{Fantastic}Fonts - Week 2

This week's fonts are more along a handwriting theme, because after hours of looking at pretties like the ones below, I decided to go my own direction on my current project and create my own font - with my actual handwriting! I can't show the actual project I was working on right now since it was for my day job and isn't yet ready, but I will say, it's pretty cool to see my own handwriting being used in my designs! If you don't have the capability to do that exactly, check out some of the ones below.

jenna sue • throw my hands up in the air • ignite the light

just the way you are • always & forever

Week 1: Chalkboard Fonts

HBD MLD!

Happy birthday to my childhood best friend,

the brat who bit my arm open,

and the girl who stole half the show 22 years ago.

We've had our ups and downs, but I know without a doubt

I wouldn't be the same without you in my life.

How blessed I am to call you cousin!

So many of my favorite memories involve you,

and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Although you're only two years 20 months younger than me,

I'm proud of the incredible lady you've grown up to be. 

I love you Magie-D! Happy birthday!

Proof the die-hard OU fan Magan has been to an OSU game...and guys, she even clapped once.

Cara Box!

I stumbled across Kaitlyn's blog about a month ago - just in time to sign up for this cool thing she was calling a Cara Box. You sign up for the box, get paired with two lovely ladies, make two new friends by emailing and blog stalking (it's a thing, guys. totes approp, too.), send a gift and get a gift! I was to send a box to Sami, and I received a box from Stephanie! The boxes have themes each month, and this month was resolutions. I didn't have a bunch of resolutions, to be honest - I'm just not really much of a New Year's Resolution maker - but setting goals and striving to get better in various areas is always good, and Stephanie sent me a wonderful care package filled with awesome goodies!

Included with a sweet note in the Cara Box Stephanie sent me was a book - The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks. Lucky for me, because I was on the lookout for something new to read :) I've heard it's a great book and love all of Sparks' books I've read, so I can't wait to read this one! Steph also included a 10 minute workout - perfect for my time-crunched needs. And, since I always have my nails painted, she sent me some fantastic nail polish, that reminded me of a Barbie when I put it on immediately after opening :)

Stephanie also sent Molly bows! Molly has super short hair and has never got to wear a bow before (surprisingly, I know), but these bows are the absolute perfect size and Molly even left it in all evening. She has become a little averse to the camera, so I didn't get a very good picture, but you can see that she is definitely sporting an orange glittery bow in this picture!

Not only did I get some sweet goodies, but I got a new friends through this exchange :) I enjoyed getting to know Sami, who I sent a box to, so all of you be sure to stop over at her blog and see her adorable little baby B! And thank you again Stephanie for the awesome presents! Go visit Stephanie's blog and check out her snuggly pup Walter, too! Also, be sure to follow Kaitlyn's blog and sign up for next month's Cara Box exchange!

#girlsweekend

Caylee, Meg and I have been planning a girls weekend for like four months, and after counting down for what seemed like forever, it finally came! Caylee got to town Thursday and it was time for a fun time with two of my favorite people. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen these pictures, but for the rest of the world, here's a peek at our weekend.

I forgot to mention where Meg is in school. Though she's an OSU alumni, she's currently an OU Law student...so this weekend took place in Norman. Caylee and I took advantage of extra time on Friday to eat on Campus Corner so that we could get this picture - pistols firing & Pistol Pete with OU's campus in the background. Go Pokes!

Friday evening we decided to unleash our creative sides and paint a little! Of course, we had an example picture to go off of (thanks to the gallery section of painting classes!), but we all ended up with a bit of a different result. They also helped me with my office's new Snap Cup. 

 

Saturday was spent shopping at the Outlets, with a McAlister's Sweet Tea stop, of course. I found some fantastic shoes, and if anyone needs wants to buy me a present, I'll take a size six. 

Saturday night, we went to watch Nathan Burris play at Libby's. As always, it was great music. If you're a country music fan, be sure to check out his album, Oklahoma Sunrise! This is the night we also learned we're incapable of taking a normal picture in less than 30 attempts. 

And that, my friends, is what I call a great weekend with your girls. Plenty of laughter, shopping and fun. 

