Thief

I have been meaning to blog the past few days about 2 things: our trip to Pittsburgh and Lilia's baby shower. But instead I decided about the week that I have had.

It started out pretty well on Monday. I got to eat Mazzio's salad for dinner which oddly enough is one of my favorite things. Tuesday I had to take my car back to the BMW dealership to get some repairs done. This was the 3rd time I had taken it in. I was slightly annoyed by that but the nice thing is they give you a loaner. A sweet little white 3 series car that I zipped around town in for 2 days. Not too bad so far.

And then on Tuesday night, I woke up to our neighbors outside light flashing like something in a scary movie. I knew a storm was coming but I didn't except this. I opened the blinds and saw the trees blowing and limbs down. Rain was blowing sideways. And then our electricity went out. Great. So we went back to sleep and suffered through the hotness that was quickly building.

Wednesday morning brought unexpected things from my work which made my day pretty exhausting. The night we decided to pack up and go to Austin and Christy's for some lights, AC and TV. I love TV, I always knew that but man I really miss it when I can't have it.

Thursday I got up and got ready. Decided to pack up and head to the house in hopes that we would have power. Nope, no such luck. And how the house is starting to smell funky. Packed up more stuff for another night at the Hannah's. Last night we had a volleyball game at 71st and Riverside. I hurriedly grabbed money from my purse to pay the ref and I must not have hit the lock button and my purse got stolen. That was a terrible feeling when I opened the car after the game and my beautiful white purse was gone. Of course, my phone and other stuff was in there. And Kyle's wedding ring.

I filed a police report in hopes that they will dig through my purse and realize I had no cash and will throw it out the window. Kyle's ring was tucked away in a tiny little pocket so maybe they won't find it and I could get it back. I know that isn't likely but it could happen.

So I have no phone, no drivers license, no lipstick/gloss, a husband with no ring, no power at my house. Oh and I am out about $300 in giftcards from our wedding.

Enjoy your new sheets at Bed, Bath and Beyond, you thief.

Jackson

When Kyle first moved to Tulsa, he was alone and had no friends. I can't imagine how scary that must be. He didn't know even 1 person in Tulsa. He grew up with a bulldog named Arlo and once he got settled in his apartment, he went on the hunt for the perfect bulldog for him. He found a sweet little guy and named him Jackson. I met Kyle very shortly after he got Jackson. Kyle asked me if I could babysit Jackson while he played in a golf tournament. Very early on a Saturday morning, I opened my front door to the cutest bulldog I have ever seen. During those first few months of Kyle and I getting to know each other, I spent lots of time with Jackson, even taking him to my parents house for a weekend at the pool.

Fast forward 4 years, Kyle & I are "for real" dating this time and I am reunited with Jackson. He is just as cute and particular as I remembered him. He likes his bed made a certain way, he walks a certain path at the park, and he still likes to beg for ice cream when Kyle gets an Oreo blast at Sonic. He now has to deal with Sophie on a daily basis, which he does with little enthusiasm. She loves him and pesters him constantly, and even tries to snuggle up in the corner of his bed. Sometimes, she sneaks into his bed at night causing him to get too hot and pant. 

But sweet Jackson was also having to deal with seizures. They started shortly after we started dating. I remember Kyle calling me and telling me that Jackson had just had a seizure. Over 3 years, they got worse. Towards the end, he was battling seizures about every 6 weeks and for an average of 24 hours. He would have them about every hour for 24 hours with one of us staying up all night with him. He would get disoriented and would wander around and pant. It was brutal but after the episode was over he would sleep it off for a day or so and then be back to normal. We never really considered putting him to sleep because he was in such good shape in between episodes. And quite honestly, I didn't think that Kyle would be able to make that decision. That dog was his best friend. His Facebook account is Jackson Gatewood if that tells you anything. 

Almost 2 weeks ago, my mom and I were at the Parade of Homes and Kyle called to say Jackson was having seizures. I knew that meant I would stay up with him all night. We both had to work the next day so I asked my mom if she could come over the next day and stay with him until we could get home. Kyle made it home first and Jackson was still having seizures. We took care of him all evening and then around bed time, I went to brush my teeth and wash my face. Kyle came running into the bedroom and said "I think Jackson is dying." By the time I got out into the living room, he was already gone. When he would have a seizure, he wouldn't take a breath for about 30 seconds and then would gasp for air. The minute I stepped out of the room, he had his last seizure and Kyle said he never took another breath. We think his poor heart just stopped. He was so exhausted and his body just couldn't do it anymore. I read somewhere that when a dog has a seizure that it is as hard on the body as a person running a marathon. 

