It's Only Fair

So, my cousin Kristin has a blog. Well cousin by marriage so I can't exactly take any credit for her genetics but it's all the same. We'll stick with cousin. She is funny so if you would like, click over here to read her blog. And I am posting this to encourage her to blog more. I tweeted (if you don't know what that is, check out Twitter) and requested an updated blog post because it has been way too long.
She asked me for some ideas and I replied, "10 best moments of your life, things to do during the summer, your undying love for me". All good blog topics, right?
So in honor (or honour if you are a Brit) I am blogging about Kristin.

Kristin makes me happy in so many ways. She is hilarious and has the best sense of humor. I am quite positive that some of my most times are when we (me, Katie, Kristin) are all together. We are force to be reckoned with.

Kristin starting dating my cousin, Zach decades ago. Ok, not decades but it has been a long time. I think they were 16 when they went on their first date. At the time, I was a freshman in high school and had an enemy named Kristin so I decided to call Zach's Kristin "Denise". The name stuck around for awhile and every now and then I bring it back to the table.
Zach and Kris stayed together and soon she was attending our family functions and we loved her. In July 2005, they got hitched.

Zach and Kris lived in Cincinnati for way too long and I only got to see them once a year, twice if I was lucky.
At some point in the past few years, I can't remember when, Z & K moved to Dallas. Yipppeeee! Now they are only 4 hours from me instead of 14! Sheri and Joe (my aunt and uncle) and Katie and Louie soon followed so now the whole crew is down here. Now if we can just get Fred and Lisa (K's parents) to abort the North.
Anyway, Kristin is a special girl. She likes cardigans, a lot. She wears them everyday. She has fantastic hair.
She loves to dance and used to dance in competitions and taught dance. She was actually teaching a dance class when Zach proposed. She loves doggies as much as she possibly can. She works at Fossil like her hubby and she has a phenomenal watch collection that I am trying to get my hands on. She is a great cook and always likes to try out new recipes. She loves her mommy and daddy. She loves Happy Hour and really enjoys a Firefly and water. She's a sensitive soul that had to get used to some teasing coming from a family filled with brothers and sisters (she is an only child). She has this voice that she uses like when someone has too much saliva in their mouth and for the life of me, I cannot do it.
You get the picture, she is a true gem and I love her and I miss her and I wish I could see her everyday.

Kristin and Zach at Katie's wedding 

 Kris and I always being the life of the party 

Kristin acting goofy at work. She has a cool job

One of the many reasons I love her

Watching Katie try on wedding dresses

Old school photo, circa 2006.

Remember in my last post how I referenced Thursday nights in college and how I am not in college and don't act that way on Thursday nights anymore. Well, I lied.
Thursday was kickball finals. We lost in the championship game by 1 run. Tough loss to take but the other team was really good and very athletic. So my kickball team decided to go to Dirty's and celebrate. Not sure what we were celebrating but we did. And I forgot for about 3.5 hours that I am a grown up and I have to go to work. But I was having so much fun dancing with Elaina and Sammi and two-steppin' with Claybrook and James and oh the beverages were flowin'. Friday morning came too early and I struggled all day to survive.
Saturday I went to Elaina's parentals for a baby shower for her big sissy, Kaci. Kaci is a nice gal, funny too. And she has a cool husband and an adorable 2.5 year old little guy, Winfield.

Her next little fella is due sometime in July. I am betting on the 20th.
Saturday afternoon I met my mom for some shopping. We hit up Belk and found some great items for cheap-ola.Then we had lunch at Smash Burger..yum!
After Momma Heathcock dropped me off, I took a nap. I told my roomie I would see her soon and retired to my room. 4 hours later I emerged, groggy and still tired. I think I could have slept all night but I wasn't willing to risk it and wake up bright and early at 3 AM. So we ordered Olive Garden to go and relaxed on the couch. I went back to bed at 11:30 and got up at 10:45 the next morning. So needless to say, I was well rested.
Elaina and I started packing up most of the house Sunday and made good progress. We soon realized that we have more kitchen stuff than we thought and we are still in the process of packing that up.
The move is Thursday and Friday and we aren't going far so it shouldn't take long. I'll post some pics of our new digs soon!

I like turtles

Welcome to Thursday my friends! Thursday, the day before Friday. Love it. Thursdays were the best in college because of several reasons:

1. I usually only had 2 classes
2. It was almost Friday
3. It meant getting fancied up and heading to Joe's for some free beer and dancing

Now Thursdays are a little different in my life. No easy day of 2 classes, for sure. But usually Thursday always brings something to look forward to. Tonight for instance is kickball semifinals and finals. You know how I feel about and if you don't, please read  here or here.
And usually we try to hit up Joe Momma's for trivia and pizza. We won trivia one time but I am sure it had to do with Ozzie's cheating ways. And the trivia guy is cute and funny. After kickball, most kickballers go to Dirty's. Dirty's is a bar downtown where you can go in your cleats and sweaty kickball shirt and still look ok.
Since I am faced daily with the task of getting out of bed, looking presentable and playing admin ace to JD Young, I usually forgo the Dirty's experience. Lame or responsible? I need an answer cause I feel a little of both!
On a completely unrelated side note, Little Caeser's has opened a new location in Tulsa & I forgot how much I loved that pizza. And last night I was introduced to Crazy Crust. Stick a fork in me, I'm done!
And on a really unrelated side note, please go watch this video. It is random and awkward and hilarious. It's very short so do it. 

