The time we made the Internet believe Lori was in labor*

Sunday, Lori and I were having some QTT (Quality Twin Time) and celebrating her birthday (hey, it's only about a month late, alright?). It was a marvelous afternoon full of laughter and Olympic watching. Audrey came by on her way home, and this is when Lori gave us The Scare.

"Ouch. There's a pain right here." (points to Tate, who currently resides in her tummy).

None of the three of us have children so we don't know what labor feels like. Clearly, there is cause for concern considering Lori went six months without even knowing she was expecting, so her not knowing what labor is wouldn't be a surprise. Oh, and I was NOT about to experience Tate's delivery in Lori's living room. Naturally, in our time of need, I turned to Twitter.

Also what does labor feel like? Asking for @lolojo, who will likely have the baby at home if we don't find out.

— Shae Kennedy (@shaeken) July 29, 2012

This, of course, got a few people worried. So, when Lori began getting messages about it, we decided a disclaimer was necessary.

Disclaimer: @lolojo isn't in labor...we were just wondering!

— Shae Kennedy (@shaeken) July 29, 2012

Don't worry. We have now learned Lori's bellybutton going numb is not labor.

We also asked Twitter about the rules to Water Polo. Though we got no answer (so help if you can), the reason we asked is because if this face is necessary during the game, it must be pretty darn epic game.

I mean, for real?!

Moving on. Lori's one craving has been snow cones. Considering it's summertime, I will fully support my dear twin any time she gets this craving. Let's be honest - I would support snow cones year round. They're just so darn good! Today, after much discussion about which snow cone stand would be open, we finally decided to drive to Chickasha to get a good one. As we were enjoying our treats, Lori decided that when I (hypothetically) get married, I need to have wedding cake flavored snow cones in lieu of actual cake. Wondering if it'd ever been done, I turned to Google.

Clearly, I could top that. On the birthday celebration front, if you see Lori walking around Minco, America with a blue floppy hat on, don't look at her like she's crazy. She's just pretending to be on the beach soaking up the sun, which is a story for another post.

*Fortunately for you, this post is even true! Ahem.

Amarillo by morning

As you might remember, My Uncle Bob came to town last week and part of the agenda included a trip to Texas. Yesterday, it happened.

We started the morning an hour late bright and early and from the start it was clear this was going to be an adventurous road trip - Momma and Uncle Bob were having "discussions" just five miles in!




After several hours (and only a couple of stops!), we made it to Amarillo, where we were eating lunch. I was quite surprised Kaden didn't attempt the 72 ounce steak at the Big Texan! :) For those of you who haven't visited the Big Texan, their menus are giant $100 bills. Kale found these quite fascinating and asked me if this is what a $100 bill looked like in Texas, since everything is bigger there!




From Amarillo, we headed to Dumas to pick up JerBear's jeep. After a short wait at the car shop, we were headed home. If you follow me on Twitter, you saw a few quotes from my Grandpa and Uncle Bob. They argued the whole way home about which direction we were going...oddly, even in my half awake state, I knew to just follow the OKC signs :)




Texas, it was a quick trip, but as always, a good one. This one was especially exciting because bringing home Bear's jeep means Bear is coming back to Oklahoma soon! I can't wait to see him and watch more of his baseball games.

Fantastic Friday.

If I thought the weekend was good, I had no idea what was coming for me this week.

I was working on this little project for work involving being social. It isn't implemented yet or I would tell you what it is. Just know that creaking the code of Facebook is no simple task and yet I did it on a MONDAY before noon.







You know I built a fort with Lori, but when I got home from Lori's house (and as I was finishing my blog about it), my daddy got home from his quick trip to California. My mom had told me my dad was bringing me a surprise. Logically, I assumed he was bringing a live animal, like a polar bear. But the surprise I got was even better:


Uncle Bob!!!! He is in town to watch one of his friend's daughters play softball and tomorrow, we are road tripping to Texas to pick up JerBear's jeep, which is finally fixed!

I finally got to wear my favorite shoes again! It has been forever since these awesome, height-increasing heels made their way out of my closet. But this week, they did, and it was great.


We also found out my Aunt Pam - who had brain surgery two weeks ago - is coming HOME FROM Arizona!!! She is doing incredibly well and this is just an answer to prayer. God is good.

