Blink and it's gone

4:47am ... June 6th, 2011
Chris and I pulled in to the yard of his mom's house.

4:47am ... June 6th, 2012

Chris and I are in Norman, married, sleeping, in our apartment, and both Oklahoma residents (though he's been one all his life).

So much has happened this past year and I can't believe it!

My life is nothing like I imagined it would be like. If you asked me 5 years ago what I thought I'd be doing in 2012, I can say for sure that living in Oklahoma and being married would be nowhere in my mind, yet here I am... having been an Okie resident for over a year and having been married for 9 and a half months.

I never imagined I'd leave my friends and family behind, and I never thought I'd want to get married, yet I did and I am.

Leaving my family is still the hardest thing I've ever done, and will probably always be one of the hardest things I'll ever have done.

I've still managed to visit my family for some important days, such as seeing my little sister graduate high school.

Last week, I flew back home so I could be in the stands when my sister received her high school diploma, and I couldn't have been more proud of her.

There were a couple times where subjects just weren't coming easy to her, and managing work, dance, and academics became too much. I never doubted that she'd get through it all, but I know she worked her butt off between working, dancing on the high school team, and getting all of her homework done, plus trying to have some kind of a social life to top it all off. My sister is such a strong young woman and I couldn't be more proud of her if I tried. I love her so much, and I'm so happy to see her grow up in to such an incredible person.

On top of seeing my sister graduate this year, I got promoted at work. Before, I was a Players' Club Clerk. Now, I am a Players' Club Shift Leader. There's not a whole lot more work involved, but I do have more authority, I am allowed to touch money items in certain situations, and I have more of a say-so in what goes on. Plus, it's a pay raise. Woohoo!

Chris has also been interviewing for another position as a Police Officer. It's over Putnam City School District, though I think his focus is the middle schools. Regardless, it's also a pay raise, it's more along the lines of what he wants to do for a career, and did I mention it's a pay raise?

Not that money is all that matters, but hey, if he can get paid more to do a job he enjoys more...why not?

He had a job interview a few weeks ago along with 10 or 11 other people. A week later, he got called back for a second interview with only 4 or 5 other people. Well there are two spots needing to be filled and his second interview was Wednesday, so hopefully we'll be hearing back soon if he got the job or not. I've got my fingers and toes crossed that he gets it. He really wants it and I really want him to get it too.

On top of the job excitement, Chris and I also got approved for a house! Now...we're not buying yet, but it is a rental and it'll be OUR rental! It's a little two-bedroom house in north-west Oklahoma City, and the location is perfect; right between Newcastle (work for me) and Edmond (school). Plus, if Chris does get the Putnam City job, it'll be very close for him as well.

The house has a washer and dryer hookup, which is outstanding because our current apartment does not and when we need to do laundry, we either have to go to Chris' sister's house, or the laundromat and I hate doing both.

The house also has a big backyard, and that means I can go Pintrest crazy and decorate for parties and barbeques, because I want to have plenty of both!

Once we get the go-ahead to move in...I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share with everyone!

Until next time...

P.S.
Has it really been 4 years since I graduated high school?!?!?
 And a year since I graduated from Cuyamaca?!?!?!?!?!??!?!

Ah... I work out!

Before the wedding, due to a combination of healthy habits and unhealthy stress, I got down to my lowest weight that I ever remember. I felt good though...healthy, and I was getting strong.

Then came the honeymoon cruise in October, where all I did was eat. The buffet was open nearly all day...there was 24 hour room service...a pizza place...a deli...ice cream machines all over the top floor...you could not escape the food! And it was good food too!

After the honeymoon came Thanksgiving. Chris' parents are divorced and both happily remarried, so we had multiple gatherings to attend. We forgo having our own Thanksgiving this year (though I'd like to host one year when we get a house) and went to his Mom's, Dad's, and step-mom's family's houses. Then again on Christmas, we did the same thing.

3 Thanksgiving meals and 3 Christmas meals!

Needless to say, I gained back just about all the weight I had lost.

As I mentioned before in a previous post, I've been eating better and exercising more since January 1st, and am slowly but surely getting my healthy-self back.

One of the ways I've been doing that, is my running (I know, what? Me!? Run!?!?) and bicycling.

Chris has fallen in love with bicycling in the last year. He bought a road bike, and is on it whenever he can be.

About a month ago, we took his road bike and my mountain bike up to Lake Hefner to ride on the trail that circles the lake. It's a sidewalk trail (for the most part) with two lanes, so runners and cyclists can enjoy a safer run/ride as if they're on their own little road. There was only one part that it was only one "lane" wide, and on the shoulder of the real road (which was only one way at that part).

It's about 10 miles or so around, and we made two laps (Chris probably could have done another, but it was really windy and it's difficult to ride in wind. Especially on a mountain bike when the you're trying to ride against the wind...which we did).

