are not my thing. Marshall took me to one on one of our first dates and it was a struggle to make it through. But this one was actually pretty fun.

I used the photos and people around us as photo opts.

Awesome hair.

Looks like Amish country.

This guy, oh this little Asian man, we followed him around for a bit.

He took pictures of EVERY item in EVERY room.

I want to know what he is going to do with all his photos.

This bench was actually a piece of art.... we thought it was just a bench.

Tiny spectacles

3 little indians.

We waited until the coast was clear before taking this picture, and then Marshall's mom walked around the corner and caught us!

I kept telling Marshall to be the horse, I wanted to ride him...

We only had about an hour and half in the museum because we got there late so we missed a whole other half. Fine by me. Too much museum action and I'll loose my street cred.

(i'm tweeting in this picture)

Outside the museum.

After, we made our way to Five Guys and dominated some burgers, hit up H&M, went home.

Shared some pastries, opened a bottle of China wine and called it a night.

My body is not used to all of this interaction.

kisses.

the Amish make good milk!

2011-11-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

We have always wanted to go out to Lancaster and experience Amish country. So we decided to take our guests with us.

We drove through a town called Intercourse.

Seriously. Intercourse. I couldn't believe it. Can you imagine living in Intercourse?

AMAZING.

We saw lots of these. Lots of Amish hanging out, doing their business.

We made it to Lancaster and hit up their farmers market.

this lady was selling hot dogs.... the hot dog lady.

tiny little bottles of milk

We found tacos!

I couldn't help it. I had to buy the little tiny jug of milk.

Milk is my favorite beverage, and the state beverage of OKLAHOMA... and apparently almost every other state's beverage, including Pennsylvania.

Photo BOMB

Easy access to the milk....

We headed to some old antique stores

Too bad our wedding is over, I found lots of good wedding items.

We found a brewery on our way home, and if you know my husband and this blog, you know we always stop.

It's the sampler. I promise they are small glasses.

We had heard about this CRAZY corn maze on our way back to Philadelphia and we knew we had to check it out

We had a coupon for free corn with our admission...

Who doesn't love free corn!?

This place was intense.

It felt like an Amish amusement park.

We started our journey on the maze around sunset. We forgot our flashlights.

The corn was dead, and not as tall as normal because of the cold weather. But it was still sooo hard to get out of that maze.

We went through with this family that had 2 cool little kids, and flashlights!

.With all of our brains, and the employees who helped us cheat weFINALLY made it out! 2 hours later, and frozen!

It looks like we adopted a tiny cute little girl, she was apart of our group, and wanted to be in our picture!

We drove back to Philly, tried to watch the OSU game (but not on TV here) watched the Alabama/LSU game and read tweets about the Oklahoma earthquake and Cowboy win!

Fun, exhausting day. Soo glad we get an extra hour of sleep!

kisses.

do people choose to eat at 10 pm?

2011-11-04T22:25:00.000-05:00

Marshall used to live in the Italian market area... an area much more... appealing to some.

It has great restaurants, fancy cheese shops, pasta no one should be able to afford, and good cheesesteaks.

We typically take everyone there when they come to visit. It's a must in our book.

We walked around for a bit, ate some 'steaks, and showed them where Marshall used to hang when he was a single man. A committed, in a long distance relationship but not married yet man.

Marshall had to go to school so we took his parents up to school to show exactly what it is he does with all his time. This I am still curious about as well.

Looking at the back of his mom's eyeball.

How cute.

After Marshall went to class for about an hour, and then ditched the last 4 hours we did what I do pretty well.

Shop.

The boys were not as into it as myself.

Later

we headed to Old City to eat dinner.

Turns out we are bad at making reservations in this city because we had to wait till practically 2 a.m. to get a table.

Who knew the big city was so popular on a Friday night....

Maybe we should get out more often.

p.s. Momma Dianna has been taking lots of pictures but I don't have them yet to blog!

kisses.

a visit from the in-laws!

2011-11-03T22:17:00.000-05:00

We love having visitors!

Marshall's parents flew in to hang with us for a few days.