And another answer to prayer, finally, almost 1,000 days after my accident, I can say I am good. I went to the doctor on Monday for my 6-week post surgery check up and was told I have a great wrist and I don't need to come back, which I think means my wrist is healed and I won't have any issues. :) it has been a long road but I am thankful for every mile of it.

What made your week fantastic?

The time we built a fort*

Once upon the time, there were two friends. Their names were Lori and Shae and they were so alike they were practically twins.

One day, Lori found out she was going to soon have a tiny human. Weeks passed, and preparations were made. Lori's friends threw a party, she decorated a nursery and she ate a lot of sno cones.

As the day Tiny Human Ninja Tate was coming drew near, Lori and Shae discovered they needed to revisit childhood to ensure Lori was well prepared for motherhood. (except let's be honest...they hadn't grown up anyway!)

On the evening of July 24, Lori and Shae built an epic blanket fort, like the kind you see on Pinterest.




They also put terrible makeup on each other, from a Barbie case, because that is what kids do. They watched The Little Mermaid and sang and danced. They dressed Lori's dog, Harley, in crazy tutu outfits and read stories. They colored everything with glitter and wore gigantic bows.

And then, at the end of the evening, they took this picture, where they both (appropriately) look like 12 year olds.




As you can tell, Lori is now well prepared to have Tate join the world.

*And in case you we're wondering, this was all make believe. We were boring old ladies who watched tv and talked about knitting nothing. Although with this great imagination, I would say Lori is still pretty well prepared, even if we didn't make a blanket fort!

Solid.

Have you ever had one of those weekends that can only be described as solid? It was great, in every way. You spent it with great people, started it well, had great stories, and ended on a high note? I certainly hope so. If not, you should hang out with me more, because I have so many of these weekends that I'm beginning to think I somehow create them.

The weekend was spent in Tulsa for Caylee's birthday, which automatically upped the awesome factor. Remember, if you will, my love for birthdays.

The weekend started off with a thankful-for-life drive when we decided to let Caylee's niece drive through the neighborhood...at night. She's learning to drive and for some dumb crazy reason, Caylee had me sit in front. Thankfully, we only hit two curbs and only spent half the time on the wrong side of the road. Even more thankfully, there was no traffic and she still has another year to practice! :) (PS - I'm sure she'll be great once she's actually driving!)

Saturday was a shopping adventure with Caylee and Kim. We went to a western store in Tulsa (I think, I couldn't figure out the Tulsa/Broken Arrow divider for the life of me) where they both bought their first pair of real boots!!

This made me incredibly proud, especially considering Caylee has been planted in a small town in Texas for the last year and a half for her job and hasn't owned a pair. I tried convincing her that people in town would know if she didn't wear boots. She didn't believe me. I also instructed her to do the friendly wave at every person she passes. I'm still not sure if she followed those instructions.

Saturday night, I had a conversation with Colin consisting only of Garth Brooks song titles, which is enough to make any weekend awesome.

Sunday, I got up at 6am, watched an Oklahoma Sunrise and drove to Stillwater to spend the day with friends. It was such a refreshing day, even if I was in town for less than 10 hours, only saw three people and didn't get a Barn coke! Sunday night, I spent the evening working in the barn with my mom, dad and youngest brother. Kale was teaching me what to do, and was a great teacher. I'm pretty sure I could make cattle beds like a pro if I tried. His dancing skills, however, could use a little work!




How was your weekend?

It sure left it's mark on us

I took a too short refreshing drive this weekend around the place I called home for three and half of the best years of my life. SO many memories were made with the absolute best friends a girl could ever ask for. I have been so. incredibly. blessed.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-zks4FRlI?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

A weekend of birthdays

I think I've made it very clear around here that I LOVE birthdays - and not just my own. Two of my best friends having their birthdays this weekend is almost too much happy for me to contain.

First up is today - Laine's 22nd birthday! You know him by now from all our concert attending and horseback riding. But in case you don't remember him, this is Laine.



He has been a favorite since my senior semester at OSU. If it weren't for him and Starbucks, I might not have survived homecoming.