Friday Favorites

1. New U Nutrition {Herbalife}
I stopped by Monday at lunch for a shake & tea, and my comment on Facebook was "hello delicious." Seriously - I had a Reese's Cheesecake shake & a Raspberry Lemonade tea, and it was amazing. I will definitely be going back soon I've gone back every day this week. That good. Find a place that makes Herbalife shakes in your area and try one (this is east of Mustang across from Aaron's on the north side of highway 152, for my local friends). I've tried making the shakes myself and failed miserably, it just didn't taste the same...but their Cinnamon Toast Crunch tastes just like the cereal. I'm more than willing to spend $6 to get to drink a delicious, healthy shake every day.

2. My Birchbox eyeliner
I already talked about this one this week, but I've worn it every day and I appreciate it more each time I see that it's stayed put. That's all.

3. Girls Night
Aka tonight. Caylee is in town and we are staying at Meg's and having a blast. In fact, I wrote this yesterday because she's here right now and if I had to guess what we'll be doing today, it'll probably involve laughing at each other's hilarious stories and shopping for the Pinterest-y sort of night ahead. There's just something about having best friend time that makes my heart really, really happy.

4. Marley Lilly 

I ordered one of their Long Sleeved Monogrammed T-Shirts on Thursday and I already am planning when and where to wear it. My go-to outfit lately has been a long sleeve shirt, a long cami, skinny pants/leggings and Uggs. Within like 10 minutes of ordering, my shirt had started being processed. They're SO fast on creating and delivering things, so I'm quite certain I'll have it next week...meaning I'll be wearing it soon. #CantWait

5. Liquid Mucinex

I was definitely feeling a little sickly-ish earlier this week. I took off from work a little early and went to the doctor. While I won't get into the hot mess that was the doctor's visit, I will say the advice to get liquid Mucinex was probably the best thing to come out of it. Within two doses I started feeling better. You'd think my sinuses would eventually realize I live in Oklahoma and the weather will always be crazy, and they'd behave. #DreamOn

PS - have you entered Cassie's book giveaway yet? 

{Fantastic}Fonts

In my line of work I get to play with a lot of fonts. This means I spend a lot of time searching for the fonts to match whatever I'm designing just perfectly. In these searches, I come across many fonts I love but can't use for the project I'm working on, so I download and keep a document full of fonts to look at (pretty fonts make me almost as happy as glitter). Soooo all of that to say, I'm going to share a few of my favorites with you, and if you're lucky/if I remember, I'll make a habit to share favorite fonts regularly.

If you're on Pinterest, you probably have seen one or a million chalkboard signs floating around. I love Jessica's chalkboards (you've probably seen them on Pinterest) and she even has a tutorial on how to make a chalkboard like hers. My handwriting isn't nearly as perfect, therefore my kind of chalkboard is the kind I can make on a computer...thus the need for chalkboard-y fonts!

Fonts with download link:
Dora Smooch
Chalk Hand Lettering
for Winter
Orange Juice
appleberry
Wednesday

PS: Cassie is having a book giveaway on her blog. Go visit her and say hello for me, okay?

Birchbox Review: January 2013

As I've said many times before, I receive a lovely package of goodies every month called a Birchbox. For $10 a month, I get to same some really awesome products. Most of the time I like what I receive and occasionally I order full size products - like the lip gloss, curl cream and CC cream I fell in love with. Sometimes, that isn't quite the case. Regardless, it's a fun surprise every month and the fancy samples are always handy to have. If you'd like to sign up for Birchbox, click here. Take a look below to see what I received this month!

1. Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Birchbox description: 

Twiggy fans, rejoice: this London-based brand's liquid liners let you create mod looks in a flash. Rather than frustrating us with hard-to-control brush tips, they feature a pen-style applicator that's completely goofproof. Give your basic black a break and experiment with rich Olive or punchy Turquoise. They're guaranteed to make your eyes pop ... The precision pen tip allows you to control the thickness of the line you create and vary the intensity of your look. Plus, the fade-proof formula will hold up all day and night.

My thoughts:

Love at first...sight? My first impression of this lovely little stick was it didn't feel smear-y as I put it on, which was a definite plus. It lasted all day and stayed put exactly where I had intended it to! With regular stick eyeliner I find it likes to fade through the day, and other liquid eyeliners I've tried either were too runny or the "brush" part was a hard piece of foam that felt like it was poking my eye. This was the perfect black color and didn't go on too thick and make me look like I'd gone overboard. Needless to say, I definitely am buying this!

2. Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo

Birchbox description:
At the end of a long week we could all use a fresh start - the same goes for our hair. When product buildup and styling stress leave your locks feeling dull, use Number 4 Hair Care Clarifying Shampoo, subtly scented with white freesia, golden amber, and warm musk, to gently cleanse without stripping moisture or color.
My thoughts:
One word: ick. By 2:00 I was searching for a ponytail holder because I couldn't stand the feeling of my hair. It just felt gross, dry and kind of stringy. It looked fine, but I didn't like the way it felt. I definitely won't be purchasing it in the future, but I have about half the sample bottle left if anyone in my area would like to try it - several others said they liked it when I read the reviews (many mentioned they had short hair, so maybe that's what the deal is - mine is long).

3. Aerie Shimmer perfume

Birchbox description:

For its latest fragrance venture, Aerie set out to create a non-cloying scent that's equal parts delicate and warm ... The crisp scent combines sweet vanilla with a lovely peony and citrusy bergamot ... This enchanting scent is a blend of bergamot, peony, and a subtle hint of vanilla. According to designer Keith Flore, the glass bottle is inspired by the look of messages you can read through frosted windows. 

My thoughts:

It smelled like something my little brother's 15-year-old friends would wear, and I don't mean that in a bad way at all. It definitely smelled good, but just reminded me of something you'd smell in the halls of a high school, not on someone who's been out of college for two years. Looking through the reviews, several others felt the same way. In fact, I'm thinking this particular sample will be going to one of my brother's friends. 

4. Caudalie Vinexpert Radiance Day Cream SPF 15

Birchbox description:

Free of parabens, sulfates, and petrochemicals, this SPF-infused cream contains viniferine, a compound extracted from the grapevine that's been proven to help even out skin tone. In addition to fading scars and age spots, it helps boost skin's overall luminosity over time. Papaya enzyme and mango butter keep skin glowing as you go about your day.

My thoughts:

Okay, this stuff is pricey, so I get that Birchbox wasn't going to send much of a sample. But, if it is supposed to do something "over time," give enough to at least get more than two days use out of it. It also had a funky grape cough syrup smell to it that I didn't like. Overall I really wasn't that impressed. 

Weekend{in pictures}

Thursday: Momma Jo's birthday

Friday: Panther basketball (no pictures, I was helping mom with stats), Thunder basketball, Pug Snuggles with Molly Jo. She decided overtime is for the birds, in case you were wondering about her sweet expression. Take note, OKC Thunder.    

Saturday: Kale's basketball, play time with Pailynn, date night with Matt & his pup Thabo.

Sunday: Daddy's birthday, live streaming church service, and ending the weekend by painting Juicey Lucy's fingernails.

Yeah, it was a pretty good one. :)

Follow along for Instagram pictures.

Thank Goodness for an Assistant Coach!

Remember that time I talked about my fantasy football draft? And then I gave a mini update saying they weren't doing very good? And then I posted one more update saying I was doing very terrible and never spoke of my team again?

Well, I'm going to update one more time because even though I was in 8th place going into the last night of the season, I somehow managed to save myself and not lose I gained an assistant coach, aka my boyfriend Matt, halfway through the season who saved the day and helped me move up two spots!

While I might not have drafted well, I have no regrets of drafting #Weeden2Blackmon even if they didn't get to stay on my roster long after my Assistant Coach started helping - something about they weren't scoring and keeping them in my starting lineup was causing me to lose.

In the end, my team didn't look much like the one I drafted to start off with, but I did get 125.32 points in the final game...quite a change from the 64.02 I started the season off with. I've already told Matt I plan to do much better next year, especially now that I know about things like the waiver wire (yeah, he taught me about that somewhere around week 9, and my points went up drastically).

Brandon & Justin, you're still my favorite fantasy picks, even if you were a slight mistake. Just be understanding if I don't pick you next year, please. Matt told me it isn't allowed.

PS: Congrats to my Matt on winning your league :) {sorry I cropped your face out.}

Only 221 days until college football, aka my favorite. Go Pokes!

You stay classy, bloggy friends.

