Farewell Holiday Season!

Well, the holidays are finally over, and it's time to take a deep, relaxing breath before my final semester of college (well...my final semester to get my second Associates degree that is) begins. Graduation is in May, and while I'm not done with school, I am ready to start working as an interpreter! I still want to get my Bachelors degree, because while having two Associates will be nice, I'd really like a heftier degree. Plus, if I ever want to become Nationally certified, I'll need a Bachelors degree.

We've had so many family get-togethers over the last couple of months, including the release of Mockingjay Part 2, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and my mom's short visit. With all of those special occasions came so many opportunities for me to cuddle and love on my baby niece!

Those of you that know me at all, know that I am a bookworm. Also, you should know that the Hunger Games series was one of my favorites, and that my sister-in-law and I forced our husbands to accompany us to the midnight premiere of all the movie adaptations thus far. Chelsea was worried about how this year's tradition would hold up, seeing as Ellie's due date was just 2 short weeks before the movie's release. Baby Eleanor ended up being born only one week before Mockingjay Part 2's release, and the new parents did well being away from their week-old baby for a few hours!
As was the tradition, Chris, Chelsea, Kalen, April and I went to watch the final installment of the Hunger Games series. It was bittersweet, and I had mixed emotions about the movie since I felt like it strayed quite a bit from the book. But alas, it was still a good night and I enjoyed the time spent with family. We've all agreed, however, that now we need to find a new movie series to replace The Hunger Games so that we can keep up the midnight premiere tradition!

The Saturday after our trip to the movies brought my 25th birthday, where we all met up at my wonderful mother-in-law's home. She baked me a scrumptious strawberry cake, and cooked up some tasty manicotti. I got to spend time cuddling with sweet Ellie Lou, and also played some card games, and Pin the Tail on the Donkey with my older niece and nephew.
We enjoyed some time together, relaxing, playing games, and chatting for several hours.
It was a great way to spend my birthday. I truly couldn't have asked for better company to have spent my birthday with!

Thanksgiving rolled around shortly after that, and I just so happened to be off of work!

Hubby signed us up for a 5k that morning, which he ran and I walked. He has been training diligently for several physical events, including a half-marathon (which his mother will also be participating in) and a Half Ironman in Arizona this summer!
In September, Chris finished an aquabike (the swim and cycling part of a triathlon...though I like to say he did a triathlon because he ran several meters to cross the finish line), and now he is on to bigger and more challenging events! So the 5k we did together was nothing but a blip in his accomplishments for the year.

But alas, we participated in the 5k Thanksgiving morning, and then drove down to have Thanksgiving dinner with my step-mother-in-law's family, as we do almost every year. Again, I enjoyed my time with family, but I had to spend most of it seated, as I hurt my foot somehow and it hurt to walk on. Since I wasn't doing much moving around, I got to hug on Eleanor some more. I did have to share her, though, since a lot of the family hadn't met her yet. Of course I didn't want to share her, but I'm not that greedy, and I know that my family loves her just as much as I do.

My mom usually visits every year in the winter, and this year was no different! Unfortunately, she was only here for an extended weekend, but it was still great to see her!
We went to several different restaurants around the house that Chris and I had never been to before, and they were delicious!
We also took my mom to see the Chickasha Festival of Light, which was nice, but it was too warm! I know...how dare I be complaining about warm weather in the winter, but it made it so hard to get into the Christmas spirit! I didn't even want hot chocolate, and I always want hot chocolate when I see Christmas lights!

On the Saturday of my mom's visit, Eleanor turned one month old. Chris, Mom and I drove to Chelsea's house for what was going to be another get-together including Chris's mom, stepdad and April, but their hot water tank caught fire and so they decided to stay home and monitor it. I didn't blame them, and felt better with them staying home. They were able to put out the fire before any serious damage could happen, but it was still scary!
I brought my SLR camera to Chelsea's and took some Christmas pictures of Eleanor, as well as her one month pictures! She was a little fussy at first, but after she ate she was a very happy baby.

I could stare at this beautiful face all day!