We love having family to hang with!

Lots to see and do this week, can't wait to show them how we live!

kisses

hump day treats

2011-11-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

I always take videos, but I never post them. So I thought I would share a few from my weekend.

The first one is the groom, Matthew, dancing. This really won't be as entertaining if you don't know him... but I have never seen Matthew dance, no one really has... until Candace came along! When she first met him she said he crazy danced the whole night. I couldn't believe this. This guy does not dance. Until he met the love of his life!

Here we have Jett singing. He could be the next Bieber or JT. He loves The Little Mermaid and all the songs, his mom asked him to sing The Little Mermaid and I missed part of the video but then he started in on his own personal songs.

I posted pictures of our tea party, but here is a little video from it. I just love the way all toddlers talk. So innocent and sweet!

I said it already, and I'll say it again, I am so excited to see my 2 other nephews and niece for Thanksgiving. We don't get to spend a lot of time together, and it's hard being away. They say really funny things. Dawson, he is 5, and way smarter than I am, so I'm sure I will learn something from him. Stratton, almost 3, talks in full sentences but leaves out words, ya know the way little kids do. And Vivian, she just started crawling and can't talk yet, but is just a little cutie.

Being an aunt is great! As long as all these kids grow up knowing I am the cool aunt, I did well.

kisses.

2011-11-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

And I'm back in Phila!

It's cold(er) than it was when I left and our house is for reals cold now.

But we don't want to pay for the heater bill quite yet. So we will live in layers for as long as we can.

In a few days we will be welcoming 2 very special guests!

Marshall's parents are coming to visit and we are so excited to show them this city, our home, and our life here!

I suppose cleaning the house would be a good idea...

kisses.

milk and tacos

2011-10-31T23:08:00.000-05:00

Leaving is such a tricky thing. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to family. But I was ready to get back to Marshall the minute I left him. So you are sad to go, but excited to get back.

You know what I was really sad to say goodbye to?

Until we meet again, December. I can't wait.

I boarded my Southwest flight, received my free complimentary adult beverage in honor of Halloween, and finally made it back to Philly a little after 11 p.m.. It felt good to be back. Back with the hubs. I wish he could have been there. But we have a lifetime of attending weddings together! And all this wedding-ness made me reminisce about our wedding.

I love love.

kisses.

stillwater for a few more hours

2011-10-30T23:59:00.000-05:00

Warning: There might be a lot of pictures of Jett in this post. He tends to make sure he is the center of attention, and all we really do is just watch him.

After being so exhausted from a night of dancing we woke up, said our goodbyes (the newlyweds were also saying goodbye so we all got to experience that day after awkwardness, I love it) and got on the road.

On our drive home we made a pit stop in OKC so that I could have a lunch date with some friends. It was killing me being in Oklahoma but not seeing any of my sweet girls.

I even got to see Kiner!

I just saw her and Cathy in New York a few weeks ago, it was weird seeing them so soon again!

We said more goodbyes and headed back to Stillwater. My Aunt Debbie flew in for a few days to stay with my Papa so that my parents could go to the wedding, so we needed to get back.

Have I mentioned that my parents got a dog for my Papa? She is a Westie rescue and Papa named her Gracie Jo, after my Grammie Jo. So sweet. She is a little mangy but she is such a lovable dog and keeps Papa company and that's what matters.

Jett came over to hang out.

We had a tea party. My mom was the waitress. Jett kept drinking the water in the cup and then dumping it on the carpet. Hey, if it keeps him entertained, then who cares!

He loves his Mia.

And his Auntie

Have I mentioned how much I love being with family? Philadelphia is fun. But it's not our home. We need family around us.

I'm looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my brother Eric and his family in Virginia. Those 3 kiddos of theirs need a good dose of their Aunt Heidi and Uncle Marshall. I miss seeing them growing up! Why do we all have to live far away? Why does airfare have to be so expensive? Why can't we have our own private jet? So many questions.

kisses.

The Tower Wedding!