Friday, Friday, Friday. You, my friend, are, as always, a very welcome day of the week. I have high hopes the two days after you will be awesome. But even though i'm so excited to see you, I did like a few things about the week.

1. My Birchbox came in!!
After Tweeting about my shipment notification and being jealous that Lori got hers in before I did, I came home Thursday night to a glorious hot pink box sitting on the counter with my name on it.
{This is the part most people would insert a picture of their excitement...except I forgot to take one. Don't worry, you'll get a product review of the stuff inside my box - soon!}
Would you like to receive a box full of beautiful presents every month? Sign up here!

2. I finally got to experience Anchorman "in all its glory!"
As the movie started, I might have said "Oh, this is that Ron Burgundy movie!" I'm really trying to work on my "I've seen that movie" collection, and considering so many sayings I hear frequently came from this movie, I think this was a pretty good place to start! I'm no longer "that girl who's never seen Anchorman!" Hooray!

3. Today means it's only 7 days until I get to spend a whole day off hanging out with Caylee (&Meg)!!
I can't even begin to say how excited I am about this. Craft night and best friend time - I've been looking forward to this for months since Caylee first made plans to come up for the weekend. I miiiiight even have a countdown going on. #NotEvenKidding

4. Getting up on time.
I've done a really good job of it this week. Typically I'm dragging myself out of bed at the very last second, but I've actually been waking up earlier all week!

5. Glasses!!
My job requires a lot of face time with the computer. Scratch that, my job is being in front of the computer. While I love, love, love my job - I mean, who wouldn't love drawing pretty pictures and doing cool stuff with code and getting paid to be a social media ninja - my eyes sometimes don't love my job. I made a visit to the doctor this week after having headaches and eye strain and only feeling like working if my computer screen was completely dim and my lights were off - you know, being a cave woman - and the eye doctor is getting me glasses to fix the eye strain! Most of the time after having LASIK no one would be jumping for joy at glasses, but considering I put my eyes through a lot, I'm trying to be nice to them, so reading glasses it is. Plus, they're super cute, so that's a plus.

Happy weekend, blog friends! Hope it's a great one for you :)

Bad Lip Reading: NFL Edition

These Bad Lip Reading videos are hilarious - the Hunger Games one made me laugh, and the Twilight one made scenes from the movie actually watchable...well I still don't like Twilight. But when a link to the following video was the first text I saw this morning, it absolutely made my day by starting it with laughter (thanks, Matt!). So...enjoy!

 

Now we know what really happens on the sidelines when a coach whines to the refs. Just give him the cake already!

This is why I love {Fake} T.Boone

Now, I'm a fan of Ford, as in the trucks, but @Fake_TBoone hit the nail on the head when it comes to Ford, as in the coach. #NoMoreYears

I don't keep up with basketball as much, but I do know most Ford owners upgrade what they have after a few years.
— Fake Boone Pickens (@Fake_TBoone) January 14, 2013

If only...  #wishfulthinking

Saturday night

I had the opportunity to take a mini road trip Saturday night, and let me tell you, I couldn't have asked for better or more fun passengers. The AmPo girls were in the finals of the Hinton basketball tournament, so, along with my brothers and two of their friends, I headed out to watch them, just minutes after returning from watching Kaden's team beat Harding Prep.

I feel like most teenage boys wouldn't want big sister hanging out, but the whole way over we jammed to music and I pretended to not be there as they talked girls and "text bombs." Only once at the game did Kaden request I relocate to anywhere else in the gym, but then they realized I had money and they wanted food, so I was allowed to stay a few seats away :) Also, the four of them had the best manners - no tooting or burping in my face, so that was a win!!

While driving home and thinking about the fun evening we had, I couldn't help but realize that my baby brothers are no longer little boys! I wanted to squeeze every last second out of the night and capture every minute of the great night we'd had (even if I was kind of an onlooker...I understand what I put my parents through now - thanks mom and dad!!). I then looked over and saw Kale was very asleep and glanced back to see Kaden jamming with his Beats on his ears, so it was clear no more adventures were in store for the night :) I'm sure in a few days they won't even remember how much we (okay, I) enjoyed the evening, but this is a memory I will carry with me. They let me be a part of their lives, in on the jokes and laughter, and not just be their sister, but be a friend to them for the night. I prayed for so long when I was a little girl to have little brothers, and I was given the best two God could design.

