Book Review: Knit Two

So, due to our 2-month book club hiatus to spend on the busy holiday season, the time I usually invest on daily reading has decreased dramatically--but I have finally made my way from cover to cover in a book!
On July 30th, I posted a (very glowing, I'm sure) book review for The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. One of the gifts I received from my Secret Pal this year was the sequel to this book called Knit Two . I was very excited--because I was unaware that she had written a sequel--but I didn't know how much I would like it since [SPOILER ALERT!] the main character died in the first book! Knit Two turned out to be good--the relationships with the women that the main character, who died, in the first book helped to develop--were still strong and each was dealing with her own issues. There were A LOT of story lines that went on throughout the book and a reader has to keep the mind sharp to keep up with them all--too many characters for my taste. The book was good, though, and I would read a third if it came out, but that may be due to principle--I have to finish a series once I begin it!

Roll the Dough - *HO HO HO*

Christmas Cookies, Christmas Cookies - Everywhere I look, Christmas Cookies!!! Every year I get a little something for my bosses and co-workers for Christmas and this year it comes from the heart--and hours upon hours of work! My mother in law came over on Sunday afternoon to teach me (and help me!) bake Christmas cookies from scratch. We spent six hours together in my kitchen mixing, cutting, baking and decorating (the icing is made from scratch, too!) and we still weren't done with all of the cookies! Last night, she came over to help complete the task and eight (total) hours and 77 cookies later, we were finished!!! Below is a picture of a few of the final product (stop drooling!)...and those are just what is in the kitchen--the dining room table is covered as well!!

Eight of My Favorite Things

One of my friends posted a blog about a few of her favorite things (like Oprah's List!) and I'm totally stealing this idea with a list of a few of MY favorite things!!!
My first favorite thing is Twisted Peppermint hand soap by Bath and Body Works. I love the way my hands feel and smell after I use this Christmas time specialty--plus it comes in a cute little bottle with peppermint stripes!!

My second favorite thing is a gift from my Secret Pal this year: Rosebud Salve. I've gone 28 years and had no idea what I was missing out on (since this company has apparently been around since 1908). I find myself applying this stuff every hour and my lips have never been softer! One place to find this stuff is at Sephora. I love you, Rosebud Salve!!

My third favorite thing, which really should have been first, but I'm already partway through my list and don't want to delete anything, is the Apple IPhone. I love it, I love it, I love it!!! I never wanted one and did not see the fascination in them until we went out with Andrea, who got one for Mother's Day. She showed us so many cool things that the phone did, plus she let me play with it, and I fell in love. Our courtship is still going strong.

My fourth favorite thing is perfume by Ann Taylor called 'Possibilities'. The scent is fragrant, but light! I wear it every day, and I go through three bottles a year. This is mommy's special perfume!

My fifth favorite thing is the Victoria's Secret Pink line. I love the bright, girly colors and the comfort of lounge clothes! They are tres chic and I would wear them every day if I could. Well, I pretty much do!


My sixth favorite thing is Seven Jeans for All Man Kind. It is always very hard for me to find a pair of jeans that fits well and usually depressing for me to go jean-shopping. Thanks to Andrea (once again) for telling me that a great place to find good jeans is Gils in Nichols Hills, I was able to find my new favorite pair of jeans ever (and most expensive pair, but I plan on wearing them to scraps!) I love you Seven!

My seventh favorite things is a new tv show: Kath & Kim (this does not replace my love for Ghost Hunters!). At first, this show seemed uber-lame to me, but my DVR kept recording it, so one day when I was bored, I watched it and it is now my new favorite show on Must See TV! I used to HATE Selma Blair, but I love her now…I love this show. It makes me happy!!! Also, this is the only show on television where I do NOT fast forward through the opening credits--they are so fun!!

My eighth (and last for this particular list) favorite thing(s) is Hostess Cupcakes. I can literally eat a box in one sitting - which I contribute to my rotund waistline!!! Who doesn't like the bite of something sweet with frosting in the middle? A crazy person, that's who! Hostess Cupcakes - I love every bite of you!!!

Fa La La La La...

The exterior of our casa is ready for Santa's visit!!! Andy spent hours and hours perfecting his lighting scheme--and the final product can be viewed below! The first night that Andy went out there, Kevin came over to assist and it was FREEZING cold, the only light guiding them was the moon and stars. (On a side note, this was a really great night because Riley took some wonderful first steps, going back and forth across our front room!) Andy spent two more nights and practically all day Sunday finishing the lights--and boy did he do a FANTABULOUS job.