 Mom's trip ended too soon...as it always does.
The weekend after her visit, I took Chris to see Penn & Teller at Winstar, and he was so incredibly excited!
I don't really like big, showy, Vegas style magic, but Penn & Teller were fantastic (though I suppose after being in show business for so many years, what else did I expect?)!!!! They even explained step-by-step how to do most of their tricks, and it still blew me away.
Chris knew that typically after their shows, Penn & Teller would hang around to take pictures and sign autographs. Chris brought a playing card, hoping that they would stick around after the show like they usually did and sign it for him.
They did, in fact, stick around, and we got pictures, plus the card autographed.

I had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year, but I got to celebrate a little bit.
After work on Christmas Eve, I drove down to my mother-in-law's house so that we could wake up at her house on Christmas morning and open presents, as we've done for the last two years.
We ate an early Christmas lunch and celebrated Jeanette's birthday, but then I had to leave so that I could go to work. I hated leaving the festivities so early, especially since I'd been so lucky as so have spent so much time with family recently, but that's part of working at a casino; you have to miss out on a lot of family events.

New Year's Eve, however, was not one of those events!
I was off, but unfortunately, Chris was not. I didn't have any plans on going out and really celebrating the New Year, but I did want to spend it with someone and not by myself.
Chelsea and Kalen were kind enough to let me spend the night at their house, and they even made me a delicious dinner of pork chops, mashed potatoes, corn, and black eyed peas. I had never eaten black eyes peas before, but I'd heard that you're supposed to eat them on New Years Eve or New Years Day. They weren't bad...they tasted more like flavorless beans.
Since I was at their house, the new parents took advantage of me playing and cuddling with Ellie and took down their Christmas decorations while baby was preoccupied. I didn't mind at all, and even got to share my first kiss of 2016 with a happy little baby!

Now that things are calming down, I'm slowly starting to get back into a semi-regular routine, and have even started a Couch to 5k program. I hate running, but it's good exercise and I'd really like to get back at least to my weight when I got married. It's not that losing weight is a New Years resolution, because I've been working on it for a little bit now...but I'm going to be trying a little harder now that the holidays are over. I gained back everything I had lost thanks to my family's delicious cooking.
Plus, Chris and I are supposed to do another 5k in March, and I said I'd run that one with him.
Yeay being healthy!

I hope your holiday celebrations were full of love and yummy food!
And I wish the best in 2016!!!

Welcome to the world Eleanor Louise!

On November 12th at 7:01p, Eleanor Louise made her way into this world, and instantly commanded everyone's love and adoration. Though, how could you not fall head-over-heels in love with a face like hers?

My sister-in-law has wanted a baby since she and her husband got married 5 1/2 years ago, and so there is no shortage of love for this adorable bundle of joy.
She's not my first niece, but she is the first that I was able to greet at the hospital.

Chelsea and Kalen were smitten with little Ellie at first sight, as was I.

I'm so happy for the new family. The amount of love radiating off of them is incredible, and I know that this baby will never want for anything so long as she lives.

Bookworm meets Author...yeay!

A few days ago, one of my favorite authors (Rachel Vincent) announced that she was going to participate in a local book signing with other authors from Oklahoma on Halloween. I was thrilled at this news and made sure I had room in my schedule to attend. Since I had not yet bought Menagerie, nor had I won a copy online...I decided I would buy a copy at the book signing to support her and hopefully encourage her to have more local events.

I was already going to be in the area due to a brunch at a local Panera Bread, and so I was thrilled that it was going to work out so well!

I showed up at the book store, and was surprised at how small it was, but it was cozy nevertheless. As soon as I walked in, I saw Rachel Vincent sitting at a small table, and I got giddy. I bought a copy of Menagerie, then mozied over to her table to get it signed.

I follow her on Facebook, and a while back and attended a concert at my place of employment. I commented that I was at the same facility she was, and that I wished I could go say hello, but I was working. Apparently ever since then, she has recognized my name and profile picture on Facebook as a local fan. When I walked up to her table, she knew my name and even how to spell it! That's a big deal for me, since my name is spelled differently. Anyway, Rachel Vincent was so nice! She signed my book and we talked for close to 30 minutes before I had to leave for work.