It was a lot of fun to ride, though I did mentally curse at the wind a time or two as we were riding.

While it's still hard to ride in to the wind, road bikes are a lot thinner and lighter than mountain bikes, and they can go a lot faster because of it. My mountain bike is heavier and bulkier, and I can't go near as fast as Chris can. I tried to average about 10/11 miles an hour, but there were times when I was riding that I got down to 6/7 miles an hour just because the wind was so stinking bad.

Speaking of stinking...I had forgotten how bad it can smell on the shoreline from fish and birds! Those can be some smelly animals!

Other than our Lake Hefner ride, Chris and I have only rode around Norman. Once I rode to the library and back to return some books, kill time, and just ride my bike. Just the other weekend, we rode to Wal*Mart to pick up a few things, then rode to Chelsea and Kalen's house for a cook-out (let me tell you, it's not easy trying to ride a bike with chicken, fruit and chips hanging off your handle bars. It makes for a very unsteady ride).

My other outdoor workout has been running.

I've always hated running, and it's still not my favorite exercise, but it's easy, and it works.

After coming with me to the gym a couple of times, Chris decided I needed to do a 5k. So he called up his mom and had her enter me in the Elmore City Footloose Festival 5k. Oh joy...running 3.1 miles in front of 80 other runners plus spectators!

In all honesty, the 5k wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'd almost say I enjoyed it (but I don't know I'd go quite to far as to actually say it). I forgot my running shoes, left my camera at the house, had to wake up at 6:45am and stand around in the chilly morning weather until it started...but I'd almost say it was fun still.

Chris, Randy, and April came along to cheer us on, and Randy came prepared with a stop watch to give us the official times (oh wonderful).

All my practice runs I managed in about 40 minutes. Considering I haven't really ran since middle school, I was just happy I could jog a mile non-stop at all, no matter the time it took me.

Jeanette did the 5k with me, along with about 80 other people (of all shapes, sizes, and athletic ability). Somehow I managed to shave 7 minutes off of my time, and I came in at 33 minutes and 25 seconds. 33 minutes! That's just over a 10 minute mile, and I walked a good portion of it too (you really didn't think I ran/jogged the whole thing did you? I'm not quite that good). My best mile time in school was 9 minutes. I was so proud of my 33 minutes!

Jeanette came in at 39 minutes, which compared to her 50 minute 5k she did over a year ago, that's great! She shaved 11 minutes off her total, and walked some of it too.

We were so happy with our times, and after catching our breath, we trekked in to town for some Footloose Festivities and (my favorite part) a pancake breakfast.

My 5k was two weeks ago. Chris though had his first event on this past Saturday.

We headed down to Jeanette's the night before and woke up bright and early again, but time time, we headed in to Pauls Valley, and I wasn't the one getting ready to run. Chris was getting ready for his first big bike ride...the Valley Ralley.

There was a 28 mile ride, a 47 mile and a 67 mile. Chris did the 28 mile since it was his first big ride, and though I'm not an avid cyclist, I think he did great!
Off he went with a police escort through town, and 150+ other cyclists.
You'll have to check his blog for the details of his ride, since I wasn't there and didn't experience it.
Jeanette, Randy and April came with me to cheer for Chris, and to help me kill the two and a half hours before he crossed the finish line. The BrickFest was also happening in Pauls Valley that day, so we stopped by there for a while and browsed. There were quite a few jewelry booths set up, and I treated myself to a new pair of earrings. There was also a BMX stunt team, so we watched their show for a while. There were 5 guys, and all but 1 were under 21 years old. They were doing all sorts of flips and tricks, and they made it look so easy, when riding a bike in itself can sometimes be a challenge!
After patiently waiting though, and a few updates from Chris as to when he hit the rest stops, we made it back to the park and stood at the finish line waiting to see my hubby cross.
When his time came, we cheered and congratulated Chris on a ride well done.
I'm so proud of him and how far he has come with his cycling. His goal is still to make it through Hotter than Hell this summer in Texas, and if he keeps at it as diligently as he has the past few months, I think he'll be able to do it. Though I'll admit I am worried about the heat, considering it's in the middle of summer.

I promise to try and be better about my updates...like I was before the wedding. Love and hugs to you all!

Easter with a side of tornadoes

I haven't posted an update in a while...so I think I'll break up everything that has happened in to a few posts so that I can really focus on details instead of skimming over everything.

Easter

This year, I spend Easter at Chris' dad and step-mom's house for his step-mom's mother's birthday (and Easter). Most of his step-family showed up for the event, much like for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There were four kids (6 and under) and over 300 eggs, both real and plastic. Everyone hiding the eggs ran out of places in the backyard and we just started throwing plastic eggs out on the lawn!

After the kids had their fun...the adults had their fun! Chelsea bought some lawn games (you can always count on her to bring the games) and one was called ladderball. Basically, there is a stand with three horizontal bars, and you toss a rope with a ball on each end and try to wrap it around the posts.

 

People took turns all day playing, some more successfully than others.

Another game that got brought out was Headbandz. I am terrible at this game...but they made me play anyway.

It seems simple enough, but sometimes you find yourself thinking too hard and just confusing yourself.

Basically, everyone wears a headband with a card attached on your forehead. The card will have a famous person (alive, dead, fictional or real), a place, or a thing on it, and you ask the group yes or no questions to help you guess what or who you are. I always get stuck with people and I am terrible at guessing people. I get stumped after "Am I fictional?" "Am I young?" "Am I a guy?" Once those three questions are asked...I usually clam up. Sometimes it's funny watching people try and guess. Chris, for example, had Darth Vader and though you'd think that'd be an easy card to guess...it took him at least 4 turns to guess it (I probably would have given up).

 Though I did have to throw away my flats when we got home (it had rained and the grass was muddy and wet, which then soaked through my shoes on all sides) it was a good day. We got to see Jeanette and Randy (we took April with us to the Easter gathering) which was nice. I really got lucky and have a great family-in-law that I love to visit.

Weather

How is it that many Okies live without ever having a real tornado threat to their homes...and my first tornado season as an Oklahoma resident...a tornado forms and goes not 2 miles from my apartment when I'm alone at home?

A little before 4:00pm on the 13th, I was getting ready to leave the apartment to go to work when I heard on the news that a tornado had touched down in Norman near I-35.

Needless to say, I freaked out. I called Chris, who told me to call work and say I wasn't going to be in, then get to the bathroom and take the mattress if I could. The tornado sirens started to go off, and I started to cry. I was shaking so badly that it may have seemed comical to anyone that saw, but I was terrified. I grabbed my laptop and went in the hallway with my cell phone and listened intently to the news streaming from my laptop. We have yet to invest in a battery operated radio, so I was relying on the power to stay on so I could listen to my fate (sounds dramatic now, but I was so scared).

After the tornado died down and the storm was moving northeast of me, I raced (carefully) to Riverwind to be with Chris, because I did not want to be home, and I did not want to trek all the way to work. The storm fizzled out after another hour or so and we figured I was safe to drive to Newcastle, so off I went. My co-workers were all very happy to see me. Apparently my manager had been trying to call my cell phone to check on me and it had kept going to voicemail. I'm guessing it was when I was in the back at Riverwind, because my cell service is pretty bad back there.

Chris and I now know where the closest shelter is, and we will be getting a battery operated radio in the immediate future. Storms are picking up again, and I'm really wanting to invest. Tonight there have been at least 2 tornadoes in northern Oklahoma, and it's raining with incredibly strong wind gusts. No tornadoes nearby, but lots of rain, hail, and wind.

Stay tuned for my second update, all about my recent biking and running!

Does this make me an athlete now?

So it looks like I'm doing a 5k.

As I mentioned before...since January 1st, I've been back on my healthy eating and exercising often regime (is that even the proper way to use that word?). While I've only lost 11 pounds since January 1st, I'm trying to keep my head up and stay positive about the whole thing.

Before the wedding when I was trying to lose weight, the pounds seemed to melt away. They're being a bit more reluctant to leave me this time, and being presented with cake and goodies at work nearly every day isn't helping my case any either. I've also yet to find that happy place where exercise and eating don't cancel one another out. I feel like I'm either eating too much after I workout and it cancelled out the hard work I just did, or I exercise too hard and don't eat enough after, so that I feel tired and drained all day. And what's worse, is that I can't see a real difference in myself from before I started working out to now. I mean...I am a bit stronger, but not significantly so.

Anyway...I've been starting to add running/jogging/walking to my workouts, and I'm slowly starting to build up my endurance and leg strength (not that I was ever lacking in that area...my legs have always been strong). Well the other day, Chris came with me to the gym and said he was very impressed with how well I did on the treadmill. So much, in fact, that he decided to call up his mom and see if she would enter me in the Elmore City's Footloose Festival 5k that's coming up. She agreed, and now I guess I'm doing my first 5k!

Good thing I can walk if I need to, because I can't quite run a 5k straight. A mile maybe, but that's pushing it. I haven't had to do that since like...8th grade!

Now, in regards to the car accident Chris and I were involved in about a month and a half or so ago.

We're just about finished with everything and are now waiting on our settlement check. Chris dealt with the insurance companies for the most part, and he did well with it. Sometimes I felt guilty that I wasn't helping out more, but he said he had it under control.