If you're cool on Twitter, be sure to tweet 22 birthday wishes to @ldpeitzmeier. And yes, I mean tell him happy birthday 22 times. :) Lainey, I hope you are having a fantastic time in Dallas. Be good and I'll take you for birthday dinner this week...and THAT MEANS PRESENTS! #LaineIsAwesome

The other birthday this weekend (tomorrow) is Caylee's!


I'm in Tulsa to celebrate with her, so clearly she's having a great one :) I'm extra glad football season is imminent because it means I'll get to see Caylee more! Both loyal OSU grads, we of course have season tickets to watch our Cowboys play.

I've been very blessed with incredible friends, and I hope these two both have an extra great weekend. Love you both!

A happy Monday indeed.

By starting Monday off with anticipation of Cowboy Football, I knew it was going to be good. But Mondays are always a bit better when they include presents, right?

When I got home Monday, I saw a hot pink box with my name on it sitting on the counter waiting to be opened. Oh, Birchbox, you seriously have great timing, my friend. I'm always excited for your arrival, even on the months that you bring less than over the top exciting products. In the past, you have brought me Staniac, Twistbands, awesome travel wipes, fancy zip lock bags, super soft lip stain and much more. But this month you really, really outdid yourself.



This month brought stila lip glaze - a wonderful full size product!


Along with that, a rather interesting perfume, that surprisingly I liked, though it may be a little strong.


I also got green tea blotting linens and green tea mints, and both are full size!


I also got a gloss treatment for my hair that should last several uses, and a super special treat of Birchbox Exclusive Earbuds! I always love it when they include bonus treats.

I know, I know. You're super jealous that I get all these awesome presents every month and you don't. Before you come steal my beautiful box, I have a present for you! Just use this link to sign up for Birchbox! It's only $10 a month, and clearly worth it. It seriously is such a happy surprise to find in the mail. If you don't want to do the year-long commitment like I did, you can still sign up for shorter increments and get all the cool products. But I'm pretty sure you'll want to do the year-long subscription, so you might as well do it from the start.

If you're already a subscriber, what's your favorite thing from this month's box?!

A wedding and a baby

Completely unrelated and completely not mine, by the way.

This weekend, one of my cousins got married! He looked incredibly happy and his bride was beautiful. I always think it's super awkward when people pull out their cell phones to take pictures of the bride and groom during the wedding (There are professionals for that. I will probably make a no cell phone rule when I get married. Okay maybe not. But for real, please don't do it.) so clearly I don't have any pictures showing the actual wedding. However, the decor was most definitely Pinterest worthy!
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"]I played the part of wedding singer at the wedding. It was outside and thankfully it was a beautiful evening![/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"]Is there any more perfect way to drink sweet tea than in a mason jar? I think not. [/caption]

Cousins on the other side of the family, Tyler and Carla, are expecting their second baby in just a few weeks! On Sunday I went to a shower for them. We wrote notes of advice - because clearly I have so much advice to offer - and decorated onezies. The cutest one was probably decorated by big brother to be - it spelled out baby's name and included a monster drawing. Clearly that kid knows what's about to hit! :)
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"]The onezie I decorated at the shower[/caption]

In other news, my brother is now considering offering a dowry for me. Gosh, I'm so loved.

Update: when telling Caylee about my brother's idea, she informed me that's pretty much a bribe. Keeps getting better.

Saturdays in the fall - Polyvore

I can't wait for football season... and I'm already dreaming of what I'll wear.

Saturdays in the fall - Polyvore.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFXCwUPlhXQ?rel=0&w=480&h=360]

High 5 Friday

Somehow I almost forgot it was Friday. But, this week has had some awesome things, so before I forget, let's get sharing!

1. IT RAINED!!!
This is Oklahoma, and it's July. Thank you for rain!


2. I got a million Julie hugs.
I have some seriously awesome cousins. Julie is normally pretty stingy with her hugs to me, but this week, she gave them freely. I just love this girl so much, and nothing was better than walking in the door and being hug attacked by her.


3. I got a pedicure.
If you need a pedicure and you're in the area, I can recommend one highly skilled four year old. She uses half a bottle on each foot too!


4. I still love my job.
I know, if you follow me on Twitter you see a lot of retweets, if we're friends on Facebook, you see a lot of shares, and if we are friends in real life you've probably heard a million times just how much I love my job. But seriously, I love it. It's not every day that you get the opportunity to make a difference while doing what you love. Keep on dreaming, even if it breaks your heart. Dreaming paid off - I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. I had a dream, and I chased it.