Salmonella or Sam and Ella?

This weekend after a long day in the pool, we decided to load up the Griswald's and head to Sam and Ella's in Tahlequah for some of the best pizza you have ever had. Actually, it is hands down my most favorite pizza ever. The big sloppy pie is loaded with black olives and pepperoni. I'm salivating.
Now, I love Sam and Ella's but after a long, hot day outside, I would like to enjoy my dining experience. Well don't go to Sam and Ella's if you want that. The place is little, the staff is hurried, the air conditioner can't compete with the pizza ovens & there are tons of tan/burned, drunk/hungover, tired/pissy people from floating the river.
But seriously, if you ever have the chance to eat there, do it. And just look past the negatives and stuff your face with delicious pizza.
Today is the first day of summer. I am sunburned and tired and I want a sno cone. Unfortunately, there seem to be no sno cone places in midtown Tulsa. Josh's famous sno cone shack is all the way at 71st and Garnett. Please people, if I wanted to drive that far for a shaved ice I would just go to that delicious sno cone place in Curt's Mall in Muskogee.
So if you are a reader in the midtown Tulsa area and you know of a good sno cone place in midtown, hit me with some knowledge.

Also, we had a bbq at my parents house on Sunday for Father's Day and I made a corn-avocado dip from Pioneer Woman and chicken salad that my cousin Kristin shared with me. They were the bomb and I got so many props for my dishes. Just call me Susie Homemaker!
Click here  to get the Pioneer Woman recipe. And yes, you can substitute with canned corn like I did!

Someone calm the psycho

As most of you readers know, I love to play sports, watch sports, drink at sporting events, etc. I played basketball in middle school and high school. Softball since I was 7 and dabbled in soccer til I got bored. I was also on the swim team (still have my bathing suit from that) and played numerous intramurals in college. My favorite being co-ed football.
Recently, I have played co-ed softball for a team that rivals the Bad News Bears and I play kickball.
Kickball is supposed to be a relaxed, fun sporting event where you meet new people and hang out with your friends. And I do that. But I also come to play. Which several people on my team do not understand. They are there for pure fun. Which I do not understand. I am not sure who is at fault here. Two people on my team are as competitive as me, Ozzie and Elaina. The rest make me look like a psycho when I argue about the rules and other things.
For instance, last night we were playing a team that causes arguments every time we play them. They started a huge argument about one of our players not being registered. But he was, and thank goodness for the iPhone. I pulled up the register and proved it. Bomb diffused. Until the first baseman got in my face and got me riled up. Now granted, I know I was being a little mouthy but still he pushed me over the edge. And no one but my roomie Elaina came to my defense.
Now, we are in the last inning and the opposing team said we had 3 outs. Umm, no we don't. There are 2 outs. And we keep a score book for these particular times. But because we were winning 16-2, my teammates thought it was ok to let them be wrong and end the inning early. Well, guys I know you wouldn't have done that if the score was tied or say, 5-4. That drives me nuts. Play by the same rules, every game, no matter the score.
Ok, I am done ranting. We won both games & are headed to the semifinals next week. I am going to try and keep my cool but I can't promise anything.

Saturday I am headed to my parents house for Father's Day. Bryan and Erin and the muchkins are coming in so the weekend will sure to be entertaining. I know this weekend is especially hard for my sister in law Erin and her sister Monica.

Have a great weekend!!

Van Central Station

Last night, I headed out to Bixby to visit a good ole' friend Becca. Let me tell you about Becca:

• I have known Becca since I was about 7. That is 20 years, people. 
• Becca went to prom with my brother when she was a freshman and she wore a shiny, turquoise dress. I wanted to be her.
• Becca played basketball and was a defensive player that you did not want to face. I took notes watching one of her games and tried to be like her on the court. Her knees were always torn up at church on Sundays from diving for balls. 
• I had a crush on her now hubby Jason when she first brought him to church. Good snag, Becca.
• She is gorgeous, funny, and genuine. And many more things...

Becca is now the mommy to 2 cute munchkins and I had never been out to see them. Why would I do that to myself? 
Emerson is a riot. She is hilarious and I could have sat there for hours watching and listening to her. Jax will melt you heart faster than a Snickers in August. He turned on the charm the minute I walked in the door. Emerson, while obviously a busy body, took a few moments in the evening to touch my hair...softly. And as I was leaving (it was bed time and I knew it would be easier for her to go to bed if I wasn't there), she touched my hair and said, "Miss Heather, you are so beautiful." That's it, kid. Get in the car (I am always prepared with a spare car seat) and go home with me. Jax on the other hand was a little less subtle. He pulled my hair and yelled loudly for attention. It worked, you adorable little linebacker.
Anyway, Becca and Jason are the jam. That means really cool, y'all.
The food was delish and the company was better. Read her blog here and look how cute her kids are and how funny she is. And check it out often and you might get a treat when her hubby guest blogs for her.