As a bookworm, this was a huge ordeal for me. I can't wait to start reading Menagerie!

So much to celebrate!

My family has had so much going on in these last couple of weeks, and I was lucky enough to be able to participate!

September 19th was Chelsea's baby shower, and it turned out so great! My sister-in-law is having a baby girl, and the theme of the party was princess, in pink, gold, and pearls. There was a mountain of presents, and the food was looked so pretty and tasted delicious! Plus, it was fun getting to hang out with friends and family in celebrating a new addition to soon join the family.

We played Baby Shower Family Feud, we ate cake, cupcakes, fruit and yogurt dip, and chocolate covered oreos, we drank punch, we oohed and aahed at the adorable baby onesies and homemade blankets, and had a great time all around.

Eleanor is going to be spoiled little princess, that is for sure!

The next day, Chris and I took April to go see Disney Presents: Frozen on Ice at the Oklahoma State Fair.

It would have been much more enjoyable, but we got rained on as we were walking to the arena. We had parked in the free parking area and had to walk, which was fine with me, until we got about half-way to the arena and it started pouring huge droplets of rain, and we had no umbrellas or jackets. By the time we got inside, my once cute and curly hair was a wet mess, my jeans were drenched from the knee down, and my shirt clung to me for dear life. Once we found our seats, the "pre-show" had already started. The seating was awful, with steep and narrow aisles and incredibly uncomfortable wooden chairs that made you feel like you were sitting in your neighbor's lap.

The show itself was good, and the skaters were very talented, but I couldn't shake my grumpy demeanor because I couldn't dry off in the cramped seat, and I was cold from being wet in an ice rink.

After the show had ended, we walked around the fair to dry off and get some fair food. Chris bought a deep fried Snickers, April had some deep fried Wisconsin cheese, and I ate chocolate covered cookie dough sprinkled with real bacon. The fair is the only time I get somewhat adventurous with my food, but not so adventurous that I'd eat bugs. No thanks...I'll pass on the candy coated scorpions and cricket pizza.

Thursday, September 24th, was Deaf Awareness Day at the fair, so I went back to support my college's Deaf and Hearing Social Club, and to support Deaf Awareness Day. I got to see an interpreted magic show, which was pretty cool! I was supposed to be observing the interpreter, but I kept finding myself looking at the magician instead. Oops...

Yesterday (September 26th) however, was the biggie!

Chris has been training for his aquabike for a long time, and yesterday was the big day. Chris had a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, and then a 100 yard run across the finish line. I know how hard Chris has been training for this event, and how many times he has sacrificed sleeping in for waking up at 5am to ride his bike, or to go swim in the lake.

We got up at 4:15am and got to Lake Hefner at about 5:15am for the event. We had to park a decent way away, and then Chris had to get his things situated and ready for the race, which didn't start for a couple of hours. I wasn't able to stay, because I already had plans to attend the 3rd Annual ASL Walk at the zoo. I dropped Chris off and met Chelsea and some other friends at the zoo at around 7:30am. We walked the mile loop and chatted for a few hours, and then Chelsea and I went back to my house to get ready for the post-aquabike celebratory BBQ.

At 12:28pm, I got the call from Chris saying he was about 45 minutes away from crossing the finish line. Chris' mom, step-dad, half sister, pregnant sister, brother-in-law, brother-in-law's brother, his wife, and I all piled into a van and a jeep to go watch him cross that finish line.

I could see the transition area across a grass field from the finish line, and knew that he would be running out of that area to loop around the field, and I kept my eyes glued to it, waiting for my husband to come towards us. When he finally started to make his way to the finish line, my heart was pounding and I was on the brink of tears. My heart was (and still is!) so full of pride and joy that I wanted to burst out into tears. Chris crossed the finish line, and after getting his medal and a water, we swarmed him with sweaty hugs, congratulations, selfies, and a kiss from me. He was so tired, but so proud of himself, as he should have been!