Christmas in my Office

So, as you can see, I have decorated my office for Christmas:

This morning I got to work and instead of my requested 60" Plasma TV, I had a little treat in my stocking, surely delivered by one of Santa's Elves:

Here is what was inside, I guess I've been a Bad Girl:


Ha! This was great! It took a couple of tries to find the culprit--but I found the little elf! Her name is Amanda and she TOTALLY made my Wednesday rock!! (play on words...coal, rock, get it??)

Oh Christmas Tree...!

Over the weekend, Ethan and Jadyn woke up early to put the tree up. This is the first year in which I did not take control of the project - I let them both do it all by themselves! (This was a very hard gesture for me!) As you can see, Ethan is in his pajamas, but Jadyn passed out the night before (which was the OU/OSU game) in her clothes...so that is why she is all dressed--hair undone!
Hard at Work:

Final Product:

Now Santa needs to come and fill the empty space beneath the tree!!

Turkey Day!!!

Thanksgiving for the Lopez/Correa Family was great this year. We have so many things to be thankful for that we take for granted--having a holiday where family can get together to celebrate is wonderful. This year, everyone gathered at my parents house, bringing their own homemade specialty, and we gobbled until the sun went down! After dinner, friends came over and it was time to play games: Catchphrase and Buzz--what a fantastic time, and a very full house! Below are a few pictures from the day. Nothing too exciting!
Jadyn and Ethan:

Table One (the 'grown up' table):

Table Two (the 'kid' table):

Running in Circles: Day Fifteen

So today marks day 15 of my running. (If you are counting, I take Fridays off!). I have secured my two-mile mark and I have a feeling I will be here for a long time--two miles is REALLY HARD! My favorite place to run is on a track, rather than my neighborhood or a treadmill. I like gauging the distances, turning around every two laps (it gives me something to look forward to), and trying to beat my time every day. I did learn an interesting fact, though: the innermost lane on a track is the exact mile mark. I thought it was the middle lane--so I had been running in between at the third lane and found out I was running more than two miles. That was fun, even though it wasn't a LOT more! Lately, it has been near freezing when I run in the evenings and the wind has been chapping my face, so I've had to double up on lotion. Now, if I could get the whole salad-eating part down, the results of my running would be noticed by other people!!! So, check back next week to see if I've kept up this whole running thing. As stated in my '100 Things About Me', I do get bored easily...

Training: Day Nine

Today marks day NINE of running for me!! *takes a bow* I am anxious to get out on the track tonight and add a little to the mile and a half I have been running for the past couple of days, so that should be fun. Kaitlyn came out to run with Andy and me yesterday and she smoked our booties! Of course, she is a 23 year old athlete, so the odds are in her favor, but she definitely motivated us to push harder!
My sister found an 8K Turkey Trot (4.97 miles) which runs on Thanksgiving that I really really want to do; however, that is ten days away and I'm only at 1.5 miles, so as the Magic 8 Ball would say: Outlook Not So Good. I'm not going to give up, though...I like having goals, even if they are impossible to reach! My ultimate goal is to run the half marathon in April with my sister and since it is five months away, I still feel optimistic about that! Okay, so this marks the end of my training update for this week...catch up on the subject again next week! Stay tuned!!

A Flash of Life...

Is it me, or does time seem to be speeding up these days?

I mean...I feel like it was just yesterday that I was stuck in the Penn Square parking garage for 30 minutes trying to exit due to all of the Christmas traffic and, alas, it is all starting up again.

It feels like just yesterday I was sitting in a waiting room intently listening for the first cries of my nephew and, alas, he is going to be a one year old on Saturday.

It feels like just yesterday that I rocked my beautiful baby girl to sleep and, alas, she is now an eight year old teenager (yeah, that's not a typo).

"Thirty Years Old" always seemed the distant future to me and it is going to be a reality in less than two years...how time flies by...faster and faster...