First up, we got the estimates for the car at about $1,700. Chris had the car taken to two body repair shops, plus the other insurance company had an independent contractor guy come out to take a gander at the damages. A few days later, we had a check for $2,157 to get the car fixed! Chris wanted to pocket the check, but I wanted to get the car fixed. So instead of fixing the cosmetic damage (like the Chevy logo, the little part that says "Cobalt", and the insignificant bumps and bruises) we got the absorbers under the bumper fixed and a few other of the more important things. We were able to keep about $800 of the check, which in turn, will end up fixing my truck up. I had a huge crack in my windshield from back in July or August, when I took my truck in to WalMart to get the oil changed. It came back out with a crack, but they said they weren't going to pay for any kind of repair or anything because there was a chip and they weren't responsible (BS if you ask me...but it's all over with now). I have a new windshield now, but I still need to get my A/C fixed and check and see why my truck doesn't have any power behind it when I go up hills.

The second thing we got taken care of, was our medical bills. Now, apparently Chris and I have $1,000 medical coverage that we were unaware of...so our insurance paid us about $600 for our bills. The other guy's insurance also covered our medical bills, so the checks from our insurance went in to the bank for us to keep, while the other insurance company paid for the bills (which were really expensive! I didn't realize just how much a trip to the E.R. cost. It was close to $1,000 total for Chris and $1,500 for me).

Lastly, we are waiting on our settlement money and compensation for lost wages. We signed a release agreement type thing Tuesday and mailed it off, saying that we accept their payment and are now waiting on the check. Combined, we'll be getting about $2,730 for lost wages, being reimbursed for our medications, and pain and suffering.

Not bad considering we really weren't injured that badly.

And finally...Chris and I went to see Family Force 5 for the third time.

At a little church in Shawnee, Family Force 5 came to play an acoustic set. It was very interesting, considering they're such an electric-based band. It was different, but very awesome still. They had this little device where they could beat-box and it would loop the sound for their songs. Very nifty...

There was even e truck muffler used as decoration/an instrument!

Just look at the set for yourself!

 That guy in the cut offs wasn't in the band...but he is their friend. He came out in the middle of the song dancing around. It was pretty comical.

See the muffler???

 Better view of the muffler.

 For the encore, that guy came back on stage, plus the brothers of Mike Bone got pulled onstage. They were the only people between us and the stage, and they were danging during the whole concert.

Unfortunately, our picture with the band came out really blurry. The guy taking the picture didn't focus it and he was in a hurry to get people in and out. =(

Well...I think I covered just about everything. So TTFN, Ta-ta for now!

The Good, The Bad, and the Blast from the Past

The Good

On February 29th, I was accepted in to UCO!

I start in the fall of 2012 and I'm super excited! It has felt really strange not going to school this year, and I'm ready to go back.

Last night I filled out my FAFSA, and I'm going to start applying for scholarships now. I also have to fill out some paperwork to make sure I'm an Oklahoma resident and can qualify for residential tuition.

I go to the  Transfer Enrollment Day on April 4th and I'll have more information then.

I got a bike!
 Chris has been really in to bicycling, and I wanted to get myself a good bike so I could ride with him.

I got one!

Chris picked it up Monday for $165. It's only been owned by one person, and he said he's only put about 80 miles on it. Plus, it's a beautiful blue! I took it out for a short, 25 minute spin yesterday and while I'll definitely need to get the hang of the gears and when to shift in to what gear...I'm excited to start riding it.

Now I just have to wait for Chris to get his bike (which he ordered Tuesday).

The Bad

Last Sunday, Chris and I got in to a car accident.

I was driving his car down in Ardmore, going from his brother's house to his dad's house when we got hit from behind.

A 16 year-old wasn't paying attention to where he was going and ran in to the back of another truck hard enough to send them in to the back of our little car. After the police got there and we moved the cars in to the parking lot next to where the accident happened, the police got everyone's information and let us go so that we could go to the E.R. since Chris' back was hurting. We got to the hospital (conveniently located literally right across the street from where we were) and signed Chris in. Once the adrenaline wore off and I quit shaking, the back of my head and neck started hurting from where I had hit my head against the headrest, so I decided to get checked out too.

An X-ray, CT scan and nearly 4 hours later...Chris and I left with a diagnosis of soft tissue damage (whip-lash of the back for Chris and whiplash and a goose-egg sized bump on my head for me).

Chris has been handling all the insurance stuff, but so far...we found that the damages to Chris' car totaled just over $1,700 (which the guy's insurance who caused the wreck will cover). Next, we have to send in some papers about our medical bills, and they'll take care of that.

We will also be reimbursed for our lost wages (we both missed a day of work) and will receive some kind of settlement for pain and suffering, though we're not sure how much just yet.

Luckily, we're both back to normal now with no pain...so that's the good inside the bad.

The Blast from the Past