Happy Mother's Day & Happy Birthday

My sweet mother got the raw end of the deal with her birthday being so close to mother's day. This year they occurred on the same day. I was on my way home from Florida so we celebrated a couple days later. We went to their house for dinner and I brought a really fun strawberry cake for dessert that my mom requested. It has fresh strawberries, nuts, coconut, and a homemade icing. Yum!

We got her dough planers (rings to attach to each end of the rolling pin to keep the dough level.) A Martha Stewart product for my Martha loving mom. For mother's day she got a pedicure.

We then played Murder (a favorite game of hers) to wrap up the evening.

P.S. May 10th was also our nephew's 1st birthday. Happy Birthday Harrison!
And it was our year and a half anniversary!

Bridget's Wedding

Natalie and I were able to fly into Pensacola together for Bridget's wedding last weekend. When we arrived, Bridget took us to a really fun restaurant where we could sit outside and enjoy yummy food. We then went to the beautiful house on the beach that Bridget's family had rented. The whole back of the house was glass doors that opened to a patio and the view was breathtaking.
Friday afternoon was the bridal luncheon at her grandmother's home. Her aunt and uncle had a special talent for preparing very fancy food. In the picture we are opening the menu that tells about the courses. Each course had sea food in it, so it made for an interesting experience! :) A good time was had by all though!After the luncheon we posed for pictures.That afternoon, we had some down time and so Natalie and I walked along the beach. I love walking barefoot in the sand with the waves coming up on my feet. I could do this everyday!

Here we all are after the rehearsal waiting to eat.
The rehearsal dinner was held under the house. A perfect location. (The wedding reception was actually in the house and on the balcony.)

The next day we enjoyed a great breakfast and more time to walk along the beach. We also had time to relax and read before the wedding. There is nothing better than reading than to read looking at the ocean.

Here we are before the wedding. (Already a little wind blown from taking pictures!) The flowers were gorgeous.
No backdrop was needed for this wedding ceremony!

Her cake was very fitting for a beach wedding! The shells were actually white chocolate.
The happy couple!


We left sunny Florida the next morning to return to the rainy midwest. But thanks to Natalie who sat with me during my long layover at DFW even though she could have already gone home.
It was a great weekend!

Losing His Manhood

When Harley was spayed Jamie referred to it as losing her girliehood. So I guess Davy just lost his manhood. Whatever it is, we were very nervous to go through this again. But Davy came out of it just fine, with more energy than he should. There was no way that we could keep him calm and he acted just like nothing happened. He even got a new pillow to rest on. Needless to say there wasn't much resting. I had to sit there for him to lay there to try it out. Our cuddling didn't last long! We love our little (getting much bigger) bundle of energy.

Safari in Oklahoma City

Jamie gets to go on amazing trips while in South Africa, but lucky me, Africa came to the Civic Center! Raymond took me to see The Lion King. I loved it! We brought along our binoculars and the view was spectacular!

I love that things remind me of South Africa which really reminds me of Jamie. It just so happened that the book that I am reading to my students, The White Giraffe, takes place just outside of Cape Town. And even the movie we saw at the OmniDome during our field trip this week was along the coast of South Africa. It helps tie together what I'm picturing from all of Jamie's stories.

Bridgets Shower

We wanted to spend the day having fun with Bridget before her personal shower that night. We met at my house for breakfast with one of her favorites: Krispy Kreme.

Then we made tank tops. Navy was the main color for her wedding so over a navy tank top we thought it would be fun to have different shades of blue. Do we look oceany?

We tried to take pictures at the lake, but the wind was soooo strong that it was impossible. Defeated by the wind, we ate lunch at Chiles, another one of Bridget's faves, and then went to see a movie.

For her shower we went to Johnnie Carinos for dinner. Here is Bridget with her sister-in-law. But they could pass for sisters.

And then me and Natalie

My parents were gracious to let us go back to their house for gifts and dessert. Natalie and I both have fiesta dishes and so we were able to use them for the party. I love how colorful they are! Her invitation was colorful flowers and stripes, and so we tried to tie that into the table. (I got the idea to put ribbons down the center of a table from Danielle's baby shower.)

We had a great time reminiscing, laughing, and showering her with gifts.

Wedding post to come soon!

Driving with Davy

When I drive Davy, he always sits on the passenger seat with no problems. But when I went to my parents house to get a suitcase it was pretty evident that Raymond had let him get away with not having to stay in his seat.

(Mom: I'm very aware that driving with a dog in your lap is very dangerous and trying to take pictures of driving with a dog in your lap is even more dangerous. But I was very careful!)

This is how it started. He walked his way over like it was no big deal. (I was stopped in this picture.)

Then he evidently felt the love sitting in my lap and wanted to give kisses. (Yes, the car is moving, but notice how focused I was on the road!)

He chilled all the way there.

I called my parents to come meet me in the driveway to see. While there he got treats of ice and loved it!

Daring Dog

Davy was playing with his hedgie all over the living room. He was kind of cute and so I sat on the couch hoping to get a fun picture. I didn't get a good picture, but in his daringness, he hopped up on the chair. I quickly snapped a picture and got up to remind him he doesn't sit in chairs. As I went towards him he all of a sudden remembered!

I have always heard that you don't let dogs play with old socks because they will then want to play with every sock because they won't know the difference. I learned this lesson with soda boxes. He went to town even though it weighed a ton.

Normally Raymond is the one to let Davy out of his crate in the mornings, but this particular morning I was the one up first. He was in a funny sleeping position when I got to him and so I had to get a picture.

Arts Festival

Yes, I'm aware that the OKC Arts Festival was 3 weeks ago. I had always planned to blog about it...I even made Ray carry around the camera for this very thing. So I still have to! We went on a Wednesday night thinking that it wouldn't be as crowded as the Friday night was last year. Oh it was! But it was well worth it to stand in line for the fabulous food. Ray got an Indian taco, I got pizza, and we split fried pickles. Nothing light this night, and worth every calorie!

We loved looking at each of the artists booths, talking about what we would want to have. It's like going to a free museum! It's too bad that it only happens once a year.