Election Day - 2008

'Nuff Said!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

This year was the first year that we had both of the kids all night long--so we weren't rushing around early in the evening in order to get Ethan to his second half of Halloween fun--and it was very exciting for us!!! Our goal was to fill their bags up to the top...and the kids pooped out before we did and they only got 3/4 of the way up--but boy did they get a lot of good stuff!!! We were done with the whole night at 9:00 because they were begging to get home...they were tired and their bags were too heavy!!! I am now going to bombared you with lots and lots of pictures of Halloween night!!!
The kids (a skeleton and a ninja!):


Our kids feigning exhaustion on top of their stashes:

My parents:

My parents, the kids...and the electronic grim reaper:

Halloween at Work

Happy Halloween!!! My work had a costume contest today and if you dressed up, you got to eat lunch for free! Who am I to pass up a free lunch?? I dressed up as Tina Fey impersonating Sarah Palin. Only TWO people guessed right, everyone else guessed that I was Sarah Palin. Dummies. Here are a few pictures of today's festivities--please note in the group picture, I am next to Obama--and it was a female friend of mine! I did let them think I was Sarah Palin for a second so they could get their cute little picture of Obama and 'Palin' in a compromising position (see below!).
The Group:

My Walk in front of the Judges:

Tina-Fey-Impersonating-Sarah-Palin and Obama:

100 Things About Me

I have prepared a list of 100 things about me (Jaimie) that you were unaware that you were dying to know. Until now. If you have never taken the time to compose a list like this, it is a lot harder than it sounds!!! So...I begin:
1. I am 28 years old
2. I am a Gemini born in the year of the Monkey
3. I love monkeys
4. I have a wonderful husband, beautiful daughter and amazing stepson
5. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English
6. I went to Oklahoma State University for the first two years of my education and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma
7. I am an avid Oklahoma State Cowboys fan!
8. I became a mother four months after my 20th birthday
9. I went to the same school from 5th to 12th grade
10. I love to eat sweets!
11. I have only had one cavity in my entire life (knock on wood!)
12. I weigh more right now than I did on my final day of pregnancy (yikes!)
13. I love to read
14. I love to watch television/movies
15. I am deathly afraid of spiders (yes, deathly)
16. I think Adriana Lima is the most beautiful woman in the world
17. I have a not-so-secret crush on Ryan Phillippe
18. I have a not-so-secret crush on Ewan McGregor
19. My all time favorite movie is Party Girl
20. I played field hockey in grade school and high school
21. I love celebrity gossip
22. I have been sent to the principal's office twice in my lifetime
23. I am guilty of watching - and loving - The Hills
24. I used to work at a pigeon museum
25. I am on a kickball team
26. I love the Beatles
27. I love Stone Temple Pilots
28. I love Eminem
29. I used the word loquacious the night I met my husband and he's never let me forget it.
30. I got married 13 days after my 22nd birthday
31. I am afraid of flying
32. My aunt and uncle were killed in a plane crash when I was 14 years old
33. I was a total nerd in high school (still am!)
34. I've been friends with my BFF for 17 years
35. I want to be an English teacher one day
36. My first pet was a dog named Bo-Bo
37. I've been to almost every state in the continental U.S.
38. My parents sent me to Las Vegas for my 21st birthday
39. Family is very important to me
40. My favorite book is Catcher in the Rye
41. One time I went outside to find a neighbor I had never met so he could come into my house and kill a spider. It was big.
42. My favorite color is purple
43. If I could be reincarnated, I would want to be an elephant. Or a tree.
44. I am intimidated by large groups
45. I took piano lessons for five years, but cannot play anything more complex than chopstix
46. Some days, I hate my job
47. I kickASS at Scrabble
48. I am super-competitive
49. I had kidney stones when I was 23 years old
50. I've had pre-cancerous moles removed within the past month
51. My favorite television shows are currently Big Bang Theory and Ghost Hunters
52. Growing up, my family drove from Oklahoma City to Mission Viejo, CA every Christmas break
53. I wanted to be 17 years old forever
54. I was basketball manager in 8th grade
55. I want to travel to London before I pass on
56. Christina Aguilera is my favorite female vocalist
57. I LOVE LUCY!
58. I was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
60. My first car was a 1996 green Mitsubishi Eclipse
61. I have shoplifted before--and I am not proud of it!
62. My ethnicity is Mexican, Indian, Swedish and Russian
63. I get terrible road rage
64. My favorite candy is Peanut M&M's
65. I hate okra
66. I was a latch-key kid when I was 8 years old and my sister was 6
67. I have to wash my hair every day or it gets greasy and gross
68. I love to watch my daughter play soccer
69. I recently discovered that I'm a Democrat
70. I love to gamble, I love casinos
71. When I was 13, I caught meningitis and almost died. I strongly believe a man that came to visit me, Les Hunt, said a prayer that saved my life
72. I love to walk through cemeteries
73. The first movie my husband took me to see was 'There's Something About Mary'
74. I am the most average person ever - just like Bella in the Twilight Series, which means I'd make an exceptional vampire!
75. I have perfect feet
76. I love playing games, all sorts
77. My husband and I have been together for more than 10 years, married for more than 6
78. I hate minivans and station wagons
79. I was a nanny in highschool and my first two years of college
80. The only bone I've ever broken is my big toe
81. White Chocolate Mocha is the only coffee I will drink
82. I tend to get bored easily
83. I despise fruit flavored candy (exception: Twizzlers)
84. I cannot swim in public bodies of water
85. I love Haunted Houses/Forests
86. I am a control freak and that quality is imprinted in my daughter
87. I worked as a carhop and fountain girl at Sonic in highschool
88. I was raised Episcopalian
89. My favorite holidays are Halloween and Valentines Day
90. I have one nephew and I love him to death!
91. I have only one living grandparent that I love dearly
92. I've lived in Connecticut, California and Oklahoma, respectively
93. I love to play pinochle (the card game)
94. My favorite summer was in 1994 when my sister and I got to spend 3 weeks in Connectictut with our grandparents
95. I hate bad grammar
96. I love the PINK line at Victoria's Secret
97. I recycle. I recycle HARD
98. I brush my teeth 2x/day. No Exceptions.
99. Our honeymoon was spent on a cruise in Mexico. We visited Carmen de la Playa and Cozumel
100. I am voting for Obama