2011-10-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

About the time the OSU game started was about the time the family needed to start getting ready. So like the good friends that we are, we walked right into their hotel room, kept them company, and made sure they had food in their stomachs and drinks in their hands!

We also put ourselves to work. Ironing, doing hair, accessorizing, and even sewing last minute buttons!

Once they were all out the door heading to church it gave us a chance to get ready ourselves, and of course continue our pre party.

The gorgeous bride and I minutes before she walked down the aisle!

Mother of the Groom looking stunning!

Grandmother of the Groom Betty Tower, and Rhonda

If only this wasn't blurry. That face is priceless!

The ceremony was in the old church that the bride's dad used to pastor at when she was growing up. Sooo personal. It was a quick, sweet ceremony and we were out the door! Those are really the best kind.

The reception was out in the country at a family friend's home. A beautiful ranch with a stunning view. While it was a bit chilly, it was such a perfect location no one even cared!

The name cards!

First dance.

Shout out to Betty Tower! She is a devoted follower of this blog and one stylish lady! Love her!!

Groom Matthew and I being normal.

Beautiful bride!

Matthew and Momma Lynn

Love my family!

The newlyweds will be living with this guy, JESUS, for a week when they get back from their honeymoon! I'm not sure who is the lucky one here. Jesus is a pretty cool dude.

It got cold and Matthew busted out these hats for his groomsmen!

My dad's head was cold so he put a napkin on his head, so Matthew lent him one for a bit.

They had cute pictures of them when they were little.

This is a maybe 3 years after we met the Tower family!

Betty and Larry Tower!

Because Marshall couldn't be there (stupid optometry school) we took a picture so we can photoshop him in. One of these days he will be there for the special events!

Later into the night, after the dancing got going, Halloween costumes were busted out!

I am a firm believer that costumes make anything instantly taken to a different level.

Fake tat sleeve.

One beer left.

Yup.

We had lots of fun. Great wedding. Amazing people to celebrate. Such a fun night!

kisses.

rehearsal dinner time

2011-10-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

My mom and I woke up early on Friday so we could hit up some shopping on our way to Gainesville, Texas (where the wedding was). My dad was flying in (he loves to get his hours in anyways he can) on Saturday morning so we could work the hotdog cart for homecoming.

We made it to Gainesville just in time to pre party before the rehearsal dinner!

It was an honor to be invited to the rehearsal dinner, I love food and I love celebrating 2 amazing people!

The bride and I!

And the oldest Tower boy, Andrew, gave me a hard time because I didn't post a picture of him on my Tribute Tower post. Here ya go. Good pic...

Candace and her sweet daddy.

The happy couple. They were soo calm and collected. Ready to get married!

The Tower boys and I.

These boys really are like my brothers. Matthew's roommate couldn't believe that we aren't actually related.

The dinner was a great time to celebrate Candace and Matthew and got us ready to get them married off tomorrow!

kisses.

OK- hanging out

2011-10-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

As usual when I have an eventful couple of days and I can't blog, I like to back date everything. It makes it easier for me. So that is what I am going to do here. I am back from Oklahoma, but I know you all are wanting a recap. So here goes.

I flew into Tulsa.

This little guy picked me up and we drove back to Stillwater.

Went to work so I could hang out with the family.

Came home from work and hung out some more.

It's just so good to hang with family.

kisses.

home for the weekend

2011-10-26T19:37:00.002-05:00

So many of my favorites are happening tomorrow.

and in no particular order...

Southwest Airlines

OKLAHOMA

Family

Taco Bueno

Braums

The Hideaway

Okay those last 3 are food places. And obviously I can't eat them all in the first hours I am back.

Or can I....

I only have a few days.....

I have to make it count.

kisses.

this one time in china....

2011-10-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

I learned how to knit. I learned a lot of things living in China for a year, but one thing that I haven't done since coming home, is knit.

My friend Kylie and I wanted to learn. I had this idea I wanted to make Marshall a scarf for Christmas and it would be the most romantical gift every. My students told me this was a very special gift to give someone you love. And I don't craft. So this was big time for me. We asked our student and dear friend Winter to teach us.

She worked those giant wooden needles with perfect strides.