5. There are only 49 days left until Cowboy Football.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2VG1PHkVuw?rel=0&w=640&h=360]
Enough said.

What are your high five's of the week?

Aunt Pam

When I think of my Aunt Pam, I don't just think of my grandma's sister-in-law. No, our family doesn't work like that. Our family is close, and we are in each other's lives and business no matter if we like it or not. So, when I think of my beautiful Aunt Pam, I think of one of the strongest ladies I know. No matter what has come, she has faced the day head on. Bad circumstances have never gotten to her positive attitude for longer than a split second. She has incredibly strong faith. Aunt Pam's laugh, smile and jokes are always quick to come. She is a teacher and counselor by profession, a caregiver and good friend by nature. She is the best decorator I know - if the TV networks pick up on her I'm quite certain Martha Stewart will be sent packing.

Today I ask you to pray for my Aunt Pam. Today she will have surgery to remove one of three brain bleeds. Thankfully, she is at the exact place our family has learned she needs to be - in Phoenix, under the care of the best doctors.

Please join me in praying for my aunt today. Also remember her doctors and the team of medical professionals who will be performing surgery and providing care for her after, along with her family and others who made the trip to Phoenix to be with her.

I have full confidence that God will not give her any more than He can handle. He has already shown his faithfulness and power.

Aunt Pam, I would say don't give the doctors too much trouble, but I think we all know that'd be like spitting in the wind. I love you!

[caption id="attachment_1416" align="alignnone" width="400"] Kaden, Aunt Pam and Momma on the 4th of July[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1417" align="alignnone" width="404"] Aunt Bettie, Aunt Pam and Grandma Nett in Phoenix[/caption]

You tell 'em I'm coming...

This is music to my ears.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDIzJag21y4?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

September 1. I can't wait.

Sewing for babies?

Last night on Pinterest, I stumbled across a slightly disturbing pin.

30+ easy sewing projects for babies

In case you don't see anything wrong with that sentence, let me help you out.

BABIES SEWING.

Now, I don't know much about tiny human raising, but that, my friends, seems potentially dangerous. Since Lori posted it on one of her Pinboards, I felt the need to let her know my concern, in case she was planning to let Baby Ninja start sewing as an infant.



Clearly, I got my "point" across. And because I was so excited about how funny I was, I texted Lori to make sure she would go on and look at my comment. Because, you know, the email notification she would receive wouldn't be enough. Duh.

And in case anyone was wondering/concerned, Lori is not planning to teach Tate how to sew on Day 1. That day is reserved for bull riding lessons. :)

The F's

These are fantastic F's, not failing F's, which means it's time for another high five Friday! Two weeks in a row... whoa! Here are some of the things I've been loving this week!

1. Fridays on a Tuesday and making the Lamar board again.

Yes, that's an extra large image because I am that excited. Now that I have a new job, I also have some new holidays! I was off all day on the Fourth of July, #holla! I was extremely excited about it and clearly, Lamar was too.

2. Sky Glitter

I think we all know how much I love glitter, so having it rain around me in the sky is awesome. I love every part of fireworks except when they shoot at people. Ahem.

3. Swimming
I have laid by the pool, cleaned the pool, worked around the pool and, of course, glanced at the pool many times this year. But actually getting in? Hadn't done it. The water had been entirely too cold for my liking. But on Tuesday, I finally picked up the swimsuit I've been wanting from Dillards and decided it was being put to use immediately. Every bit of free time since that day has been spent in the water, getting my tan on (practice safe sun - wear sunscreen!!!!!), playing and relaxing. Night swimming is the best. Seriously.

4. Family and Friends
Holidays always mean time with family and friends, and this week was no exception. I am always reminded just how blessed I am to have such a loving family and great friends.
[caption id="attachment_1383" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Two of the most beautiful ladies I know - my Great Aunt Bettie and Grandma Nett. [/caption]

5. Flowers
Since I do have such great family and friends and I started a new adventure last week, I have received a few presents. On my first day, my parents and brothers sent me a pretty flower arrangement. And on Tuesday, my Trapaw and Grandma sent me a pretty plant! I felt so special and I love knowing they are thinking of me as I transition to this new role.



