Recap: Anniversary

We celebrated our first anniversary by taking a little weekend trip.  We stayed at Floy Farm, a little ranch in Flatonia where we went quail hunting.  That's right.  I said WE went quail hunting.  In the name of trying to spend a little quality time with my darling husband, I agreed to try my hand at quail hunting.  Pictured are the flowers Mark got for me, along with our cake topper that we actually ate a piece of (Jayna, that was for you!), 

Mark and me with our "loot" -- 11 of 20 birds, 

and me with the first of two birds I managed to shoot myself (we were both shocked).  

After our stay at FF, we went to La Grange where we stayed at Brendan Manor, a quaint little B&B.  That was definitely my part of the trip -- jacuzzi tub, long nap, no agenda, etc.  All in all, it was a great weekend.  Time has really flown, but I am so grateful to have spent it with Mark.  He is a wonderful, caring husband and I am so blessed to have him!

What?!

How is it that 3 months have passed since my last entry? I must be having lots of fun because time sure is flying.

We've been plenty busy these past few weeks with our trip to see Team Blankinship in FL, Mark having back surgery (he's doing great -- starting PT this week), David and Debbie coming down to see us and help over Easter weekend, a trip to Dallas to see the King Tut exhibit with David and Debbie and Grandma Jane, and plenty of other things too. Not that Becky reads this, but I owe her a shout-out for helping me work on the back yard for 7 hours on Saturday. Thanks! (And Morg, the "shout-out" part was for you. I know you're fond of it.)

Pics to come...you know, if anyone is still reading this thing.

4

Kimberly (or Kim Berly, as it says in Mark's phone) tagged me to post the 4th picture in the 4th folder. Here it is, a collage from Mandy & Matt's wedding:

I think I'm supposed to tag 4 people, so.... MANDY, MORGANDI, MYRA, and MAEGAN -- go for it! (And yes, I'm going to gloss right over the fact that I haven't posted in almost 2 months and act like it's no big deal. Thanks for asking.)

tagged

Well, I was in desperate need for an update and it seems at least three of my dear friends agreed and thus tagged me in this game of Crazy 8's. Here goes:

8 Shows I Watch:
- Project Runway
- Ugly Betty
- Private Practice
- Grey's Anatomy
- Jon and Kate Plus 8
- What Not to Wear
- various hunting and fishing shows with Mark
- a few minutes of the Today Show before I leave for work

8 Favorite Restaurants:
- Texas Roadhouse
- Macaroni Grill
- McAlister's
- Panera Bread
- Formosa Garden
- Olive Garden
- Boston's
- Chick-Fil-A

8 Things That Happened Today:
- Woke up groggy, snoozed multiple times
- Arrived at work later than anticipated
- Lunch with a sweet friend and two of her kiddos
- Made the secretaries happy by turning in petty cash receipts
- Made a to-do list, accidentally threw it in the trash, decided it was Divine Intervention
- Heard the "low battery" beep on my cell phone, lamented not charging it all week
- Packed up all the Breakfast With Santa stuff in my office and took it to the storage room
- Successfully ordered 3 new glider/ottoman sets for the church nursery

8 Things I Look Forward To:
- Not setting an alarm tomorrow!
- Finishing the paint job in the laundry room
- YF Class progressive dinner on Friday
- Finding time to see Twilight
- The big 3-0 next week
- Nothing scheduled on Saturday
- Getting my side mirror glass replaced
- Heaven

8 Things I Wish For:
- A long, happy, healthy marriage
- Being a mom who raises godly children
- All my scattered girlfriends to move to Texas
- A relaxing vacation
- To quote Dara and Miss Congeniality, "world peace"
- Restful sleep
- A phenomenal new book series I can throw myself into
- A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

8 People I Tag:
- Arwen
- Kim
- Jill
- Jaime
- Kristie
- Charity
- Lisa
- Shannon

Drum Roll Please....

For all of you who have heard me say something along the lines of needing to start, write, work on, or finish my thesis (which should be everyone I've met in the last 5 years, give or take) -- the time has come for me to defend that silly thing and be done with it for good!

I'll be in Edmond on Monday and Tuesday to defend, finalize, and print the official documents to send off to the bindery. I will return to SA a free woman! And sometime around late January, I'll receive my hardbound copy and my Master's degree in the mail. Wahooooo!!!

Wish me luck, say a prayer, and see y'all soon!

changes

So I am trying to figure out how to make a cute header picture thing. This is a so-so first attempt; I will keep revising it. But I wanted at least something to put up when I changed the template for Thanksgiving. What can I say...I'm a sucker for a cute turkey.

In other news, for those who are on Thesis Watch: I finished my rough draft last Friday at approximately 6:08 p.m. CST, at which time I sent it on to my committee members for review. I'm awaiting their feedback so I can make edits this week. So far, I know I need to add 8 sources. Hopefully there won't be a whole lot more. (What are the odds?) And also hopefully, my defense will get scheduled for sometime in the next couple weeks. Oklahoma, here I come!

truth hurts

Tamra: Look, Mark -- I've done SIX tables!
Mark: That's one for each year you've been working on your paper!

Ouch.

did you know?

I'm sure most Americans already know this fascinating little tidbit. But in case you were on the political "short bus" with me: You can vote early at any early voting place in town -- and all you need is your driver's license!

So if you're thinking about voting and you're not sure you have time to go on Tuesday, or you're not sure where to go on Tuesday, or you have no idea where that ever-elusive voter's registration card is -- early voting might be just what you need. Early voting is through Friday this week, and locations are open 8am-8pm.

Who knew voting could be so easy?!

more faves

No pictures or links this time, but here are some favorites in the beauty department....

Hair Care:
- BedHead's Self-Absorbed shampoo and conditioner
- Pantene's Beautiful Lengths shampoo and conditioner
- Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner
- BedHead's Curls Rock (for curly girls) and Hard Head (hairspray)

Nails:
- OPI polishes
- Toenail clippers (I use them even on my fingernails)
- Cuticle nippers
- Sally Hanson Natural Shine (dries almost instantly!)

Makeup:
- I'm a MAC girl and use their foundation, concealer, blush, powder, mascara, liner, lip gloss, lipstick, eye shadow....
- Some of my brushes come from MAC, some from Smashbox, some from BeautiControl (which are supposedly the same as Bobbi Brown brushes but loads cheaper)
- This isn't really makeup, but I also can't live without plain ol' Chapstick

Facial and Skin Care:
- I use BeautiControl's Gold line for cleanser, tonic, scrub, moisturizer, and face/neck lotion (this is Jaime's fault after hosting a "spa" years ago)
- Aveeno's Daily Moisturizer Lotion is fantastic and I highly recommend it
- I love Neutragena's eye makeup remover
- Dove soap (the original white bar)
- Another BeautiControl product I love is the Warming Trend Mask that heats up when you rub it in and never gets hard and cracky

Other Stuff:
- I recently got a BedHead blow-dryer and it really has impressed me with how quickly it dries my hair and with much less frizz
- Lighted, magnifying mirror
- Tweezerman slanted tweezers

Alright. What are some of your faves?

just one of the boys...

I don't remember when in life I figured out I was just one of the boys, but...I did. And I am. Or, more accurately, I can be.

This past Saturday was our K-5th grade Dudes & Dads Day. The Branches let us enjoy their ranch. We cooked out, had a devo and dude/dad quiet time, enjoyed a hay ride, and did a little fishing. We didn't expect much in the fishing department since the tanks were low. But Mrs. Tamra knocked the socks off all the fellas by catching THREE fish in about 15 minutes. Quite frankly, I knocked my own socks off too. :)

Mark tells me the fish I caught were a small bass, horse-something-or-other, and a red gilled sunfish. Impressive, huh?

I can't remember who I was telling about my "mom sunglasses" -- but these are them. Not because these are mommish in particular, but because they make me look even more like my own mom, who has a pinchant for gigantic shades. Can you imagine if I had a baseball cap on too? TWINS!