Recent Events...

Well over the last couple of months I really wanted to do better about getting on here and posting about all the things that Matt and I have enjoyed...I guess it helps if you don't forget your password! 

You see, Matt and I have our email accounts on our phones so we often check our email on them. We rarely get on the computer. It just so happens that Joe Shmoe from India tried to hack into our account and we had to change our password...thus we forgot what we changed it to so the saga continues! Obviously I have the issue fixed now...but that was just slightly frustrating...

Moving on...

Let's see what we missed...

Anniversary:

Matt sent me some beautiful flowers to work! Then a sweet couple from church who share our anniversary, took us to a wonderful Italian restaurant called Pete's Place. It is the neatest place. You sit at tables in rooms like you would have at your house. It is very intimate and very tasty! We really enjoyed our time there...minus the lamb fries I had...gross...I didn't know what they were...I cannot believe Matt let me try it. Moving on...

Christmas:

My sweet friend, Marley, sent me a surprise in the mail:

 She picked out something really fun! I loved every minute of it!! And I have had many compliments on it as well!! She will never know just how much she means to me...there are no words. She has always been the most caring, loving, thoughtful, generous, etc. person. God blessed my life by putting her in it.

Travel:

While gone...I found out that my friend, Hally, got robbed while back home in West Plains. It was awful. They stole all of her electronics...and then I got this text:

This text really does explain a lot about our friendship. I love this girl with all my heart. This is another friend that God just knew I needed in my life...forget friend...she's my sister...she's my family. She is stuck with me til the end of time! Just for everyone's curiosity. She did feel that it was her neighbor across the street from her...and well...turns out..it was. The smart guy went to a local store to sell the used dvds and thus began the red flag...see..my friend Hally wrote her name on ALL of her dvds...you get the picture. Anyway...it will be a long process...but keep her in your prayers. She is really wanting to sell her house...so please pray that process goes speedily and the means to get it ready is found! 

Now for the rest of Christmas break...

We started our Christmas Journey by dropping the puppies off in Arkansas and then heading the next morning to Kentucky! While there we:

1. Decorated the Tree!

 Graden would rather watch TV! (I don't blame him!)

We dressed up for Christmas Eve (day we see all the families):

 Aren't they so pretty??

Christmas Day, we got up and had breakfast and hung out at the farm!

I couldn't resist the pictures of my beautiful nieces and handsome nephew! Are they not the cutest?

Then...we stayed a day later than expected because of this:

Oh, Arkansas weather! It was fun getting to spend the extra time with the In-Laws! We don't get to see them as often as we do mine, so I was fine with the extra day! We had a lot of fun while there!

Then we headed to Arkansas after the roads were cleared:

We had Christmas that Thursday night...I love our little tree. It may seem silly but it's been around for so long now, I can't imagine a Christmas without that thing! Dad and I usually decorate it together...this year...I only had time to do the red garland...I think next year we will put it up the day after Thanksgiving so I can make that time that I cherish so much with my Daddy!

 Matt made Brookie rocking horse for Christmas...she loves it! (I helped...moral support counts, right?)

These are the shoes that I painted for my Mom. I made my sister a pair as well (I am sad I didn't get a picture of that. I made Megan a pair of OSU ones but failed on the picture for them too!).

Then Friday morning I woke up SICK! I felt awful! I stayed in bed all day and missed out on seeing my extended family. I miss them oh so much...but they understood. Aunt Sherry came to see me before I left Saturday morning so that made me happy that I got to see her! 

Then we headed back to Oklahoma:

without Brutus!

That was a hard thing for me to do! But we wanted to see if he really does want to live with my Mom and Dad. My Mom is Brutus' favorite person in the whole world! He follows her EVERYWHERE...no lie. I think Mom and Dad would be okay if they could keep him...we will come back to this in a minute!

 

We came back to Oklahoma, work started, thus the busyness of life began again. I managed to something crafty though. My new door hanger:

and my new shoes!

Then I received the sweetest gift in the mail from my friend, Stefanie. 

 And this was my face:

We have been through a lot together...stuff that I cannot imagine going through with another person. We are so different when it comes to emotions...she internalizes and  I so do not (refer to above photo!)....bless her heart having to deal with me! But she loves me anyway...and we understand each other in a way that no one else can. That is something I have always loved about our friendship. I have always said her family is my second family and I truly feel that way. God's gift to me in the 5th grade was a gift that would last a lifetime.

I am richly blessed with the best friends...God is SO good...ALL the time!

Onto other awesome things...

We just got back from Winterfest last weekend where we had a great time with the teens:

And then my parents came this past weekend to bring our sweet boy Brutus back to us:

Sydney was indifferent.

I think Brutus is happy though....singing with daddy!

We will see how long this lasts...he may love being with us...only time will tell!

Love You Mean It,