Looking Forward to 2014

We are having a baby! 

Kyle and I are so thrilled to announce that we are expecting a baby in May! I have waited quite some time to share the news so I will be catching you all up with several blog posts (because I know you are dying for all the little details). 

So Cold

I am sitting in my house with 2 layers on. Kyle likes to keep our house at 64 degrees. Which is ridiculously cold. I remember when I used to be cold at my parents house and I am pretty sure they kept their thermostat at 68. If we are having people over, I usually turn it up a few degrees. One of our friends keeps her coat on at our house every time she is here in the winter months. And I find myself almost sweating if their house is above 68 degrees.

Kyle's parents are arriving today and I plan on turning the heat up for them. His dad doesn't like to be cold and our upstairs hasn't had a touch of heat this winter. My best friend during this time of year is my heated mattress pad. If you don't have one, (and don't like to get into an ice cold bed) go get one.

Speaking of cold, let's talk about the OSU game on Saturday. It was 25 degrees and felt like 18. I was so bundled that you could only see my eyes. But it was worth it to watch us beat the crap out of Baylor.

In other news, I took my mom to the Harry Connick Jr concert. Other than the drunk people that almost spilled beer all over her and then fell on a group of people while they tried to walk down the stairs, we had a great time. Harry has always been one of her favorites and she passed that along to me.

And then a few days after Harry, I got to see Justin Timberlake in concert. Pinch me. He was unbelievable. There were times that I couldn't believe we were actually watching him perform in front of our eyes. If you like him and you have the chance to go see him, do it. Well worth the money.

We have had lots to do lately around here. Kyle has been working so much, I have had tons of after hours tastings, concerts, birthdays, etc. This week we welcome Kyle's parents and get to spend Thanksgiving with our parents and family at my mom and dad's house. I plan on eating my weight in stuffing (or dressing as my aunt says).

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Year Reflections

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary on October 6th. This past year has been so many things, and difficult is not one of them. I had lots of people tell me that marriage was tough, especially the first year. But for us, it wasn't hard. Here is what I learned in our first year:

1. Men change when you get married
- What I mean by this statement is that men tend to revert to children-like behavior. They want you to take care of them, to coddle them, to cook and clean for them. Kyle used to be really competent and then we got married and now he can barely find his shoes before work in the morning.

2. Living together is so much fun
- Since I didn't live with Kyle until we got engaged, I was very excited to move in with him. Driving home late at night during the work week had become really annoying. It is really comforting to share a home with the person that you love.

3. Boys are gross
- Boys do not clean up after themselves like girls do. And they like to dry all the clothes on hot so it might be better to do all the laundry if you don't want your shirts to shrink.

4. Golf only gets more annoying
- I would say that Kyle and I fight over golf more than anything else. Mainly because he always wants to golf, it takes forever, and they always drink too much while they do it. Also, his friends don't care if you don't want him to play golf, they will call him over and over and over and wear him down until he feels like a chump if he doesn't go.

5. Being married is the best thing I have done
- I feel like, for me, I got engaged and married at the perfect time in my life. We knew each other well, loved each other, loved our families, and most importantly, enjoy time with each other. Genuinely enjoying time with your spouse makes things much easier.


We enjoyed so many things this year and I know we have so many wonderful things ahead. We have parents and siblings that are a wonderful example of marriage.

My life is infinitely better with Kyle by my side. He is kind, thoughtful, funny, crazy, sassy, determined, hard working, and sweet. He loves me with as much passion as he has and would do anything to make me happy. He also is a hot mess that drives me crazy daily.

I love him more than cheesecake and do not know what I would do without him. He has made my life more interesting and has brought more joy than I could have imagined. I am so lucky to have someone to share my life with who allows me to be myself, has the same values and makes me laugh every day.

NYC: Day 4

This was my last day in the big city :( I was so sad. I was not at all ready to leave. We didn't have to leave until 2 so we could squeeze a few more things. Kyle really wanted to eat at a New York deli, so I found us a place called Artie's Delicatessen. Kyle ordered some type of 3 meat sandwich with the Jewish fries. They were unbelievable. They had pieces of pastrami, onions, and melted cheese mixed with ranch dressing.