I will spare you the details of what went on in our living room. It was horribly sad and I don't like to relive it, even though I still do too often. 

We had our sweet doggie cremated and he is resting on my nightstand. We were going to spread some of his ashes at the park, but I am not ready yet. Kyle is doing very well considering his immense love for that dog. 

Here is Kyle's eloquent post on Facebook that day after: 

Last night Jackson lost his 3 year battle with cluster seizures. He was my best friend, walking partner and farting buddy. For 8 years we caused havoc together on Tulsa. I will miss him more than words can describe and feel blessed to have been a part of his life. If you ever had a chance to meet Jackson you know how special he was, especially to me. I write this post for two reason, 1) to grieve, 2) to tell all my friends and family to give your special four legged family member an extra hug and treat today. They deserve it for always being there at the door with a wiggly butt and smile no matter what our mood or day was like. Thanks to everyone who helped watch over my special boy for the last three years while he went through this tough time. Special thanks to Christy Carter Hannah for always watching over him when we weren't able to. 

Thank you for ready my very long tribute to Jackson. He was our buddy and gave Kyle hisdoggie blessing when he told Jackson that Sophie and I were joining the Gatewood family. We will always miss him. 

Moments

I follow A Cup of Jo and she quite possibly has the best links in her blog posts. Today she posted 10 Unforgettable Wedding Moments with the link to Moment Junkie (sorry for the link overload!).

Pictures really are worth a thousand words and it made me think of some of my favorite wedding pictures:

The First Look

A moment between pictures

Looking at his dad before I walk down

Henry taking in the crowd

Mr. and Mrs. announcement 

Surprising my Pepa with a dance 

Lauren getting some Kyle time 

"Footloose"

Having the best time of my life

Louisville

About 3 weeks ago, I went on a work trip to Louisville. It was "all expenses paid" except for the dry shampoo I had to buy when I got there. Can someone please tell Suave to make a travel sized dry shampoo?

We started out the trip by checking into our historic hotel in downtown Louisville. This is the hotel that Daisy and Tom Buchanan got married in in The Great Gatsby. It was also rumored to be haunted on the 3rd floor, which was the floor I was on but I didn't get bothered by any ghosts.

We started our first night by a walk to dinner at Doc Crow's. Great bbq and lots of Manhattan to drink! We had to drink all Skyy products on the trip so think lots of Skyy vodka and Wild Turkey bourbon. After dinner we walked to Fourth Street Live and found a bar that had on the OKC Thunder game and then played beer pong.

We were ready to go at 9am the next morning for a trip to the Wild Turkey Distillery. We toured the facility with Jimmy Russell, the master distiller. A bourbon tasting, followed by lunch and then we headed back to the hotel for a nap before dinner.

After a much needed nap, we got fancied up and headed to dinner at Volare. I didn't get a picture of the dessert tray but it was the most beautifully presented dessert tray I have ever seen. That evening of activities included some more beer pong, a really long cab ride to find the bar we wanted to go to was closed, and then some terrible karoake by yours truly. There is video somewhere on the internet but I will not be sharing it.

We didn't have to be in the lobby until 1pm the next day for our trip to Churchill Downs. We had a suite that was stocked with food and beverage and we were also given some money to bet with. Free money and I still couldn't manage to win a dime. I also had my first mint julep. Eh, nothing really special about it.

Dinner that night (are you getting the theme of the trip..eating and drinking) at St. Charles Exchange. This place was fantastic and had such a cool atmosphere. We took cabs back to the hotel so we could change and I heard someone say "meet downstairs so we can go out". I ignored that and went to my room and called Kyle. I had no intention to go out, I was tired and we had to fly out at 10am the next morning. But I started getting texts and then my boss called and told me to "get me ___ downstairs". So one more night out on the town of Louisville. We did find this really cool bar (don't remember the name) that had the best outside area.

Up early the next morning to hurriedly pack and eat some breakfast before heading to the airport. I had such a great time on my first work trip but I was so ready to go home and see Kyle. Usually I am the one at home while he is out exploring the world. This job will provide great opportunities for me to take trips like this and there will even be times that spouses are included.

This weekend Kyle and I will be attending a work event called Le Tour de Vin in Norman. All the money goes to charity and we have to pour wine on Saturday night, but the rest of the time we just get to hang out with my work people.

Jordyn's Birthday

Jordyn turned 4 years old on Saturday. I cannot believe that little pumpkin is already 4. Here she is in her previous birthday pics: 

1

2

3

And here is her video from her 4th birthday. She is working on mastering the hula hoop. 

