The sweetest story I've read lately.

My heart melted when I read this story. Also, I recommend reading it with a Kleenex nearby.

Oklahoma State’s Bassett, first-grader Taylor Brandt a perfect match

Stock show season?

Guys, I guess it really is stock show season - not fall, autumn, or as I call it, football season. How do I know this? Well, every day, the search results on my little blog increase for one song - Livestock Show (because of this post from earlier this year) - and one very disturbing search term. I'm assuming these searches are coming from some ag students needing music for the drive to Tulsa in a few weeks and/or they're practicing judging. At least that's what I'm pretending. Anyway, on to more fun.

This weekend was a blast. Friday night I had dinner with one of my sweet g-littles in Norman. She happened to be an athletic trainer for the football team last year and got a little bling when the Cowboys won the Big 12. She brought it along to dinner and I had the honor of trying this monster of a ring on!


I also had a slumber party with one of my favorite tiny humans, Pailynn! We ate the inside of an Oreo, played with toys and watched the Rangers. I love that she is starting to figure out how to say my name - "Ae" is a perfectly acceptable form of "Shae!"


Saturday, Catie and I watched the 6A state cheer competition and went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Just after ordering our cokes, we were creeped on by a man old enough to be our dad. He and his group had left the table, and after it was cleaned off and we were seated, he returned, making a scene about them clearing his table while he was in the restroom. He sat down and demanded another drink to replace the one they supposedly took away. Meanwhile, his coworkers were supposedly in the car waiting on him. After about five minutes, they too showed up, and thankfully they were much nicer than their "pal" (and very obviously didn't want to be hanging out with him - awkward...). Finally, several outlandish stories later, he left, much to our relief! No pictures to document this evening, as I left my phone at home - sorry! Just believe me, it was a very awkward adventure.

The whole reason I was in Stillwater this weekend was for an event for work! It ended up being a great time and I had so much fun with coworkers, even though I was beyond exhausted by the time it was over. I love my job so much that the tiredness and the wind that made my hair gross didn't even really matter, though I will say, my bed never has looked so inviting. :)

Kaden and Kale's sister

15 years ago, I became a big sister. Kaden Lee Kennedy was born on our Great-Grandma Sparks' birthday, September 23, and three years and one day later, Kale Joe Kennedy was born, on September 24.

Kaden and Kale, my life changed so much with each of you. I was no longer the only child, and let me tell you, that was a bit of a shock ;) More importantly, God answered the prayer I had longed to have answered since I was a little bitty girl. I wanted to be a sister so badly. I still remember the excitement I felt when I found out each of you were on the way.

I want every day to be the best sister, friend, mentor and example I can be. I pray you will both continue to seek God's will for your lives and draw near to him. You are both incredible and talented guys. You have so much potential and I know you will reach all your goals. I am so proud of you. Thank you for giving me the title of "Kaden and Kale's sister" - I haven't had a better job title :)

I love you, Kaden Lee and Kale Joe. Happy birthday!!!!

[slideshow]

Friday's Faves

Happy Friday! I am so looking forward to this weekend. It brings time with Pailynn & the Voegeli fam, a trip to Stillwater, time with friends and what should be a fun event for my job! It also brings the birthdays of two of my favorite guys (my brothers), remembering my Great-Grandma Sparks on what would have been her 95th birthday, and the last weekend before basketball rules our house for several months! I am dreading a weekend without Cowboy football, but it might be nice not to have one more thing packed into an already busy weekend (though I am more than ready to see the Pokes in action again!). Anyway, I wanted to quickly share a few of my favorite things this week before bidding you adieu for the time being.

1. I downloaded iOS6 to my iPad and Siri is cracking me up. I can't wait for my iPhone (which you are supposed to help me dress, btw) to be even more entertained, but here's a sample of the fun we're having already:

Also, Siri calls me Princess.

2. I asked Siri to play some music, and she played Good Night for Dancing. I forgot how much I love this song, and it quickly made its way back into my heart, deserving a spot on my Friday's faves. Well done, Siri.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlo9UGT4esk?rel=0]

3. I love this verse, so much.


4. I feel naked if I don't have my nails painted. Thanks to Essie's No Chips Ahead, my nail polish has been much less chippy lately, which makes me super happy. It's the little things, ya'll.


Sorry I'm ending on four. That just seems awkward, because people don't have top four lists, they have top three or five or ten, but I really don't have anything else to add other than the one thing that I want to be doing more than anything in the next few months:

5. SNOW SKIING! I just love the snow, the cold, the fun.

Ahem, momma jo. Make it happen. Please. :)

Decisions

If you'll remember, I took the plunge a few months ago and bought an iPad and I have openly admitted my love for MacBooks and my need desire to buy one soon. Apple fanboys/girls, you will all be happy to know I also ordered the iPhone 5 on Monday. So, in my long wait to get my phone, I of course have to decide how I will dress said phone. I this decision, I have been met with a problem: there are SO MANY cute cases!!!! So, I need some help. Below you will see a few of the front runners the millions of cases that are all tied for the top few spots. I do have an idea of which one I want to order, but I need confirmation, because I have received conflicting opinions from trusted advisors, aka my besties.

