The Big House

Like I mentioned in my last post, this weekend was the small school state basketball tournament.  Most people do not understand this, but this is something that I was raised to attend yearly.  It's such a fun environment that I don't think you can really understand unless you've been at a small school.  The entire town comes out to cheer for their local team, and the support is just so different than what I have observed in a big school environment.  This year was no different.  I didn't even know anyone that I got to watch, but had such a great time!  I just love watching the kids live out their dreams.and seeing all their hard work become worth it.  I got to reunite with some old friends and see some really good games.  Gotta love the Big House!

The downside of the weekend is that the weather is getting nicer in Oklahoma, meaning the seasonal allergies have taken over my life.  I didn't feel great at all.  My dad was also sick, and we spent the first night they were here up with our three dogs.  They were all so hyped up, and we did not get much sleep at all.  But they were much better the next night once they got used to each other. 

And I usually don't plan to attend the big school state tournament, but hubby's alma mater, the mighty Watonga Eagles, have had an outstanding year.  They are actually still undefeated.  I hope they take the gold, which will mean another trip to the Big House!

Random Thoughts

It has been awhile since I posted something on here.  And since I've told a few people about my blog and might have 2 followers, I should probably update you guys!

We had another earthquake in Oklahoma yesterday in some town I've never heard of.  It was a 4.4.  I still didn't feel it.  I don't know what time it was at, but I'm wondering if something is wrong with me.  Everyone near me seems to be reporting that they felt it.  I don't know what I'm expecting, and I really don't want to feel one, but I'm starting to wonder.

There was another catastrophic earthquake early yesterday, this time in Chile.  So sad.  I haven't seen or heard much about it yet, but after Haiti's disaster a few weeks ago, I hope that they did not have that level of destruction.

We have had a week full of friends.  We've had dinner with some great friends and had some great times just hanging out with others.  We are so blessed to have such a variety of people in our lives. We ended this weekend tonight with our Community Group coming over.  We just enjoy these guys so much!  I'm sure this will not be the last time I rave about them, but I just love the group we have and the friendships we have formed.  It's great getting together with other Christian people, who are real and open and help each other through all the craziness of life.  Every week when they leave, Jimmy and I just sit back and talk about how much we appreciate all of them for what they bring to the group and to our lives.  That's what it's all about.

State basketball tournament starts next weekend for small schools!  I love this time of year.  Even though I'm far removed from high school basketball, I miss it so much and love going to the games at the Big House!

The Winter Olympics end tonight.  I love when the Olympics are on, but I really get into the Summer Olympics so much more than Winter.  I do like always having something to watch though.  Unless it's cross country skiing.  That's about as exciting for me as watching Nascar.  It's only exciting during the last couple of minutes. Anyway, here are some of the highlights and low points of the Olympics for me this year:

• Before the Olympics even started, the poor 21 yr old luger from Georgia was killed during a practice run.  I just cannot imagine how tragic that moment was for his family and friends.  I'm sure this kid had dedicated his life to luge, which most athletes making it to the Olympics have to do.  To have his life end before he even got to participate is just awful.
• Shaun White, the USA snowboarder, rocked!  He did some awesome move, the McTwist maybe?  I don't know, I'm obviously far removed from that sport and the lingo, but I know he was awesome and I was cheering in my living room!
• I fell in love with curling.  I know, boring to some people, but the strategy and skill involved was really intriguing to me.  Maybe I should take this up as a sport I participate in. 
• Joannie Rochette, the Canadian figure skater, made me emotional.  Her mother died just days before the skating finale and this girl showed such strength and determination by still competing.  She did not have a flawless routine, but was such a fighter, and I was happy that she received the bronze.  
• Kim Yu-Na, the Korean figure skater, had a beautiful performance.  There is some new-ish scoring system (again, I'm not up-to-date with this sport), but all I know is that she obliterated the previous record.  
• USA lost to Canada today in hockey.  Disappointing, but it was by one point in overtime.  This is huge for hockey, and although I'm not a big fan, I know this is awesome for our country!  Silver is nothing to be upset about.  Especially because....
• USA, the greatest country in the world (I'm totally biased) finished with the most medals overall! 

Nothing But Love

I love my husband.

Tonight when I got off work, he was out with our dogs, letting them run and play. I love joining him on most days, especially if it's warm out (which it was almost 60 today, yay!). We just sit in our car, watching them act crazy, and discuss our days. Nothing exciting, just love.

While sitting there, he handed me my mail. My sister had a gift card to Applebee's that we'd received at Christmas and decided to mail it to us. So we changed our plans, which had previously involved leftovers, to a date night at Applebee's. Nothing fancy, just love.

My Thursday nights are usually centered around my favorite guilty-pleasure TV shows: Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice! So upon arriving home, I prepared for camping out in front of my TV. Jimmy was quick to get his book and get ready for bed. As I was heading downstairs, he asked me to come lay by him and just spend time together instead. Ummm...but my shows? He reminded me that I can always watch them tomorrow. And I decided he was right. Time together doesn't compare to watching my shows. So, that's what we did. We laid in our bed, watched the Olympics, and talked...for about 10 minutes until he fell asleep:) And I'm not going to lie, I contemplated going downstairs then to watch my shows. But then I decided to just sit here, listening to his soft snoring and playing on my computer.