It was so cold that I didn't even take the time to get a picture of her. Terrible aunt fail! Last year she had an outdoor party and everyone was in their swimsuits..this year we were bundled up in coats and gloves!
We had a great time watching the kids run around while we stood close to the charcoal grills to stay warm.

In other exciting news, I just read that Justin Timberlake is coming to Tulsa in November. You better believe me and my girlfriends will be there screaming like 12 year olds.

I am headed to Kentucky with work next week. Skyy (as in the vodka) is taking us. It will be my first work trip so I am excited to see what it is all about. All I know so far is to only order drinks that are in the Skyy portfolio and to just "go with the flow".

Easter Fun & Home Improvements

Kyle's parents came to visit us for Easter. This time around our schedules were completely flip flopped. Last time, Kyle could spend almost all day at home with them working around the house while I was sitting at my desk job. This time he was up and out of the house early and I got to hang with them in the morning before I left for my day. Carl and Mary Lou are such work horses! I have no idea where they find their energy.

We had my parents over for Easter dinner and used my wedding china for the first time. We had ham, potatoes, rolls, brocolli salad and green beans. And champagne. Champagne is always a good idea.

We completed several home improvement projects including: new faucet in my bathroom, wedding pictures framed and hung, new large piece of art hung, painting of the entry hall and stairwell, painted the outside of the house and painted the front doors. I have always wanted to paint our front doors a fun, bright color and I have just never had the guts to do it. Red used to be the popular color but I wanted to do a different color. Mary Lou and I decided to go with green.

I love them so much!

And here are the adorable girls on Easter

Kyle and I were in our friends, Austin and Christy, wedding last weekend. It was at the Tulsa Historical Society and we had the most beautiful weather.

It was kinda weird to be on the other side of a wedding again. It was exactly 6 months since we were married and I still can relive that day in great detail. The one thing I will tell you: it made me even more grateful for the wonderful girls that said yes to being my bridesmaids. You all are the best.

A Terrible Excuse

Let me give you my terrible excuse for not blogging more: when I want to write a post, I have to sign out of gmail and then sign in to blogger with my old yahoo email address. And then I have to sign back into gmail when I am finished. And it annoys me and I am too lazy to do it.

Also, majority of time I am on my computer for work. And then I realize I want to blog something but I really have to finish what I am doing and then I shower and leave the house, never to return to my blog idea.

Here is what we have been up to lately:

Feb 23rd: We attended the wedding of Casie and Doug in Breckenridge, CO. Before the wedding, we got to eat at this cool restaurant (where I had a cocktail called the Deconstructed Grapefruit and it was the best cocktail I have ever had). We also hit the slopes for half a day in Beaver Creek with his friend Adam Shay. He was one of Kyle's groomsmen and has been a friend since high school. I hadn't been skiing in 15 years but it all came back to me the minute I put those skis on. The only problem was when I decided to go off some jumps and I didn't know there was a rail on the other side and I hit that icy bar and all of my limbs immediately went in different directions. It was hilarious.

The wedding was held at The Lodge and Spa in Breckenridge and it was the epitome of a gorgeous, snowy Colorado wedding. Casie wore a cream colored sweater over her dress and it was snowing and I got to drink hot chocolate during the ceremony.

We woke up Sunday morning to a blizzard that buried our rental car. Our bright green rental car.

 It should have taken us 1.5 hours to get to the airport in Denver, but it took 4. The roads were terrible and we were just spinning our tires to get up the mountain at one point. We made it to the airport and our flight was delayed (along with thousands of other people) and the only place we could eat was Taco Bell. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Nachos Bell Grande but I hate eating at food courts.

 The next weekend we celebrated Allison's 7th birthday. One of my favorite parts of their birthday is writing them sweet messages on the cards and watching them read it. They read them slowly as if they take in every word. I want them to always know how much we love them. We had lunch at Texas Roadhouse and then went to the OSU bball game.

This is my cocktail creation last week. Fresh grapefruit juice, St. Germain, vodka and topped with champagne. If you haven't had St. Germain, go buy some and make some awesome cocktails.

This past Saturday, I ran the St. Patrick's Day 5K. I ran my fastest time ever, 26:56. I literally could not believe I ran it so fast. I am still really proud of myself! Then I did a little shopping with my mom followed by dinner at Charleston's with Kyle. One year ago on March 16th, he took me to dinner at Charleston's and then came home and proposed. It was one of the best nights of my life and I am so lucky to share my life with him. He has truly shown me what unconditional love means.