Kaden and Kale, I am proud of you every single day. I am thankful for you, and being your sister - and your friend - is the best title I have ever been given. While I want you both to stay little forever, because let's face it you getting old means I'm getting old, watching you grow up is so exciting. You are chasing dreams and reaching goals and being awesome. I hope you both know how much I love you.
-Sis

Slow Cooker Sweet BBQ Meatballs - Easy Recipe!

For Christmas Eve, my Aunt Pam made delicious Sweet BBQ Meatballs. I loved them and set out on a mission to find the recipe (you know, because asking for it was too easy). Thanks to Pinterest I found it and decided it looked so easy I could do it!

The recipe from Food.com called for
1 32oz. bag of frozen meatballs
1 9oz jar of grape jelly
1 18oz bottle of spicy barbecue sauce (I used regular BBQ sauce instead of spicy, because I don't like things to be too spicy, and it worked perfectly.)

Clearly I took a picture of all my ingredients. #not But I found them all at Walmart easily. I could only find a 12oz jar of jelly, so I just didn't use all of it, and I couldn't find a 32 oz. bag of meatballs - I used 26oz. It's okay, they will just be extra saucy. Also, if it's available, use Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce. It's the best, I promise.

Oh, you'll also need a slow cooker/Crock Pot. I bought a cute one at Walmart yesterday for $20!

Put the BBQ sauce and jelly in the crock pot and mix them up, then dump your meatballs in. Set the slow cooker on high and your timer for two and a half hours. Then grab a toothpick and stick it in a meatball to sample. Savor the taste. Share with everyone around you. Done! :) 

Note: this filled up the slow cooker about 1/3 or so of the way. you can definitely double/triple if you're serving more people, like if you're tailgating or something! Happy eating!

weekend{rewind}

Happy National Championship and Countdown to the 2013 Season Day! Only 236 days until the Oklahoma State University Cowboys will take the field in Houston, TX at Reliant Stadium against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Not that I'm counting down and planning my outfit already or anything... 

Friday after work I stopped at Ulta to pick up new mascara after thinking my eyes were going to be scratched out of my face from being so allergic to the cheap-o stuff I'd purchased a few days before.

I got the ck one mascara in black and so far it's not bothering my eyes at all or flaking off. #winning. While I was there, I picked up Baby Lips Peach Kiss because my lips have been super dry. Another winner. Try it if you haven't yet.

Momma and I met at the Pink House (aka Royal Nails, for you Tuttle-ites who Google for the phone number and can't find a listing for the Pink House anywhere...don't worry it only took me almost two years to figure this out) for pedicures. I was so excited, because I hadn't had one in forever. While the little feet water basins were filling, they asked if we wanted manicures as well. After just a bit of prodding, mom and I agreed. I've never had a gel manicure before - when I went to Le for, like, ever, I did acrylics (even when I had a full arm cast and he had to paint my "thumb" right onto the cast itself!) then I stopped going at all because no one was as awesome as Le, so I just painted my nails myself and increased my Essie collection! Anyway, mom said my aunt gets gel nails, and since we remembered hers looking great, mom and I decided to try it out. 

Definitely worth it. Definitely going to be getting it again. Hopefully next time I need my nails done assuming I have time when these wear off. I told mom "I think I'll go out on a limb and not get the brightest pink they have this time." Ha. I ended up with the brightest pink they had, of course. On the gel: no dry time, no air bubbles, they haven't gotten scratchy or chippy yet (I know, it's only been a few days, but I typically have to repaint my nails every 3 days or so) and they are SO shiny!! They have matching regular paint too so my toes match, which is always a plus.

They remind me of Barbie doll color. Love!
I didn't intentionally show off my rewards cards & flash drive for this picture.
I just wanted a picture of my nails right away to see how long they stay looking perfect :)

Saturday I had to run to the Apple store to replace my cracked iPhone 5 screen. Word to the wise: make sure you buy Apple Care with your iPhone 5. They can't replace the screen in store and every non-Apple place I found on Google was at least $300. Instead, they just give you a new phone. Cool deal. For $229. Not cool deal. Thankfully the sales person was super nice and told me about Apple Care (I had no idea I needed it before), so for only $49, I'm protected for the next two years against a broken-in-any-way iPhone and can get repairs for $49 instead of $229. Knowing myself well, I decided it was a wise investment. With any luck, I won't need it.