We walked to the subway station and took a quick ride to Times Square to get the girls and Henry some presents. I took one last look at the lights and people and action before taking the subway back to get our bags.

We grabbed a cab and took the ride to the airport. I almost cried when we had to leave. It was such a wonderful trip with my husband. We hadn't been on a trip just the 2 of us since we started dating in 2010.

It was the most wonderful time. Kyle put so much effort into this trip and I couldn't be more grateful for him and his kind heart and thoughtfulness.

NYC: Day 3

Ok, I am officially exhausted. NYC can really take it out of you, but we have to keep going. We did not go for a run this morning! We headed down to Ground Zero and made a stop into St. Paul's Cathedral. It is right across the street and only a tree suffered damage. It is a very small church and it served as a staging ground for the first responders. Here is the story of the church. The pews were all scratched up from the firefighters that would sleep on the benches and their tools would scratch the pews. They had a banner hanging up that came from Oklahoma!

After Ground Zero, we took the long to the Brooklyn Bridge. I thought Kyle was going to kill me for making him do all this walking but he sucked it up and followed me. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is something we always see in movies, so of course we should do it. The bridge is a little over a mile long. Kyle did a little heel kick as we reached the other side.

Our feet were screaming at this point so we stopped at this cute little bar and got a cocktail before we took the subway to Soho. In Soho, we hit up the H&M. I have never been shopping at H&M so I was thrilled. I found out that there was a Piperlime store in Soho that I missed. I guess I will have to go back.

That night we sat around in another sports bar and once again watched the Cardinals beat the Pirates.

NYC: Day 2

We woke up Tuesday morning exhausted but I had plans to exercise. I have always wanted to run in Central Park and I was going to do just that. Kyle NEVER runs with me but he wanted to do this with me for 2 reasons: 1) we were on our anniversary trip and 2) he didn't want me to get mugged. Kyle had been smart in telling me to pack my running clothes since I never run on vacation. We had such a great time running through Central Park, I will never forget that wonderful memory.

After we showered, we headed out for a full day. We took the subway to Times Square. And the crowds of people are exactly what you would expect.

Then we went to the Empire State Building. Of course, we picked the day that was "unusually busy". It was so crowded that I could barely get the edge to take pictures. Luckily I am not afraid to push my way into a small spot the minute that someone walks away. 

We grabbed a late lunch at Gramercy Tavern after the Empire State Building. I ordered some type of tasty pasta and Kyle had their special, a burger. He said it was delicious, but it was not as good as the burger at The Tavern in Tulsa. So go eat there if you haven't. 

That evening, we went to see the Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater. It opened there in 1988, and is the longest running show in Broadway show in history. I loved that we walked through Times Square in our fancy theater clothes. 

NYC: Day 1

After researching where to eat for brunch, we decided on Sarabeth's near Central Park. We took a leisurely stroll through Central Park (pinch me) to get there. I loved seeing the kids in the park with their teachers and class, the nannies pushing the babies in the strollers and the runners.

We sat down for brunch and chose an outside table so that I could take in all the hustle and bustle of the city streets. I ordered the jalapeno and cheddar omelet with an English muffin. Which was the best English muffin I have ever eaten in my life.

I really wanted the lemon and ricotta pancakes and I am still pissed I didn't get them. I definitely could have walked them off on our way back through Central Park. It began to rain and we didn't have an umbrella, so we had to go back to the room to dry out. That afternoon we found a sports bar so we could watch the Cardinals beat the Pirates. After the game I wanted to do some shopping, so we hit DSW. Yes, a real New York gem. Haha..actually Kyle's feet hurt so much that he needed new shoes. It was 3 stories and magnificent. Then we walked over to Loehmann's where I scored some designer duds for cheap. It was probably good that the store was close to closing or I could have done more damage. Kyle has the patience of a 2 year when I am shopping. We walked to Coppola's West to have dinner. I really wanted authentic Italian food while we there. They had a framed picture of Britney Spears eating there so I knew I had to be in the right place.

We ordered the meatballs as an app, followed by eggplant parmesan for me and pepperoni pizza for Kyle. He said it was the best pizza he has ever eaten.

We ended the night sitting on our hotel rooftop looking over the NYC skyline.