The Mullet

The Mullet baffles me (as do 'rat tails', but I don't have all day to compose a novel of the ridiculous hair styles that baffle me!). I was at the movie theater with my daughter the other day and there were a bunch of little boys (ages 5 - 7) in line to buy tickets and they ALL had mullets. At this age, these boys really have no say on how their hair is cut, which means an adult chose to cut their son's hair like this and let him parade it around in public. There are actually people out there in this world, in this city who think mullets are awesome and I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. As I searched the internet for a picture to go along with this blog, I found something even better: A chart that demonstrates the procedure to cut the perfect mullet. ENJOY.

Book Club: Twilight

Our group choice for the month of October is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, the first book in a captivating saga about a vampire (Edward Cullen) and a human (Isabella Swan) who fall in love. My sister brought this book to my attention a couple of months ago and warned me that the series would be addicting...she has never been more correct. I swiftly conquered Twilight and moved onto the second book, New Moon and the third book, Eclipse in one week's time. I began the fourth, and final, book Breaking Dawn over the weekend and found myself reading it more slowly, as I know when it's over--there is no more. I've even broken one of my book rules for this series: All of the books on my bookshelf must match in terms of hardback and paperback. The first two books in this series are already in paperback, but the last two are not. In fact, Eclipse doesn't make it in paperback until May 2009 and I needed to satisfy my vampire/werewolf cravings immediately!!

What could be better than losing yourself in a series of incredible books? A movie!!! Twilight the movie will be out in theaters on November 21, 2008 and that cannot come fast enough for me. I watch the trailer, on average, 10 times a day (much more sometimes)...over and over to see if I missed something the first time! The characters they have picked for Edward and Bella are PERFECT. This is definitely an opening night Must-See for me. If you'd like to see the trailer, go here: www.twilightthemovie.com but it may not be as appealing if you haven't read the book.

Here are the covers of each book in the series (in order, of course):

Happy 8th Birthday, Jadyn!!!!

TODAY is Jadyn's 8th Birthday!!! Our baby is getting so old!!! Jadyn's birthday party this year was yesterday at The Science Museum of Oklahoma (f/k/a The Omniplex). It was a pretty big crowd--and I was exhausted by the end of the day. The kids got to go play on the playground for about 30 minutes and then they returned to our designated party room for a liquid nitrogen demonstration. Our party host dipped many fun items in to the stuff and showed the kids how everything turned as hard as rock--including a banana that broke like glass when Jadyn threw it to the ground. At the end of the demo, Jadyn went up front and helped our party host make some sub-zero ice cream (that was apparently very tasty!) All in all, I believe that the kids had very much fun. Below are a couple of pictures from the party.

The Cake. As you can see, Jadyn is on the front of this cake made by her grandmother Anna (AK Bakes)--and she is with all three of her boyfriends: The Jonas Brothers!! (This also resembles the front of her invites, too--sans Jade's picture!)

Jadyn and her best friend tetter-tottering at the Museum's playground:

Jadyn assisting in the preparation of sub-zero ice cream!

The Gift. Jadyn has been begging for a hamster for the past six months, so her dad and I bent the 'no pets' rule and surprised her with one. Here is her new hamster--and his name has gone from 'Harry' to 'Chocolate' to 'Goober' to 'Goofer'...so I guess he doesn't have a name right now, but he did bite Jadyn twice, so we're off to a good start!