Saturday night I was treated to a fancy pants night at the Warren Theatre. We went to see Django Unchained in the Director's Suite. Boys, take note: this is the way to take a girl to the movies if you want it to be a really awesome night! I was told to bring my ID (you have to be 21 to be in the Director's Suite) but I thought it was just a joke, so I wouldn't get ID for being a teenager (We went to Remington Park once and I forgot my ID and they didn't let us in because I didn't look 18. I was 22).

Anyway, the Director's Suite is so wonderful, with fluffy heated recliners that were so big I basically curled up into a ball for the whole movie. Oh, the movie was fabulous too. I'm not a bloody movie type of girl, and was told we were seeing either Django or the Hobbit. Simply because of my bloody movie fear (slash induced nausea at the sight) I secretly hoped it was going to be the Hobbit, but was happy to go along with whichever, since I'd heard Django was supposed to be good. It was awesome and definitely I'm glad we saw that over the Hobbit! If you are at all into good movies, go see it! In case you haven't guessed, I had an amazing time and a fantastic Saturday evening :)

Sunday was a day of relaxing, basketball and football. Thankfully the Thunder won again - I never get tired of seeing Nick Collison on TV and the post game interview featured my #CelebrityCrush.

I know, I know. Long weekend update. It was a good weekend though, and I didn't even have to mention anything about OU losing their bowl game. #oops :) Happy Monday, friends!

A blog award? Oh, hooray!!

The lovely Stephanie from Life, Actually nominated me for the Leibster award! How presh. Thank you Stephanie!! Friends, be sure to go follow her blog and the tales of her cute little pup, Walter!

The award does come with a few rules, as follows:

List 11 facts about yourself.

Answer the questions given to you.

Create new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.

Choose bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.

Go to each blogger's page and let her know about the award.

Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

My facts:

I love having long hair but hate how long it takes to dry. I want 'mermaid hair' though, so it'll keep growing!

My favorite colors are orange, pink and glitter/sparkle.

I must have my nails painted all the time. I feel really awkward without them painted.

I was hit by a truck one time. Don't worry, I survived. 

The pink bow emoji is one of my favorites. #iPhoneLove

Chicken is my favorite thing to eat.

Leggings are my favorite thing to wear.

I drive an orange Jeep Wrangler. 

I have two little brothers who are really awesome. 

I get paid to Facebook, Tweet & Instagram. My job has more to it than that, of course, but hey, it's cool.

I love buying and wearing pretty shoes, but I always take off my shoes to be barefoot as soon as it's acceptable.

My answers to Stephanie's questions:

What is your favorite TV show? 

Currently, I'm loving New Girl. I enjoy Hulu+ so that could change when I discover something else I can watch quickly from beginning to end :) Of course, I'm also a big fan of SportsCenter and my DirecTV only knows channels like ESPN.

Do you have a degree & what was your major? 

Yes - I graduated from Oklahoma State University in December 2010 (has it really been two years!?) with a B.S. in agricultural communications. 

Do you have any pets & what kind?

I have a pug, Molly Jo. She's super cute :) 

Favorite drink.

I seriously, seriously, seriously love diet coke. With vanilla. From sonic. Not that I'm picky or anything. In second place is sweet tea. 

Favorite hobby.

I enjoy watching OSU football and OSU, Thunder & Panther basketball games. Shopping is fun, too - especially online for anything monogrammed. Hello, Marley Lilly. 

Married w/children?

Nope, to both. 

Favorite night out or in?

I love OKC Thunder games! Going to the game or watching at home is always a fun night!

What's your job?

I am the eCommunications Manager at a nonprofit in Oklahoma City. It's amazing. I love it.

What type of books do you like to read?

I like reading a wide variety of books, thanks to the Kindle on my iPad, I make it through them frequently... currently waiting on me is the Hunger Games trilogy - I saw the first movie and decided I had to read the books, since books are always better than the movies. 

Favorite 2012 memory?

2012 was a pretty awesome year. I really can't pick just one - I spent time with great friends, watched the Cowboys win in the Fiesta Bowl, helped Lori welcome Baby Tate into the world, watched my middle brother play his first varsity basketball game, had my tweet on the Lamar Billboard a couple of times, spent time lounging by the pool, got an incredible job, and went to OKC Thunder games. See? There are too many to pick just one awesome thing. 