Sometimes nights like these are the best. Nothing but love.

Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day this year, Jimmy and I decided we wanted to be really low-key. I love having a good date with my husband and even getting a little dressed up and going somewhere nice, but this year I kinda fell into the whole idea of Valentine's Day being too commercialized. I just think Jimmy and I have such an amazing relationship, and we shouldn't celebrate our love so much more just because it's a day we're supposed to. Anyway, since V-Day was on a Sunday, we kinda had a weekend of celebration, or lack thereof.

Yesterday, we had a Community Group Girls Day Out. (I wrote that like it was an official name...I just made it up. But I think I will make it the official title for all future outings) We went to see the brand new release called Valentine's Day:
As you can see, this was jam-packed with stars. Luckily for me, I really like most of the actors/actresses too. It was a very cute movie, funny, and mostly light-hearted. Since there are so many characters, there wasn't time to get deep and fully develop any of the stories because that would just be the longest movie on earth. But I liked how the stories all started overlapping, and I'm glad we went. We all decided it was probably good that we didn't make the guys go :)

Last night, Jimmy and I decided to go all out romantic: Big Truck Tacos! We'd heard about it from numerous friends and loved it! Hunter and Haley joined us, and we love hanging out with those two. The queso was excellent, which is my favorite! We then made a trip to Cuppies and Joe for a cupcake dessert. Loved it! It was a perfect Valentine's date for us.

Today we had a great day at church, then went to our favorite Sunday location, Aja Bleu, for some more excellent food. We have spent the rest of our day loving on our dogs, talking about our future, and just enjoying our life together. You know...what Valentine's Day should be all about:)

Super Bowl

I'm really upset with myself. We had a really fun Super Bowl party with our Community Group, and I was determined to take my camera and get some pictures. We have so many fun events, and I always wish later I had pictures. So the Super Bowl was gonna be the night...until I forgot my camera. So irritated.

But the night was really fun. The Coffman's bought a new house awhile ago, WAY out of town, and wanted to host one of our events. This one was perfect! They had much more space for everyone to get around and watch TV. They were great hosts! Like all our our CG events, we had an abundance of food. And as usual, I made many trips to the food table and tried to pace myself throughout the game so I could try it all! I almost got through it, but there was just way too much, and I loved it all. I love any time we spend as a group. We have really bonded, and I just have so much fun with all of them. They've really become some of my closest friends and it's always wonderful to find so many strong, Christian people that can all connect with each other and grow together.

As for the actual game, it was a close one this year. The Saints came out the big winners! I have to admit, I was cheering for Peyton and the Colts. But seriously, I am a Saints fan too, so there wasn't really a bad outcome for me. Plus, like everyone is saying, it's a huge thing for the city of New Orleans, so I'm really happy for them. Not to mention, they totally deserved it. They just looked better at key points in the game.

And more importantly.....the commercials! What a letdown this year! Either I'm getting more particular in my old age, or the level of humor is just not what it used to be. I have declared Doritos my official winners of the 2010 commercial competition. They had quite a few funny ones. And here is my favorite:

Simple Pleasures

I was reading another blog earlier in the week, and she was talking about simple pleasures. I love simple things, and her post inspired me to make my own list of simple pleasures. (of course, she had one of those fancy Mcklinky's that I don't know how to do yet since I'm still learning this blog thing) I think it's important to realize what things make you happy and be thankful for them. So here I go--in no particular order:

*the smell of rain

*a cup of coffee with a good friend
*hitting green lights
*hugging my husband
*a really hot shower
*the smell of cinnamon rolls baking...or pretty much any baked good:)
*a good movie
*being at the beach
*having a clean house
*watching my dogs play together, especially when they pounce or leap like deer

*hearing a song that takes me back to a particular time in my life
*seeing a rainbow
*Gerbera daisies
*marking things off my "to do" list
*when Jimmy scratches my head
*the sound of a bouncing basketball in an empty gymnasium
*snuggling with my dogs

You may have noticed that none of these involved things I love eating. That's because I love eating, and it could've easily turned into a list called "Eating Pleasures"....which, who knows, I may just do in the future :)

Yes, I know I'm a little weird. I'm okay with it.

Neti Pot

I'm still not feeling great. It's ironic, really. I lost my voice completely last week. I felt perfectly fine though. I sure got a lot of sympathy. Today my voice is almost completely back to normal...and it's the worst I've felt. I finally broke down and called a doctor. I didn't even have a local doctor, but when my cough started traveling down into my chest, I decided it was time.

Last night I decided to take some preventative action (ok, I should've probably started this last week, but that's not the point), and I decided to try the Neti Pot. I had heard about this from people at work, and they all claimed it works, so I figured it couldn't hurt. I had no idea how awkward this was going to feel. You literally pour this solution into one nostril, it goes all through your sinuses, and drains out the other nostril, along with all of the nastiness that is clogging your sinuses. Sound disgusting? That's because it is. But I have to say I felt so much better! At least I could breathe. The coughing is another story and the reason I'm going to the doctor. I do recommend the Neti Pot if you just feel like you are all clogged up though.

As I'm blogging, here is the scene on my couch:

Aren't they all so cute? :)