1. Leopard


2. Chevron


3. Mint chevron


4. Aqua damask


5. Dot monogram


6. Casemate cheetah stripe


7. Orange lightning


8. Dark flower


9. Otterbox Commuter


10. Monogram Whale


11. Vineyard Vines


12. Candy shell


13. Smart Flex with card holder


14. Kate Spade Harrison Stripe


15. Casemate monogram stripe


Do you see why I am having such a hard time deciding??? Now. Give me your opinions. Top three if possible, because I can't decide and I can't buy them all unfortunately. Thanks ahead of time for the help, my friends.

A pomped up weekend.

I love weekends, but I seriously have a love for weekends with any second spent in Stillwater. This weekend was a Cowboy home game, so of course that meant a whole weekend in my favorite place.

As I arrived in Stillwater, I was informed "brinner" was on the menu. I helped make it and no one was poisoned! Although, my version of French toast apparently could use some work - I didn't realize it wasn't supposed to be squished. But hey, it was eaten, slightly burnt pieces and all. I'm learning!


After dinner I headed to the ATO house to check out the hard work Phi Lamb is putting in this year! I loved getting a sneak peek and getting to relive college days by savoring the sweet smell of pomps and glue!! As much as I love the Toy Story house dec from the year James and I slaved over homecoming almost died from homecoming were the Phi Lamb & Delt directors, this year's dec might be as awesome. I can't wait to see the finished product at Walkaround (although you can bet I will have to pop in to see progress before then!). I love homecoming and every single thing that comes along with it...other than the reminder that I'm old. #wahh.


Saturday's game was an 11:00 kick off, so Caylee, Meg, Brooke and I tablegated at Aspen before the game :) Bagels, friends and football weather made for a perfect morning.




Of course, Wes Lunt's knee and all the other injuries OSU had to overcome made me think we should buy some bubble wrap and just keep the team protected at all times.

Before leaving town on Sunday for Pailynn and Trapaw's birthday parties, I had to stop at the barn for my third barn coke of the weekend. Oops.

Tate teaches me a lesson

You guys remember Tate, right?






I hadn't visited him in almost two weeks, so when his mommy asked me to come over last night, I happily agreed.

Apparently Tate missed me and wanted to tell me his thoughts on my long absence:






me: "Lori...something feels warm, and wet..."
...
lori: "You're going to blog about this, right?" #DuhTwin

Baby Tate, you are lucky I love your tooty little booty! Thank you for the reminder that I should come over more often, I won't forget any time soon.

Love,
Auntie Shae

Fantasy Football: week 1

I don't have many comments on my fantasy team this week because there isn't much positive to say yet... Other than thankfully, I am used to cheering for a team that is just on the edge of being awesome. You know, a team that has a lot of potential and some fantastic players but nothing seems to go perfect and you just have week after week of not quite enough.

Alright, if you're in my fantasy league, you're laughing. Why? Because I am a far cry from not quite enough... My team stunk this week! It was terrible. One of my players scored less than a point. #notokay

However, we are only one week in so I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel yet. But, for you fantasy smarties, at what point in the season do I panic and need to make some changes?

Also, does it help to wear team colors to cheer on your fantasy team? If so, I may end up looking like a hot mess.

Weekend {flashback}

You know those weekends that are completely gorgeous yet you end up hibernating all. weekend. long? Welcome to my weekend, because that is exactly what happened, thanks to a dumb sinus infection.

Friday night I met my parents and brothers for dinner on the way home from work, and I am pretty sure there is a good chance I was in bed by 9pm. Thankfully it was an away game for my beloved Cowboys (more on them later) because missing a game just isn't an option, so I have had all weekend to rest up. Saturday there is a high likelihood I slept until 10am. Okay, I won't lie. I did sleep until 10am. That's 13 hours of sleep that theoretically should have made me feel better, right? No! What kind of joke is this?

I woke up to decent-ish news though, because overnight a deal had been arranged between the PAC12 network and Dish Network to show the OSU game. After a minute of panic over having Directv, I remembered my grandparents do have Dish, and though they were out of town, I decided they were going to be hosting me for the night (thanks Ganddad and Grandma!!).