Good Monday afternoon! Today has been quite the day. Woke up to pouring rain and I wanted to stay in bed more than  you can imagine. I stayed up wayyyy too late on Saturday night catching up with an old friend. Natalie, remind me to tell you who that old friend is and what is going on :)
Headed into work in the rain and had to use my seat warmers. It felt wrong. It is June, Oklahoma, and I have a sweating problem. But it was chilly this morning and I wore a skirt to avoid the wet bottom of pants. I dislike that feeling a lot. *Please note that I said a lot. Not alot. A lot is two words and one of my biggest pet peeves.
Anywho, work proved to be very entertaining and stressful.
Took lunch at 1 and almost ate my hand I was so hungry. Good thing I had Pei Wei leftovers and they microwaved very quickly.
The rest of the day will be go something like this:
Home to change for gym
Home from gym and quick clean up
Meet with new landlords
Pick Sammi up and go bowling
Fall into bed
Repeat the next day. Except tomorrow I get to go to a super cool house and see some super cool people. If you don't know the Van Valkenburg's, then you don't know cool. And I get to meet their chitlins, finally.
And I might be taking this fella as my date:

Ok, not really. But I can still fantasize. Cristiano Ronaldo=hottest soccer player ever. Wait, take that back. David Beckham is but Cristiano brings a whole different vibe to the table with his dark looks, and smoldering abs. I should stop now.
Just a little eye candy to start off your week! Enjoy :)

Also, here is a pic of my gal pals and I after seeing SATC 2. I was having a great hair day.

Joran Van der Sloot

Evil. Pure evil. Van der Sloot has confessed to the murder of Peruvian Stephany Flores because she "intruded into his private life". The story is that they went back to a hotel room together and he killed her because she used his laptop and discovered that he was the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. So this is probably what happened, he told her his name and when he went to the restroom, she googled it and found out his dirt. He caught her, panicked, and killed her to keep her quiet.

There are a few lessons to take from both these cases:

1. Please do not let your 18 child go to Aruba with her friends. She is too young and they will make bad decisions. If you are a parent, be paranoid. They will forgive you. I never went on a senior trip or Spring Break and I still love my parents.
2. Young girls, do not go to a hotel room or be alone with a boy you met on vacation.
3. Stay with someone at all time.

When Katie and I were headed to Paris, my grandma wrote us some rules on a Steno pad. The very last thing she jotted down simply said, "Stay together at all times!"
And we did. We separated one time at the Eiffel Tower and I was a nervous wreck. Katie was going to look and see if the other lines were shorter. I kept my eye on her the whole time as if she was my 3 year old child. Don't worry, she came back safely. I only wish I had one of the backpacks that you clip to the child and hold onto. I would have used that at the Eiffel Tower and not cared a bit how ridiculous we looked. Katie and I had several men approach us in Paris. We never even thought once of entertaining the idea. One man even tried to get us in his car. Yeah, right.
Here is a pic of Katie and I after we went up the Eiffel Tower.

La Tour Eiffel. Je t'aime.

On another sad note, a young person I know suffered a aneurysm and passed away yesterday. I knew him through a mutual friend and we weren't great friends but still, it is heartbreaking. He was 26 years old, engaged, and full of life. Pray for his family, fiancee, and friends.

She's Baaaaccckkk!

Tonight will be my debut back in the Tulsa social scene. I know I have hinted at a few things and I think most of my readers (b/c you all are super smarties) have figured out what I have recently been dealing with.
First, let me say that I have great friends and family. When I was really down, and I mean down, I had more phone calls and texts messages that I ever expected. Even people that I didn't really think would take the time to notice, called or text and asked me how I was doing. So for anyone out there that offered their support in any way, I want to extend a huge hug and thank you. My heart is still on the mend and I am not 100% yet, but I will get there.
So tonight...a couple of my best gal pals and I are going to see SATC 2. I love SATC. I didn't start watching it until college when Jefferson Commons had free HBO. But I caught up on re-runs and fell in love. I love Carrie's style (who doesn't!) and vulnerability, Samantha's passion for all things, Charlotte's values, and Miranda's willingness to be the less attractive friend and still be fabulous in her own way. It is nice to see woman struggling for romance and a steady, balanced relationship because let's face it ladies, it ain't all lollipops & rainbows all the time!

 

Tomorrow, Sophie dog needs to go to the vet. She is due for shots and I also think she has a grass allergy so I want to talk to the vet about that. My poor bedroom is in desperate need of a cleaning (as well as the rest of the house). 

Again to all my loved ones, I love you all more than you know. And I know you love me too :) 

Sand and Surf

Hello friends! Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day filled with food, friends, family, beverage, relaxation, games, kids, (you get the picture).
Due to recent events, I did not attend the festivities at Grand Lake as planned this year. Bryan & Erin invited me to Gulf Shores, Alabama with them for their family vacation. I really needed this little getaway. While my friends were partying it up with idiots on the lake, I was enjoying a beautiful ocean view, waves crashing, and good times with my nieces.