We got Chris back to the house, finished setting up for the BBQ, and let the party begin! Unfortunately, the guest-of-honor wasn't feeling his best and didn't get to enjoy the food to the fullest. There were plenty of leftovers though, and after a 10 minute power nap and some heavy duty pain killers, he was able to eat some food.

Today, Chris is relaxing and enjoying his day off. The house is nice and clean, he has no homework tonight, he has more than enough leftovers to eat so he doesn't have to cook anything, and he has the house to himself all day!

Way to go Chris!!! I love you and I'm so proud of you!

Baby on the Way! ... No, Not For Me

I don't know if I still have anyone reading my posts, or if everyone has abandoned ship as I seem to have done.
Oops...

The last time I wrote, I was complaining about life and how busy I am, and while none of that has changed, I feel like there is a light (albeit a pinprick in size...a light nevertheless) at the end of the tunnel now.
I have one year left of school before I graduate with my Associates in Sign Language Interpreting. That leaves me with one year to test for state certification, and hopefully get a job with "normal" hours during the week so that I can see my Okie family more, and maybe even have friend dates! I feel like I never go out with friends anymore, and that the friends I do have are getting more and more distant because I have such a weird and busy schedule.

As far as my life, and my schedule, nothing else has really changed.
I am, however, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my baby niece!

Eleanor Louise is due in November, and I'm so excited! Chelsea has been wanting a baby since she and Kalen got married, and they're going to be absolutely wonderful parents.

Plus, I get a cute baby niece out of the deal! I'm not ready for a baby of my own, but I am very ready to babysit and spoil Eleanor!

I started crocheting in January or February, so I'm making Eleanor a pink and grey blanket for her to snuggle up with and stay warm!

Now that I've started to crochet, I can't stop! I have ideas for blankets for everyone!

I'll probably make a crochet something for everyone on my list this year...So get ready!

When the going gets tough...well...it sucks

Sometimes when life gets hard, I tend to clam up and do nothing but complain.
When the world seems to be against me, I curl into myself and hide.
I doubt myself a lot more than I should, and I take on too much at a time.

Let's look at this school year so far as a perfect example.
In the summer of 2014, I accepted the position of OSU-OKC's Deaf/Hearing Social Club President. I also enrolled in four college classes (though one of which was cancelled, so I only ended up actually taking three). The school year started off well, though I also made a few attempts at eating healthy and losing weight to get back down at least to where I was when I got married. I haven't gotten unhealthy by any means but I did notice a little extra Krysta in the mirror and spilling over my jeans. "No matter" I thought, "I can be a nearly-full-time student, sustain a happy marriage, run a college club, lose some weight, and work." Oh, I may have forgotten to mention. During this time, we lost some dispatchers due to other jobs, bad performance, or a lack of desire to come back after leave. So, not only was I this Nearly-Full-Time Student, Devoted Wife, Club President, and Health-Guru...but I was also working 42 1/2 hours per week. Easy peasy! I am woman, hear me roar! Right?
No.
My studies didn't suffer, as they have always been my priority, but I know I could have put forth even more effort and done even better. I could have attended more social events and exposed myself to more than I did.
My husband may have forgotten who I was during those few months, or maybe even forgotten that I existed. I hardly ever saw him (at least not while both of us were conscious) and I never got to spend real quality time with him.
The club wasn't as active as I had hoped it would be, though that was not entirely my fault. Of course I always think I should have done more or I could have done better, but that club was not ultimately my fault. Really, the only thing being President of the club brought me was stress and the blues.
My health nut streak has been an on-again off-again type situation, and I have a love-hate relationship with my healthy living. Actually, that's pretty much a lie. I have a apathetic-dislike relationship with it. Sometimes I do crave a good salad, or an avocado, or a grilled chieken breast with corn. Sometimes I love going for a long walk and listening to an audiobook or the sounds of nature (as long as it's not dogs barking and chasing me). Sometimes though, I just want to sit on my butt all day eating popcorn or ice cream and don't want to feel guilty for it. Besides, who am I trying to impress by slimming down? My doctor has already told me that I'm one of the healtheiest patients she's worked with, so I don't think I can get much healthier. The only thing is for me to slim down or get in to good physical shape. But who am I doing that for? I already have a husband that loves me and my body just the way it is (or so he tells me).
I was sick of working, and felt like I never did anything else. Normally we have 5 dispatchers and a supervisor (so 6 of us in total) but in August, we were down one due to personal/health reasons. A little while later, another dispatcher left due to accepting a job elsewhere, and another was promoted to another position within the casino. That hacked our numbers down to a whopping 3. 3 people to monitor a phone, at least 13 radio channels, and anyone that decides to pop in to the office unnanounced. Some days it was fine, but others, I just wanted to punch a wall...or a computer screen...or radio...or maybe just yell really loud. I had to work extra hours to help out until we could hire more dispatchers, and full time is technically 42 1/2 hours a week. While the money was nice, I had no free time whatsoever, which only assisted in my husband forgetting what I looked like.