Finally, here is a bonus picture of our kids before the party. Aren't they just precious??

Mommy-Brag-Alert

This is definitely a brag-blog: Jadyn's soccer team had tough competition during Saturday's game and only managed to score three goals total...and how many did Jadyn score? Three. All three were scored by Jadyn...she had some help from her teammates, of course...but our hearts were swelling with pride! Way to go, Jade!!!

...and the FUN begins!!!

Jadyn had her very first sleepover on Friday night (October 3rd). She has been to other houses for spend-the-nights, but this was monumental for her...and her parents--it was at OUR home! The little girl that spent the night is her soccer coach's daughter, so the night started following Friday night practice. Once Andy got home from work, we took the kids to Johnnie's (friend's choice), where both kids wanted to sit at their own table and scarfed their chicken fried steak down faster than they could spell it! After dinner, it was really late so we came home and the girls played all over the house...and once the parents went to bed, they had their own dance party and coke bar. Yes...I said coke bar--the girls downed all but one coke in the fridge and were apparently guzzling it...but they were out by 1:30 am, so no worries there! The next morning, they woke up bright and early, played and then suited up for their soccer game! Here is a picture of the girls, on Jadyn's first sleepover:

Book Club: Leap of Faith - Queen Noor

Our book club choice for the month of September was Leap of Faith by Queen Noor. I am not that into autobiograpies - although I do admit, I have appreciated most that I have read - nor am I into history (this is just a plain fact)...so Queen Noor's book does not go to the top of my list; however, if you do like the genres listed above, you may enjoy this book. Queen Noor's life (or rather, the life of her husband, King Hussein of Jordan, through her eyes) was interesting, but the historical facts of the middle east made this book a very slow read for me. There were a few people in my book club that liked this book a lot, though--one of whom is a hisory major. I do have certain gripes about this book, which I will not divulge here for the main fact that it was not a BAD book. So--with that said, here is a picture of the cover, in case you want a book that will make you feel a little bit smarter (on certain one-sided facts of the middle east in the late 70's, 80's and 90's):

Li'l Divas - September 27-28, 2008

Jadyn has been playing soccer since Fall '04 and the team she currently plays with is called Li'l Divas! It is so exciting to watch them play--I'm very competitive, so I really get into it! This past weekend, the girls played in their very first tournament and placed 3rd and we are SO PROUD of them! (They were up against some pretty tough teams, too!) Here is a picture of our baby girl with the other little divas:


(Yes, their jerseys do look like they have a picture of a stripper on it...or maybe something you would picture on the mudflap of an eighteen-wheeler!)

1998 Heritage Hall Reunion

Saturday night was my highschool reunion, which was located at The Skirvin Hotel. Ten Years, wow, we are getting old…FAST!!! It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be--it was nice to see everyone. We are all so grown up now!! After meet and greet and the slide show, the party was taken to the downstairs bar and after five shots, two of straight vodka, I was totally wasted. Not drunk, wasted. This happens to me maybe once every two years and has probably happened three or four times in my whole life. Yesterday was no fun and I'm not 100% convinced that I am completely cured today! I apparently made some nice phone calls that night, too. I remember calling Kaitlyn…but I called Andrea…and I do not remember that at all. So…that shows you how much fun I had! ;o) Here are some pictures from our reunion:
Julie and Me:

Julie, Kelly and Me:

Kelly and Andy:

Our 1998 Graduating Class:

Surprise!!!

Andy and I had a pretty eventful weekend--so much is the case that we need a weekend to recoup from our weekend! It started off on Friday night with Andy's Surprise birthday party! His birthday is October 15th, so it was a super surprise having it in September! Andrea and I used the ruse of meeting her and Kevin at Hey Day in Norman for a fun game of Laser Tag. The whole gang was there waiting to surprise Andy: Andrea, Kevin, Jeff, Kaitlyn, Drew, Christina, Kyle and Rahme…and Kit came later. It was a lot of fun: Beer, Pizza, Cookie Cake, Laser Tag and Arcade games! (We even let the psuedo-birthday boy win Laser Tag! ha ha!) Then we took the party to our house for more drinking and fun games of catchphrase. Jeff and Kaitlyn had so much fun that they decided to sleep over with their son, Aidan! Fun stuff! here are some fun pictures from that night!
The Cake:

The Group Reading Game Results:

The Sweaty Birthday Boy after laster tag: