T-minus-5 Days and Counting...

I like to blame the Gemini in me for my capricious personality. It basically gives me a valid excuse for getting bored of things easily--and makes me feel better about not completing my Bucket List...oh I came so close. In five days, I will have crossed that threshold to 30 and I'm quite excited about it. (Okay...so I'm mostly excited about the party!) I don't know where the time went, but it's here and I'm lovin' every bit of it.

The Lopezes have been so busy these past months--so much of which I would ordinarily post on here, but haven't...I'd like to blame the Gemini for that fail as well. We had a fantastic ski trip with our friends in March and we had an entire kickball season where we had our best season yet! My stepson ran a track meet this month and graduated into middle school! My daughter got numerous awards at her assembly and was promoted to the fourth grade.

The biggest 'away' thing has been the fact that we spent 3.5 months renovating our house...Andy did it all on his own...and I have before and after pictures that I can't wait to post!

The most exciting time I spent away from blogland was the weekend of April 17th. I fulfilled three Bucket List items that weekend and had one of the most glorious times ever with my BFF. I went to Dallas to have my girls weekend (check!) and we went to an AMAZING drag show (check!) at the Rose Room. I am now obsessed with drag queens--I LOVE THEM! The next night, I had a whole lotta shots and got my ass up on stage and sang karaoke (check!) with the girls! I can't put into words how fun this weekend was (although I tried!) and how much it meant to me. My BFF is amazing. She has been such a big part of my life...for almost 20 years...and I love her til death do us part.

Below are a few fun pictures of our weekend...and below that are the *FINAL* results of My 30 before 30 bucket list...

Here is a pic of my BFF:

Here is a pic of my favorite Dallas drag queen:

This drag queen had a killer bod:

This drag queen danced to really fun 70's music and it made me like him/her a lot!:

and *PROOF* that I really did get up and sing some karaoke. Four Non-Blondes "What's Up":


And Now...the results of my *BUCKET LIST*:
Read [at least] 30 books in 12 months Made 20/30
Read War and Peace
Create a Self Portrait I tried this...too embarrassing to even publish here
Run a 10K FAIL
Have an impromptu food fight FAIL
Explore Wines [and hopefully find a fav!]
Karaoke [Not just attend, perform]
Spend a Saturday volunteering FAIL
Create a Signature Dish FAIL
Extreme Ironing [any ironing for me is extreme]
Write one letter per month to Jadyn throughout my 30th year.
Have a *girls only* weekend
Make it through 30 days of boot camp [starting June 15! Yikes!]
Watch every episode of The O.C. from start to finish [since sis keeps buggin' about it]
Do a Chinese Fire Drill!
Toilet Paper a house - Mr. Shane was the victim
Run ten 5K's this year [round down to 30 miles! Magic Number: 30!] Made it to 7/10
Lose 25 pounds [I CAN do this] FAIL
Keep a plant alive for a year FAIL
Kill a spider by myself
Find a better alternative to curse words [I'm going to start using terms that I read in G.I. and MLS's blogs to replace my cursing! Bugger!] I am cursing less--but my mind has gotten dirtier. Go figure.
Go to a Drag Show
Family Trip - Just the four of us!
Make New Friends love love love this one!
Read Little Women Currently at page 300/472--so so close
Go Camping - with an actual tent and actual bugs!
Bowl an entire game granny style
Prepare a meal - by myself - and surprise Hubs with it - Jan. 12 turkeyloaf
Every Friday for a month - do not say one thing negative [December]
Play in the mud [Oklahoma Red Dirt] on a rainy day. [Yuck]

Saturday's Stupid Situation

Today my sister and I thought that it would be a great idea to walk around the lake in order to train for our 13 mile walking marathon. Those of you that know the lay of our city, Lake Hefner is roughly 9.5 miles around and this isn't the best way to start training for a marathon--especially if you started the morning with 55 minutes of racquetball followed by a 20 minute run. In addition to working out this morning, I sat through an hour and a half of pure sun at the soccer field, so I soaked up some rays sans sunscreen...then walked around the lake. Needless to say, I am now a human lobster, skin burning as I write this AND my feet have blisters, blisters and more blisters. I can't walk. I can barely move and I will be lucky to be able to get out of bed in the morning.

How are we going to make it through 13 miles in two weeks? We aren't spring chickens anymore at 27 and 28 years old!

Bonus Commode Story!

I was just telling my friend this story and decided I had to put it up here, too...b/c it was cracking me up as I wrote it to her.

When my stepson was 5 and my daughter was 3, she saw him going to the bathroom. Daughter then proceeded to point at Stepson and said to her father: "I wanna pee out of my belly button like Ethan!"

Good Times...

Queen of Commodes

Every parent has at least one story revolving around the commode. Here is one of ours.

When Jadyn was two and a half [May 2003], she would spend the evenings quietly entertaining herself in the playroom by watching a movie or playing with one of her thousands of toys. On this particular night, Andy and I watched Jadyn go in and out of the playroom, and we assumed she was going to her bedroom. The only room between her playroom and her bedroom is the bathroom, but we kept the door shut so she couldn't play in there. [We all see where this is going...]

As I went back to go check on Jadyn, I found her just in time to see her drop a large block into the toilet and flush...and then heard her say "uh-oh", when instead of going down, the water started to rise.

Turns out, Jadyn had been going in and out of her playroom to get blocks and flushing them down. Andy decided to take the toilet off the floor to fix it...and this is what he found:


The first picture is the pipe in the ground, filled with blocks and the second picture is the actual toilet...and yes, that is a little Kelly doll sticking out of the bottom of it!!!

Jadyn's situation also allowed us to realize how nasty the people who lived in our house before us were [we had only been living there four months at the time], and due to this episode, we went out and got a new toilet and floor!

...Another One Bites the Dust...

Daughter leaves the room to take a shower. She comes back, so overcome with emotion that she doesn't realize she's stark naked, and says:

'Well, you got your wish. Clover's dead. Happy Birthday, Mom'

It was no secret that I openly loathed the rodent. I hated how she smelled, how she did her business in her wheel [leaving it in a constant state of wet], and most of all, I hated how she stayed up all night long, trying to escape from her cage, waking me up in the process...every. hour.

So now, the Lopez *fam* lives in a stink-free, pet-free home and it's lovely. We were clearly not meant to have hamsters as [you will remember] three died in less than a month and a half. First Hammy, then Rosalina and now Clover. That has certainly got to be a record of sorts!

R.I.P. Clover, you little stinky critter.

Happy Birthday, Boo!!!

Happy 27th Birthday to the person who has been by my side, causing mischief since I was two years old!!! I hope that you have the most fantabulous day ever, Steph--27 will be a good year, I can FEEL it!!!
[Everytime you get older, I get older...sigh...]

Here is a picture of Sleeping Beauty. Add a few wrinkles, white hair and saggy skin--and that is what she will look like in her coffin as well! Ha!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET SISTER OF MINE!

Good Times in Guthrie

For our first day of Spring Break fun, my sister, Jadyn and I went to historic Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie brings a feeling of nostalgia to me--memories of men in cowboy boots getting wasted in the brick buildings, having a grand 'ol time in the bordellos and even whipping out pistols during poker games. It is amazing to me that the buildings and brick streets have lasted for over a hundred years--they have witnessed so much history! We went on the Trolly tour through the town and finished our trip with a few antique stores which was So. Much. Fun. To top it off, the weather was absolutely beautiful. Couldn't have asked for a better start to a Spring Break in Oklahoma!!

Stephanie and Jadyn waiting for the Trolly to arrive:

Jadyn takes a break:

The Trolly is here!

Let's get this party started:


HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY, YO!

Happy Birthday, Padre!

Today is my dad's 58th Birthday--Happy Birthday to the most amazing, loving and generous man in the world! My father is the best, always there for my sister and me and I couldn't have asked for a better dad. Happy, Happy Day!!!

Here are highlights from his birthday party last night--I hear that we left before it got REALLY crazy!!!
Who buys their 58-year old dad an enormous bottle of Vox Vodka for his birthday?? We do--that's who!

My dad, Naureen and Jeff:

Our kids before the party. [It's really hard to get Jadyn to smile seriously for pictures...ever] They were a big help in getting everything set up!

We love you, dad!!!

Chesapool

After Andy whooped me at racquetball yesterday, we decided to take the kids swimming for the first time this year. They were so excited and had a fantastic time. Starting with a race across the pool where Ethan came out victorious, the kids had an hour filled with flippers, noodles and fun! Here are Jadyn and Ethan living it up in the Chesapool:

It's Soccer Time!

Jadyn played her first two soccer games this weekend and her team, the Li'l Divas, kicked butt and took names [I know, I know--they are playing 'just for fun'...but I'm a highly competitive person]. On Saturday's game, Jadyn scored one goal and on Sunday she scored two goals, one from almost halfway down the field with her little power leg! Andy and I are so proud of her. This season, Jadyn's best friend is on her team and they made up a cute tummy-bump dance that they did on the field each time one of them scored...too cute!!! I have good feelings about Spring '09 Li'l Divas--great coach, great girls...a great team!
Here is a picture of the girls playing:

Here is a pep talk from coach Danny:

Here is Jadyn and her best friend:

Workin' on my Fitness...

One of the [many] perks of Andy's new job is the on-site workout facility owned/operated by his company and for a ridiculously low price, our family of four are all members! The gym has everything from cardio equipment, weights, classes [all sorts], child care, swimming, an outdoor track, tanning, racquetball and squash courts--and that's not the half of it. A bonus is that one of our best friends (wo)mans the front desk and it is always fun to chit chat with her.

Lately, Andy and I have had the racquetball bug, going up there almost every evening to knock the ball around [no pun intended]. I am definitely getting better, almost able to stand my ground against him, but it is exhausting. We usually walk away soaking wet--who knew that working out could actually be fun???

The swimming pool is on the lower level of the facility near the racquetball courts and we have gotten to witness kayak training in there a few times. Pretty funny if you ask me! Seeing the pool, though, really makes me wish I could swim in public bodies of water--no matter how hard I try [and the amount of chlorine added], the mental grossness of it all overpowers me.

So, that's pretty much the update on my fitness regime…fun stuff!

Side Note: Racquetball can be a very dangerous sport. Andy accidentally pelted me on the side of the head last night [think: temple area] and there was some crying involved...

Lopez Does Dallas

On Saturday, Andy and I headed to Las Colinas, a suburb of D-town, to celebrate the 30th birthday of my BFF's husband. Eric is the first person in our group of 'close friends' to cross the big 3-0 threshold and he did it in style!
We started the evening off with a delicious Italian dinner and a small group of friends. It was intimate and fun...and the five couples at the table are some our favorite peeps. The night was topped off at a bar called Republic with a very large group of McFriends and the biggest, most comfortable black leather couches ever. It was fun--and it was SO wonderful to see everyone!
Here is a picture of my BFF, Jules and the birthday boy:

Here is a picture of our other favorite Dallas couple, Christina and Brandon a/k/a 'mom-and-dad-to-be' [Congratulations, we Love you guys!!]:

Melting Pot Fun

Friday night, my sister and I went to drown our sorrows in chocolate fondue at The Melting Pot. We had a delicious meal of bread w/ their Wisconsin Trio fondue, salad for my rabbit-eater of a sister, surf and turf and my favorite: DESSERT, which included pound cake, brownies, bananas, strawberries, cheesecake, rice crispie treats and marshmallows dipped in their Ying Yang [dark chocolate and white chocolate] fondue. Even thought we were both so stuffed by the time that dessert arrived, we couldn't pass it up. I really need to go to the Melting Pot for JUST dessert...that would be awesome, plus way better on my budget!!! Below are some pictures of Jaimie and Stephanie's night of fondue madness!
Stephanie is ready to munch on some shrimp:

Our Yin Yang dessert. Mmmmm:

And finally...we have one of the women's restroom perks: Maxipads. I am trying to refrain from imagining the emergency that made management think having a bowl of these on the counter was a great idea:

R.I.P. Rosalina

There seems to be bad hamster juju in the Lopez house. A week after we purchased Rosalina as a replacement for Hammy [the dead hamster with ginormous testicles], she died. Rosalina was the sweetest critter ever--she didn't bite, she let us pick her up and play with her and she was super cute, which is clearly a quality that determines hamster sweetness. Needless to say [if you have been following these blogs regularly], we are down to one hamster: Clover--and she needs hamster Ritilan in a major way.

So. What are we doing wrong with the hamsters? Hammy lived a good four months, but I have heard that hamsters live for years. In Rosalina's case, I have come up with the following theories:

We did feed her a lot of sugar and some of it included chocolate [something we did not do for Hammy], so maybe that was the cause of death. [In our defense, she was extremely cute stuffing her cheeks with cookies that we just couldn't stop!]

Maybe Clover was envious of all of the attention we showered on Rosalina and resorted to murder while Rosie was sleeping. [Dun-Dun-Duuun!]

Too much human contact from picking her up so much. [Okay, quite possible]

Petco sold us a sick hamster, making Rosalina doomed from the beginning.**

There is poison in the hamster food we purchased. [This is a possibility, as Hammy died less than a week after we switched]

Regardless of the cause, Rosalina was given her own little checks box [thank goodness Andy recently ordered more checks] and buried next to Hammy. I'm sure that they are frolicking through the clouds in hamster heaven, happy as can be--and maybe even making hamster ghost babies!

**Petco gives a 15-day hamster warranty and Rosalina [Hamster God rest her soul] died within that time frame; however, we thought it silly to replace a ten-dollar hamster. Besides, two hamsters were SO messy and stinky--much more so than one--so maybe this was a blessing in disguise…Just the wrong hamster died.

Mardi Gras!