I'm also loving not being on an airplane/traveling long distances. What are some things you're loving this week?

#Merica

I love at sporting events (more accurately, OSU Football games) when everyone sings the National Anthem together prior to the start of the game. I always, without fail, regardless of who is singing, get chills when 'O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?' is sang. So no wonder Independence Day is my favorite holiday...well, that and the glitter in the sky (fireworks) and the day of pool time.

This year was the first in several years I haven't had to work on the Fourth, and although I have always got to watch fireworks while at work, I was glad to get to spend the day my way.

Clearly, the day started out with appropriate baking and nail painting.



Our family and friends came out to eat, and oh my, we were hooked up. From burgers, hot dogs, hot links and brats on the grill to all sorts of fruit and dessert, we had quite a spread. The peaches were from my grandparent's tree and the ice cream was deliciously brain-freeze inducing.


We also enjoyed quality pool time and the company of great people.




Of course, it's not the fourth unless the sky is raining glitter. Right after tweeting this two fireworks came straight for the crowd...clearly next year we will remember that we need real adults to supervise. This little black dot hit me in the head.



To finish the night, we swam until midnight. Which would have been awesome if I hadn't had to get up this morning for work...On second thought, it was awesome anyway.

America, thanks for the birthday party invitation.

Chicago Layover

Sorry I haven't really blogged (this was clearly a cop-out) since leaving you wondering if I would even make it to the airport thanks to my completely delirious state of mind.

Don't worry, I made it. But let me assure you, I could have spent another few hours sleeping in the hotel and been okay with it, except I wouldn't have got to experience St. Louis with the family (more on that later).

My first plane, from OKC to Chicago, was the tiniest thing ever. It was so lame that it didn't even have SkyMall.


I have never been one who just loved flying, but I figured it was time to suck it up and be a grown up. So I took seat 7A and attempted to make conversation with the gentleman next to me. At first I thought he was being rude and ignoring me... then I realized he was reading a book in Chinese (they read back to front - it blew my mind) and literally couldn't understand me. So he got a pass. Instead, I turned my attention to the safety manual (obvi, need to be prepared) until it was time to safely turn on my electronic devices, at which point I watched Leap Year on my wonderful iPad until we landed.

Like I said earlier, we had to exit on the ground and walk into the airport.



Once I finished running to keep up with everyone, I found a place to plug in my phone, thinking I would be there for thirty minutes, catch my plane, and be in St. Louis. Instead, this nice little area ended up being my home for the next 5-ish hours.

Take note: when you're bored in the airport that doesn't offer free WiFi (LAME) - just buy it for $7. Because if you don't, and you decide to just use your phone as a hot spot for your iPad for those hours, you will use 5GB of data and get a sad message from tMobile letting you know you've gone over your data usage limit (I used have an unlimited plan so I'm not sure how that can even happen) and your speeds will be greatly reduced for the rest of the billing cycle. And if you're like me, this will be the first day of the billing cycle. And then your internet will stink and you will want to cry because you're in a foreign (ish) city all alone with terrible internet. Anyway.

Like I said, I had a great experience at the hotel, despite the key issue. When I did finally get to my room, I was expecting a tiny room with two questionable looking beds and a sketchy bathroom. This is an airport hotel, people, the standards are pretty low. (I'm thinking of the one we stayed at in Arizona, when I was convinced I was going to wake up dead but I was brave anyway and slept by the window.) Surprisingly, this one was quite nice for the $119 I paid.




It even had two windows (one in each room)...of course, one view included the always-lovely McDonalds. Sick!!!



I did take a picture of me to see what I looked like when I finally got to the hotel...and I'm not sharing it. haha. It had been a long day, and all I wanted was a shower and a bed. So when I did get to bed, I turned on Food Network (I was not about to sleep in a big, empty, quiet hotel room alone.) and didn't move until 3:45am. Such great sleep. #not


Regardless, I got a cup of nasty coffee and made it to the airport by 4:30, caught my mostly-uneventful flight (minus a rude flight attendant.) and landed in St. Louis in time to eat breakfast at the hotel with my family. And that made it all worthwhile.

PS - Happy 4th of July - go celebrate freedom!