Kylie and I on the other hand...

We struggled.

I only had a few weeks before Marshall came to visit for Christmas so I had to get to business..

My little fingers knitted day and night.

And I finally finished.

Now that scarf was the saddest excuse for a scarf I have ever seen. It was HORRIBLE, it had huge holes, the width wasn't even, it looked like an animal attacked it.

But Marshall acted like I was the best knitter in the whole world and this scarf was worth millions.

I suppose it was a romantical gift.

But I was determined to make a BETTER, less holy scarf.
In a pretty fun color.

And I did. And so did Kylie. Her first one was pretty awful too.

These scarfs are our 2nd experiments.

I think Kara even started knitting in China too.

I also made another one after this. No more holes. Take that ugly brown man scarf.

You might be wondering why we are going down this memory lane of Chinese knitting. I realized I have forgotten about the 4th one I started in China and have neglected finishing.

I found it all rolled up in my closet and I think it's about time I finish this 2 year long project.

It's almost done, that's what's sad about it.

It doesn't have much work left to it.

I'm just lazy.

Story of my life.

Now I have something to do while I sit in front of the TV.

Next I need to learn to knit something other than a straight line.

kisses.

A Tower Tribute

2011-10-24T15:43:00.003-05:00

In a few short days I will be in OKLAHOMA...for a few short days!!!

And no, I will not be at any OSU Homecoming festivities. If only I had a clone...

I will land in OK, but head to Texas to celebrate the marriage of 2 very important people.

If you know my parents then you know they have always had more of a social life than me. When we first moved to Oklahoma, I was in the first grade, we became friends with The Tower Family. Or as Cathy calls them, The Jonas Brothers. They have 3 boys--one a year older, one my age, and one four years younger. Now this is where I would post pictures of us all growing up together. But I'm not because I don't have those with me. So just imagine.

This family was there for all of my memories growing up. We moved to Oklahoma, but we didn't have family there so our friends became that family. We have been together during birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, going away parties, holidays, weddings, and anything else you can think of, they have been there.

It always felt like I had 3 extra brothers. 3 extra people to be protective and look out for me. So of course I was also like their annoying sister who was just as protective. I was always the closest to Matthew, the one my age.

And he is the one getting hitched, and the first in his family.

I first posted about his engagement here.

This is his fiancée Candace.

Being so close to Matthew it was important that Candace and I get along, we had to get along. Strangely, Marshall and Matthew have only met once, this past August, but Marshall is tight with the Towers so we knew they would get along too.

Candace and I more than just get along. We talk at least once a week, and are constantly in text communications, write loooooong emails, and even send each other hand written notes.

Yes, it sometimes feels like Matthew doesn't exist. Kind of like in this picture :)

She even drove 5 hours to our wedding with her future brother-in-law as her date. Matthew was still in Iraq during our wedding.

(Pictured Here: Dad Tower, Bride Heidi, Mom Tower, Future Candace Tower, and Youngest Tower. She is going to bring some height and BLONDE to this family!)

I am soo glad that Matthew is marrying her. Because if he wasn't then we would have never met and that would be a shame.

I couldn't be happier for the two of them and I cannot wait to celebrate all weekend with them!

Welcome to the family Candace!

Because you aren't just marrying into his family. You are marrying into ALL of the crazy Stillwater families!

kisses.

boot clean up

2011-10-21T11:47:00.000-05:00

My favorite boots have a giant grease stain on them.

Not sure where it came from or when it appeared but it has been there for a really long time. It has never bothered me. There was also pink marker on the top of one, how does that even happen?

But they are my favorite boots so I can't get rid of them because of a little imperfections.

I come downstairs to find my husband cleaning up my boots.

What a man.

....what a man what a man what a mighty good man... Salt N Pepa?

The grease stain is still there but better blended, and that random pink market vanished!

Thanks hubs for helping me look less ghetto.

p.s. please check out our curtain. that window is so tall and we aren't going to buy curtains for a house we only live in for 6 months. so we just let that one be a little short. oh the joys of renting.

kisses.