What do you like to do when you go out with the girls? 

Anything! Only one of my best girls lives anywhere close, so I do a lot of iMessaging. When we see each other in person, it doesn't matter what we do, because there is a lot of laughter guaranteed - and that, my friends, is the best part. 

My nominees:

Brenna, aka The Frilly Farm Girl

Cassie, who is Always a Blogsmaid, Never a Blogger

Stephanie, from Stilettos & Spurs

Veronica, from Passion, Pink & Pearls

Stephanie, from Life, Actually (who might not do it, since she gave me this award, but I'm giving it back and she's awesome so go check her out. Dealio?)

Sami, who is Forever & Always a Sailor's Girl

Rachel, from Along the Way with Rae

Fran, who is Being Fran(k) 

Tiffany, who is Figuring Out the Plot (I'm cheating here because she has more than 200, but still.)

My questions for them:

Who are three people you'd like to have a one-hour conversation with?

What makes your favorite school/team better than the rest?

What's your favorite way to relax? 

Do you wear jewelry? If so, what are things you must wear every day?

Heels or flats, or other? If other, explain :)

What do you do for work, or, if you're still in school, what are you studying/going to be "when you grow up"?

What is your favorite movie? Why should I see it? (I'm trying to expand my horizons here, ya'll)

Where is your favorite place to eat, and what do you order?

Have you ever broken a bone? If so, which one(s)?

What was your favorite toy as a child?

Do you have any pets? What kind? 

First Friday of 2013!

High 5, Friday! 2013 is already shaping up to be a great year, and to prove this point, I'd like to share a few awesome things from the week.

1 & 2. New Year's Eve & New Year's Day
Hello great days. You, NYE2012, were not a typical Monday. You brought sleeping in, buying a memory foam mattress topper, an afternoon with my Little, an OKC Thunder game (and win!) AND walking around Bricktown! New Years Day, among other awesome things, brought the first Cowboy win of 2013. I'd say we're starting this year off right, you think? No joke, NYE and NYD (can I do that?), you two days are definite winners in my book. High. Five.

3. Sleeping

Alright, we all love sleep, I know. But like I said, I got a memory foam mattress topper on NYE, and to make it even better, I got it for cheap. Thanks to an incredible sale at Kohl's and the Kohl's Cash my mom gave me, I literally paid just over $5 for the most wonderful thing I've ever slept on. Regardless of how late I got home on NYE night, I was determined to put it on my bed. And oh my goodness I am so glad I did. I've probably thanked my mom at least eight times for giving me the Kohl's Cash to help buy the heavenly cloud-like surface I'm sleeping on, but I mean when I say it is amazing. Mom also had a new pillow that she gave to me, which is the perfect combination of fluffy and firm. I've seriously been having the best nights of sleep EVER for the last four nights. When you add on the footie pajamas I got for Christmas, sleep couldn't get much better.

Yes, that is my sideways foot that only goes to the beginning of the fox's eye.

4. The conversation I had with my Big on Thursday. 

It went from bragging on my social media skills to her calling me out on missing some very important/interesting news that I should have easily known well before our conversation had I actually been my social media ninja self lately. No worries, I'm stepping up my game. This made the high five list because the best conversations we have are typically hilarious and out of nowhere, and I'm so thankful for people like Caylee :)

5. Tate "saying" Go Pokes, much to his Sooner Mommy's dismay :) 

Lori & Tate came to watch Kaden play basketball against Minco Thursday night, and Auntie Shae had to teach him new tricks. We are also working on "Go Panthers!" and the Lori-approved "Go Kaden!"

Bonus: I've actually blogged multiple times this week. Guys, we might be onto something. Go 2013! :)

PS - happy ORANGE FRIDAY! #duh.

Oklahoma/Chevron iPhone Background

I (clearly) love Oklahoma{State} so it's only natural Siri (aka my iPhone...original, I know) would want to wear a cute  chevron pattern with a giant orange Oklahoma in the middle! If you'd like your phone to wear these too, just save to your phone and use as background image. If you'd like another color combination (or for a different phone), just let me know by emailing shaeken@me.com!

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