If you watched the game, you will know why I am completely okay with the fact that I fell asleep before halftime. It was just sad and nothing could go right it seemed. Very, very unfortunate. For more thoughts from someone who actually talks about sports for real, visit PFB. Although it was a sad loss, I stand behind the Cowboys and know they can and will improve as the season goes on. I am proud to wear orange!



Speaking of orange, I have a few former Cowboys on my fantasy team! I'm not entirely sure how well I actually am doing this week, but when my last game is played I will be sure to update. I do know Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, unfortunately, did not score me many points today.

Of course, there was a little more to my weekend than football and sleeping. I needed to buy presents, so, during all the downtime I had, I turned to my iPad for some online shopping. During my online shopping, I decided to buy a slipcover for my couch so I can use the cute pillows I recently bought and make everything in there match a little more. I realized after picking out the cover that I just needed to spend $8 to get free shipping. Note to self: don't waste time looking for something to save on shipping if you will end up spending more in tax + items than shipping! Of course, I got distracted in my looking and had a little bit of a childhood flashback. Thankfully, modern technology exists & my dear Caylee was able to experience this flashback with me via text. High points included below.


S: "So Target sells scrunchies."
C: "dislike they need to discontinue those"
S: "yeah. Who even buys them?" (I tell Caylee about my $8 problem and continue to get lost in the target website)
C: "lol normally you're pretty good at spending money at target."


S: "also furbys are coming back."
C: "WHAT I hate those things they are freaky."
S: "yeah CREEPY. Target's ad says to brush up on your furbish."
C: "hopefully they won't catch on."

Parents: no matter how much your tiny humans say they want a Furby, don't buy them one. They are creepy and weird and don't serve any kind of purpose whatsoever other than to be annoying and scare people. Just don't do it. Please.

PS thank you mom for making me mashed potatoes every day since I've been sick. You are the best. Even if you did buy me a Furby as a child.

Life lately {according to instagram}

Are you following me on Instagram? You should be :) Leave your IG name in the comments so I can be sure to follow you too!






1 - Cowboy football started!!!!!
2 - it's Hunger Action Month - get involved! I took my lunch every day I worked this week as suggested on 9/3.
3 - Julie wanted a pedicure, manicure, hair style day AND to practice writing. Tuesday was eventful, to say the least.
4 - I ordered this AWESOME orange purse from Marley Lilly and it came in this week! I cannot WAIT to use it at OSU games. It is too perfectly cute. #TheMonogrammedLife
5. Daddy let me drive his truck Wednesday :) always awesome.
6. I also woke up sick on Wednesday :( not awesome.
7. I stayed home sick Thursday :( not awesome again, though the Thirty-One bag that conveniently stored all my needs is pretty awesome.

{Current Favorites}

Being home sick today gave me time to lay in bed. After doing actual work from 8-5 (hooray for remote log in!) I had inspiration to continue doing a little work. Sometimes work comes in the form of designing things (like those matchy-matchy heart shaped social buttons in the sidebar. I'm still working on the rest of the sidebar!), sometimes it comes in the form of designing websites (like I did this evening too) and sometimes it means working on relaxing - in the form of Pinterest and talking with friends (even if you barely have a voice).

Since Pinterest made it into my evening (duh), I thought I'd share some current favorite Pinterest finds.

Words:


Present that will likely be given soon:

Source: purdypersonalized.blogspot.com via Shae on Pinterest

 

Hairstyle that needs to be on my head:

Source: imgfave.com via Shae on Pinterest

 

(PS I forgot to tell you all - I have dark hair again!)

Thing I wish everyone would get behind:

Source: gsfb.org via Shae on Pinterest

 

Outfit that needs to be in my wardrobe:

Source: h-awkings.tumblr.com via Shae on Pinterest

 

Favorite new shoes:

Source: sperrytopsider.com via Shae on Pinterest

 

(PS Thanks for the help picking them out Laine!)

Blog you must have bookmarked (hello, it's football season!)

Source: pistolsfiringblog.com via Shae on Pinterest

#FavoriteChild

My new job (can I still call it new almost three months later? good.) means my dad and I work just a few miles apart and he gets the honor of driving to work with me a few times a week. Unfortunately, dad's job sometimes means staying late, as we had to yesterday. Not a big deal, since I needed to make a HobLob stop on my way. Since he wasn't quite ready to go when I got there, I got to visit his office!

Let me tell you. His office is something to aspire to*. Not only is it giant, but it includes a nice chess set in one corner AND a putting green. The best part? It is practically dedicated to my awesomeness.

; ;
; ;

In addition to all the pictures, Daddy's office contains no less than three crafts made by yours truly (and if he doesn't watch it he'll end up with more!).

Dad, thank you for all the hard work you have put in over the years to provide for our family. God has truly blessed us.

*If you want all the work that comes along with it. Ehhhhh.