So why did I take on so much last semester, and why on earth did I think it could get any better this semester with 4 classes?
Yes, I did go back to my regular hours at work, but 38 hours is still a lot.
Plus, I am not actually starting to take interpreting classes and working on becoming an interpreter.
Also, it's only getting warmer, so Hubby will only want to ride his bike on the nice days, which takes out that time that I could potentially be spending with him as well.

I've decided to take my cues from Elsa, and just "let it go".
At least...with some things.

My schooling is still very important to me, and excluding my marriage, it is my top priority. So I will cling on to my education.
My marriage is most important to me, and I am lucky enough to have a husband that understands that our situation is temporary, and makes the best of the time that we do get to spend together.
I will not let the club go to the point of failure, but I've already quit worrying about what will happen when I resign at the end of the semester, and have already made it known that i will not reclaim the position in the Fall. I can only do so much to keep the club alive, and if the members do not share my enthusiasm, then all I can do is feel sad for them and the loss that they will no doubt experience when the club does in fact fail next semester. However, I have to brush this off my shoulders, as it was not my doing that will bring the club down. It takes more than one person to run a successful organization, and try as I might, I am not Atlas and I cannot bear the weight alone.
It has been confirmed that I am healthy, and I feel healthy. The only reason I wanted to lose weight before (realistically) was to look good, but to others. Even when I was at my lowest on my wedding day and on my honeymoon, I still felt "fat". I don't think I will ever be OK with my appearance, and stressing myself out about a few pounds or a couple of extra calories isn't worth it. My husband makes me feel beautiful, and that's all I need. I wasn't trying to lose weight to be healthy, I was doing it for vanity. I need to break that, and accept the way I am. There is nothing wrong with how I look, and so long as I remain healthy on the inside, who cares what the packaging comes in? My health is what matters. I need to understand this. My weight has always been a sore spot, but it's never been outragious. Besides, who cares about the number on the scale other than me? NOBODY!

I've decided to make a conscious effort to remove the unneccesary stress from my life.
I need to add more smiley faces, more laughs, more hugs, more encouragement, more friends, and more love.
We all need more positivity, but I need to truly embrace the positivity I have already, and make a conscious effort to find more.
It helps that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I'll have a week off in March to see my family.

So what's your positive throught of the day?

Following Figueroa Footsteps

Well, it's official.
I'm following in my sister-in-law's footsteps pretty closely.
Nobody ran against me for President of the Deaf and Hearing Social Club...so I got it!
So far, I am the president, and one of my classmates is Vice President.

I'm a little worried that people aren't going to want to run for office, but I really hope the group proves me wrong.

I'm already trying to think up ideas for fundraisers and events that the group can do next year. DHSC is running for Organization of the year this year, and while I won't know if we won or not for a while still...I think we've got a good shot.
I'm terrified that I'll fail the club and it will go under again, but I know that the current/former president and my sister-in-law will both help me come up with ideas and keep the club thriving.


School is slowly winding down, and I feel very confident that I'll be getting A's in my ASL classes, and a B in my Juvenile Delinquency class.

I'm happy with that!


This year was the 3rd annual Footloose Festival, Hauling for a Cure 5k and Mom-in-Law, Little-Sis-in-Law, Little-Sis-in-Law's Friend, and I all walked it. We walked all 3+ miles in 48 minutes and 48 seconds. Not bad for walking!!
Afterwards we had pancakes again...and this year they were so tasty!
I think the Boy Scouts were responsible for the pancake fundraiser this year, and they did an amazing job! The pancakes were so filling, fluffy and delicious, and the sausage was wonderful as well! I'd walk many many 5ks if I could eat those pancakes afterwards!

I think this last 5k made 3 this year and 5 overall.
Funny considering I hate running.

Well...
Hopefully my posts won't turn towards me getting stressed out because of the DHSC presidency.
Wish me luck, and if you ever have a good idea for a college club fundraiser, let me know!

Student, Interpreter, Dispatcher, President

I'm really enjoying my new path towards becoming a Sign Language interpreter.
My first semester, I managed straight A's and this semester I'm looking at A's in my Sign Language classes, and a B in my general studies class (Juvenile Delinquency). Not bad if I do say so myself!
At OSU-OKC, I am a member of the Deaf and Hearing Social Club, and this is the last semester for all the current officers.
The current president really wanted me to run for her spot, so I put my name in for it.
I'm a little worried that I'll be overwhelmed with things to do (between taking 4 classes, working 34-39.5 hours a week and being the DHSC President) but it's worth a shot I think (I hope).
I love being a part of the club, and I'd hate to see it go under like it did the year before I started in the Interpreter Training Program.
So, I'm not sure if I'm hoping that I do get to be president or not, but I'm sure that whatever happens, I'll make the best out of it.

So since it's been a while since my last update, let me rewind a few months and hit the highlights!

In December, my iMac's hard drive crashed, and nothing was salvageable. I still have the hard drive and I know I really should send (should have sent?) it to a specialist that was recommended to me, but I haven't.
I cried sobbed in my car after they told me, because all my pictures, old graphic design work, videos, assignments, everything was on that hard drive.

Chris knew that seeing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was on my bucket list, and this past winter was their last winter tour. So guess who's hubby bought her (and the family-in-law) floor seat tickets to see them in concert?!?!? Yeah, mine did!
It was a 3-ish hour concert, and I was sad when it ended!
Everyone else seemed to think it ran a little too long, but I could have sat there another 3 hours (well, if I didn't have to use the restroom so badly, that is).
Another check mark on my bucket list!

We had our 2nd annual Christmas Ball in Elmore this year, and it was just as fun as the last! More friends came out this year, and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Probably the neatest 5k I've done so far, was the Glow Run.
Mind you it was absolutely freezing cold and my toes, fingers and face were numb or in pain from the cold, but it was a really cool (pardon the pun) experience.
I walked the vast majority of it, but seeing everything glowing and lit up was awesome.
I'm hoping there is another one in a warmer month so I don't have ice forming on my face.

Chris FINALLY got his wisdom teeth taken out. Oh... and he cracked his elbow (AGAIN) a few days before.
I felt really bad for him because I know he had to have been in a lot of pain, but he was down at his mom's house since he was going to Ada and I couldn't do anything for him. He's healed up alright now (though we still need to do a follow up with his arm soon) and hasn't taken any pain meds for almost a week now.
Yeay!

Last year, Chris and I wanted to get a new car for me, but things came up that needed our financial attention.Well this year, I got a new car!
Don't judge...but I named it Dory, and I'm in the process of slowly bling-ing it out! I've already bought a license plate frame with embedded rhinestones, and I still want to get a rhinestone/glitter steering wheel cover and see what else I can bling out (not including putting rhinestone stickers everywhere. I've only had the car a month, I'm not ready for stickers yet).


It's been a busy few months, and I anticipate it will only get busier.
I can do it though!

P.S.
I also got bangs!
I love them... I think I'll keep them (for a while)