I hope that everyone had a *FAB* Mardi Gras, which is French for 'fat Tuesday'…but for me, every day is a fat day, unless I’m dieting. We didn't celebrate a la New Orleans yesterday, but I did go to Crabtown for lunch with the girls and got some beads...Tres fun!

Here is a pic I snapped of Jade last night, decked out in her celebratory gear:

…which brings us to Lent. [Happy Ash Wednesday, by the way] I don't normally give anything up for 40 days, but I've decided to make an exception this year and would like to share my list with you. I really hope that to be strict enough to follow through…So, here it goes:

For Lent, I am going to give up…

1. Exercising. I mean, it only gets in the way of my real life anyway.
2. Working. This one is going to be hard because I actually get paid to do it.
3. Bathing. Just Because.
4. Clothes. This will be liberating--can anyone object if it's for religious purposes?
5. Talking. Won't my husband be excited about this one!?!?
6. Breathing. The air stinks, anyway. [Note: I've tried this one before and failed miserably. Maybe this time…]
and finally...
7. Being Patient. Ask anyone who knows me, I am the most patient person ever, so this one is going to be the most difficult.

What are you giving up this year?

Five Years at P|M

Five years ago today, also a Monday, I walked through the doors of P|M to start my very first day of work. It's amazing that I've lasted so long in one place, considering the fact that I was just 'passing through' on my way to law school--a dream that turned into a nightmare once I was in the thick of things and witnessed the excruciating hours and stress an attorney endures daily. [Let's not forget to mention the insane student loans!]

My P|M journey has been a long one: enjoyable, emotional and, at times, exasperating. In fact, I've put my notice in twice and been denied, which is a wonderful feeling [especially when the denial includes monatery gain]. I have been promoted multiple times [sadly almost hitting my glass ceiling] and have been very fortunate to work with bosses who appreciate everything I handle for them.

Our building location has changed, our firm name has changed, my direct management has changed and only one person that I befriended on my first day is still working with me, others having moved on to different things [not necessarily bigger and better].
Only God knows what the future holds, but my P|M journey has been a good one…so far!

Here is a picture that was taken in our 'old' building, circa 2004:

Roses and Clovers

With Hammy dead and bloated (STP reference, nevermind), Jadyn's hamster cage needed a new tenant--and what better way to replace one hamster than with TWO hamsters?? Cute factor multiplied by two, with double the stink and double the mess. [Joy] One of the reasons Jadyn believes that Hammy died was that she, and I quote, "didn't put enough effort into his name", so this time around, Jade spent some time picking out names for her new hamsters (both girls): Rosalina and Clover. They are messy little critters, but they don’t have offensively large testicles, which makes them way better than Hammy already.

Meet Rosalina and Clover:

xoxo Happy Valentines Day! xoxo

A day blinded by red and pink, flowers, chocolate and sappy cards…and I love every second of it--for the most part because I get to spend it with people that I care about more than anything in the world. I am so lucky to have such a loving and caring family--I am.

Tonight, Andy and I have a great night planned: Indian food by candle light and one of the girliest movies ever: Confessions of a Shopaholic! So. Excited. Our babysitter fell through without enough time to find another, so Jade will get to enjoy the evening with us.

Here is a picture of our little bitty, decked out in her V-day gear:



This is the goofball pose I got when I told her to smile--her personality shines right through!!

R.I.P. Hammy the Hamster

Jadyn's first pet passed away last night and our little girl is soooo sad. He was such a cute and fun little critter and he LOVED to roll around on the tile in his Hamster ball. Jadyn really loved him, too. He was so friendly--if you would go into Jadyn's room he would come out to see what was going on and if you put your finger up to his cage, he would come straight to you and start sniffing through the glass.
Andy and Jadyn put him in a discarded checks box and buried him in the backyard last night, in the dark. I guess we'll be making a trip to Petsmart on Sunday!

Hammy the Hamster (the most cleverly named rodent)
October 6, 2008 - February 12, 2009

(Yes, this is a recycled picture, but I can't get my iphone to send mail when I'm at work. Drats!)

Black History Challenge - 2009

Our sweet little girl entered a challenge sponsored by the OKC Thunder in honor of Black History Month: African American Heroes. The rules were simple: submit a piece of art work, a poem, a one-page essay or a video about her African American hero and why he/she was chosen. Jade has been crazy for Obama and, naturally, decided to focus on him, submitting a short clip for the contest. Participants in this contest were grades 1 - 12, which means an eight year old has very little chances of winning, but she had a lot of fun filming the video and she got some great consolation prizes:

• Four Tickets to a Thunder game


• Two Tickets to the Renaissance Exhibit at the Art Museum


• Six Tickets to the Oklahoma History Center

Below is her entry: