I'm a Wimp...

So I went out to the car today and as I was walking I thought to myself, "Man, it's a little warm outside today."  So I checked the weather on my phone...it was 71 degrees.  Really? That's it?  I'm going to die in Oklahoma next week, I'm sure of it.  Oh, by the way, I'm going to Oklahoma next week and I'm REALLY excited!

Viva Mexico!

So Matty surprised me with a trip back to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to celebrate our 5th anniversary!  We were there for 5 nights and had a fabulous time!  We stayed in Hotel Riu Jalisco, which is an all-inclusive resort in Nuevo Vallarta.  It's great to stay at an all-inclusive place, because you don't have to worry about how much money you're spending on meals & snacks while you're on vacation.  It was fairly cloudy while we were there, but it was still warm enough to enjoy the swimming pool & the ocean.

We arrived in Mexico on Wednesday evening, settled in to our hotel & then went "exploring" around the resort.  Since we had been here for our honeymoon, we pretty much knew our way around, but it was fun to see everything again.  The next day we woke up & got busy relaxing in the pool & strolling along the beach!  That afternoon, Matt had scheduled us for an exciting swim with Dolphins!  It was so much fun!  I couldn't believe we actually got to pet the dolphins & go for a ride on them around the pool!  Matt said he has always wanted to swim with Dolphins, so he was so excited to get in the pool!

The next day, Friday, we had another fun adventure in store for us!  It was called the "Outdoor Adventure" and included a speed boat ride across the bay, 4 x 4 off road vehicles, a mule ride, 1000 ft zip lines, rappelling down waterfalls, and hiking through the Mexican jungle!  It was such a great experience and we had so much fun!

Saturday was a little less adventurous for us.  We headed into downtown Puerto Vallarta to do some shopping at the local markets.  Matt had fun bartering for our souvenirs, and I had fun shopping!  We were able to get a hand-painted spoon rest (love it) as well as a beautiful pitcher, some vanilla, and some ornaments.  We were planning to take the bus into downtown, but a Mexican family that was staying at our hotel was waiting for the bus with us.  Instead of the bus, the dad of the family convinced the taxi driver to take all of us to town (12 in all) for a very good price!  So our trip to town was much quicker & more comfortable than the bus.   We did decide to take the bus on our way back to the hotel.  We had to switch buses in front of Wal-Mart & the Mall, so we decided to take a look around.  The mall was very nice with some pretty fancy stores.  Wal-Mart wasn't too different than what you see in the states, except some of the products were different & the electronics were much more expensive!  While we were shopping, a World Cup game was on.  When we walked past the TV section, there were at least 50 people stopped watching the game!  Of course, Matt had to join the fun and watch the end of the game!

Saturday evening we got to go on the Rhythms of the Night dinner cruise.  For this excursion, we took a catamaran across Banderas Bay to Las Caletas, an uninhabited island.  Once there, we watched "stories of ancient Mexican civilization told through live music and dance."  The show was truly spectacular!  After the show, we walked back down the beach to a candlelit dinner.  Although the plan was for the dinner to be on the beach, it had to be moved under cover of canopies due to the weather.  Following dinner, we had time to explore along the beach and enjoy some time on this beautiful island in the midst of the tropical jungle!

Sunday was spent relaxing at our resort and enjoying our last full day in our tropical paradise!  Our hotel had 2 restaurants that required reservations for dinner, so we took advantage of both places.  One was a Brazilian steakhouse that served delicious food, including the best grilled pineapple I have ever eaten!  The other restaurant was an Asian restaurant, where Matt tried sushi for the first time.  He said it was good...I'm not brave enough for sushi!  Monday, we had a few hours before we had to leave for the airport, so we headed down the beach to Bucerias, a small fishing village that also has a large market.  We did a little more shopping there, then took a leisurely hour long walk on the beach back to our hotel for some lunch and a nap in the lobby before we were scheduled to leave for the airport.  We arrived at the airport thinking we were about 2 hours early for our flight, only to find out that our flight had been delayed.  After waiting nearly 5 hours, we finally boarded the plane to return home.  We finally made it back to our apartment, exhausted but thoroughly relaxed from our trip at 1 in the morning.  What a wonderful way to celebrate our 5th anniversary, as well as our birthdays!  Thanks, Matty for a great trip! 

(P.S. You should be able to click on the collages to enlarge the pictures).

The Birthday...

Ok, I realize that I have promised pictures of our apartment, but it's still not all decorated how I want it.  I might have to break down and post pics anyway.  Also, I recently realized that I was supposed to do a post about our spring break trip to Savannah, and I never did.  That was in March.  Also never posted about the end of school.  So, apparently I'm behind on posting, but it's OK.  Pretty sure my mom is the only one who is keeping up with the things I'm supposed to post.  She has seen the apartment, was with me in Savannah, and heard all about the end of school already.  So, if no one else is dying to hear about those things, I'll move on!

My 30th birthday turned out to be great!  I started the day by sleeping late, and when I woke up Matt told me he had decided to work from home since it was my birthday.  So, although he had to work, we still got to hang out together & we went to lunch at Red Robin.  Yum!  When we got back from lunch, I had a flower delivery from Mom, Dad, and Bubba.  The flowers were beautiful...love them!

Since Matt had several conference calls in the afternoon, I decided to treat myself to a little shopping trip.  My brother said I should go on a shopping spree, but we all know that I'm too cheap to do that.  So, I went shopping but didn't buy too much.  Still, I got to go to 2 of my favorite stores so I was so happy!  First, I went here:




And I bought these:

Ok, ok, I know most people wouldn't buy hangers on their 30th birthday.  But these are wooden hangers, and they look oh so pretty hanging in my closet!  They make the closet look so organized...and we all know I love organization.






Next stop was H & M.  Love that store.  I didn't buy anything, but I did exchange a couple of things!  After that, I headed back home.  Matt said he wanted to take me to dinner.  We went to Half Moon Bay, which is about 30 minutes from where we live.  We had dinner at a cute little place called Ketch Joanne's.  If you come visit me, I'll take you there!  It was delicious!  After dinner, we drove over to a little beach just in time to catch the sunset & have some sparkling grape juice.  It was beautiful, and the beach was perfect.  It was a small beach, and it was just us and a few surfers. 

We sat and watched the sunset, and then it was time for my surprise!  Matt had told me that he had planned a surprise trip for our 5th anniversary, and he decided to go ahead and tell me where we were going.  So, as the sun was setting, he gave me a card & an envelope.  When I opened the envelope, I found out that we're going back to Puerto Vallarta to the Riu Jalisco, which is where we went for our honeymoon!

 I was so excited!  I have always wanted to go back there for our 5th anniversary.  We leave on June 30 (next Wednesday) and come back on the July 5th.  I can't wait! 

30 Years of Living...

Well, today is my 30th birthday.  I'll post more later regarding birthday festivities, but I've had this song in my head today so I thought I'd share.  I think Tim McGraw said it well (or Phil Vassar wrote the song apparently, so I guess he's the one that said it well)...


I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done
Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I’m doing here
In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers (*shouldn't be a problem, since I don't drink beer!)
Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty year.

I like this song, and I think it's a good look at life, especially on my 30th birthday!

Yesterday was...

our 5th anniversary!  I can't believe that it has been 5 years since we got married.  In some ways, it seems like it was just yesterday that we said "I do", but we have definitely been busy!  Here's a quick recap of some of the things that have happened.  An overview in numbers, if you will.

In the last 5 years we have...
Acquired 1 dog
Bought 1 house
Lost 2 grandparents
Been stranded in 2 ice storms
Completed 3 graduate degrees
Lived in 4 states
Owned 5 cars
Moved 6 times
Had 7 roommates
Lived apart for 7 months
Gained 1 niece and 6 cousins
Been part of 7 weddings
Had 12 jobs
Experienced -30 degree wind chills
and spent countless hours in the car on road trips

Wow!  Like I said, it has been a busy 5 years, but it was a great 5 years!  Matt has blessed my life in more ways than I can count over the past 5 years.  He continues to spoil me and surprise me and make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world!  I thank God for bringing Matt in to my life, and helping us make it through the challenges that we have faced over the last 5 years.  Although many wonderful things have happened, we have also faced the difficulties of law school, job hunting (in a terrible economy), losing loved ones, living many hours away from our families, and living apart (twice) for several months. 

On our anniversary, I can't help but think about our wedding day and all the wonderful people that helped to make that day absolutely perfect.  From our bridesmaids and groomsmen that helped us to relax and have fun, our moms who worked countless hours to make things beautiful, our family friends that also worked countless hours on our rehearsal dinner, reception, decorations, etc., my aunt Robbie who made all of the flower arrangements, to that special bridesmaid & her husband who packed up all the decorations at the chapel (without being asked) so that my parents wouldn't have to do it (thanks Kelly!) and so many others, we were truly blessed.   Everytime that I think about that day, I feel the need to thank all of those people all over again, but a simple "thank you" does not seem to accurately convey how important each of them is in our lives.  Not only did they make our wedding day special, but they have continued to love and support us throughout our marriage.  So to all of you who have loved us, encouraged us, and supported us, thank you!  God has blessed us in so many ways and I can't wait to see where the next 5 years will take us!

Santa Clara...

Here are some pictures from my trip out to California (click on the collage to enlarge it). We went over to the beach at Santa Cruz and then drove over to an adorable little town called Capitola for dinner. We had dinner by the beach & walked around down town to look at the little shops. The 2 pictures at the top in the center are a view of the mountains around Santa Clara. It really is beautiful out there!

I went to California...

So, this past weekend I finally got to visit California & our new apartment.  I had a great visit, and I really enjoyed seeing our apartment and the area where we'll be living!  We also did a lot of shopping for furniture, which was good since we sold all our furniture before Matt moved.

We got a couch...




And 2 dresser/night stands...

And an entertainment center & desk/book shelf, but I don't have pictures of them!  Yay for new furniture...and for Ikea which I absolutely adore!  It's nice to finally have a couch...the futon needed to be retired!  Pictures from California to come!

An accomplishment...

I made it through an ENTIRE WEEK without having to write an office referral!  That's quite a feat...it hasn't happened all year.  It only took until the last week of April, but I'm praying this is a good sign for the 18 days to come.

Oh, and Matty found out today that he passed the Alabama Bar!

So it was a very good Friday.  Happy Weekend!

Background...

Well, obviously I updated my background & header.  I decided since we haven't lived in Chicago in quite sometime, the header was sadly out of date.  Not sure it will stay like this, but I've been looking at it for too long & my eyes hurt.  Plus, I love the Wizard of Oz, so it's a little tribute to my childhood.  What do you think?

Welcome to the World...

Ava Rose Askew!! My new niece was born yesterday, April 20, at 11:47 am and I am SO EXCITED! I wish that I had been there yesterday, but alas I still live far away from our families. But, I will get to see her before Matt, so at least I have that! She is a really pretty baby, and I can't wait to meet her when I'm in Oklahoma in June! Here are a few pictures of her for you to enjoy...

A Fabulous Weekend...

Well, Matt's visit to Montgomery has come and gone. Although I was very sad to see him head back to Cali this morning (at 6am...yes, I got up at 5:40 to take him to the airport...impressive for me, huh?), I was glad we had such a wonderful weekend with our friends! He got here Friday morning, and I surprised him by taking the day off work and meeting him at the airport. He had taken the red-eye flight from San Francisco, so he was exhausted when he arrived! We headed to our house to relax and grab a bite for lunch, and then he had to do a little work. He surprised me by booking a 2-night stay at the Renaissance Montgomery (thanks to our friend, Angela, who got us an AMAZING deal)! So, that afternoon we headed to the hotel to check in and nap before we went to dinner.

We met several of our friends for dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House downtown. We all had to call it a night fairly early, because we were all headed to the Walk for Life 5k race for Breast Cancer Awareness bright and early Saturday morning! (Don't worry, my knees still don't run...most of us WALKED).

After the race we all stopped by Chris' Hotdogs (an old Montgomery favorite) before heading over to take a stroll through the Alabama Book festival.

Saturday evening brought more excitement, as we headed to a Rhonda Vincent concert with Stephen, Kayla, and Shelly. She was incredible! If you like bluegrass and you haven't heard her, you should definitely check her out. Even if you don't like bluegrass. Incredible.


Sunday was a little more low key, with church, watching Matt's old soccer team play, a little nap time and pizza and games with friends. It was a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to head out to visit Matty in California in a few weeks!

Guess What...

Matty is coming to town for the weekend and I'm REALLY excited! I have missed him A LOT the last month and am looking forward to spending the weekend with him and our wonderful friends! Yay!

The apartment...

Well, Matt is all moved in to our new apartment in Santa Clara, CA! He arrived last Sunday after a long trek cross-country by himself. He stopped and visited family along the way, spending nights in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and Los Angeles. Thanks to all the family who welcomed him in & fed him dinner! He sent a few pics of the apartment, so I thought I would share (please keep in mind that he had to take these with his I-phone since I have the camera, and he wasn't completely settled in yet)...


The last one is the living room, it's kind of dark. Matt is quickly making friends with people from the church that he attended last week. He went hiking today, and repeatedly tells me how beautiful it is there. He starts his new job on Monday, so pray for him as he makes the transition!

Cost of Living...

Has anyone ever told you that the cost of living is outrageous in California. Well, it's definitely true! Matt spent the weekend in California looking for us an apartment to call home. He found one. He did not, however, follow my instructions to take pictures of my future home, seeing as how I will be moving there without first setting eyes on it. The complex does have a pretty good website, so I at least have some idea of what it will be like. Thankfully, we will be upgrading from the 200 square feet that we grew so fond of in Chicago! Here is the website if you're interested. Be sure you're sitting down before you click on the Floorplans/Pricing tab, and remember that these were not the most expensive ones he found! I am especially excited that we will have a washer/dryer in our unit (not common in CA) as well as an ice maker (also not standard in CA apts). I think he did a great job finding us a place to live!

http://www.archstoneapartments.com/Apartments/California/Northern_California/Archstone_Santa_Clara/floorplans.htm

California Dreamin'...

Well, for those of you who haven't heard, Matt has accepted a job offer with KPMG in Mountain View, CA. Mountain View is in Silicon Valley, just outside of San Francisco. I know, we move all the time! But, this job is an incredible opportunity for Matt. He will be working in their International Trade department as a consultant. I'll be honest, I can't explain what exactly he'll be doing because I don't completely understand, but I do know that he'll be using his law degree as well as his LLM that he worked so long and hard to obtain. So, I am SO PROUD of him. Although this job initially takes us even further away from families in Oklahoma, it has more potential for eventually bringing us back closer than the opportunities available in Alabama. We are very excited about this chance for another life adventure, but we are hesitant to leave behind all the friends we have grown so close to in Alabama. But, we know God has a plan for our lives and we are trusting in him to guide and protect us. So, please pray for us as we make this transition. Matt will be headed out to CA in the middle of March and will start working March 29th. I have to stay behind and finish out the school year, so I'll head out there at the beginning of June. Once again, we'll have to live apart for a couple of months, but it is the only way to work things out. Anyway, just wanted to give a quick update on what's going on in our lives lately! Love to all!

Oh, the Weather Outside is...

Frightful! So we are currently experiencing the Oklahoma Blizzard of 2009! Seriously, Oklahoma is having a blizzard...All of the major interstates in the state are closed, cars are stranded all over the state, and the highway patrol is missing Christmas with their families to rescue those that are stranded. Matt and I are up in Tulsa and couldn't make it to Duncan for Christmas. While I am sad to be missing Christmas morning with my family, I am thankful that all of our family is safe and sound. We're hoping to make it to Duncan tomorrow, provided that the roads are cleared. Here are some pictures from around Oklahoma (I would show you the pictures from our camera, but it's hard to take pictures when the camera is left in the dog's bag in Duncan!)...so these pics are from the news website:

Christmastime...

Well, despite Matt's greatest efforts to the contrary, we have completed our Christmas decorating. It's not as impressive as mom's house by any means, but then again we aren't having family Christmas and church parties either...so I guess it will do. Hope you're having a wonderful day!

The Christmas tree (thanks Mom & Dad for the hand-me-down):


The stockings I made the year we got married (love them, but Matt's mad that I didn't make one for Lucy):

I framed some of last year's Christmas Cards for the mantle:

Thanksgiving...

Well, somehow I always manage to spend an entire week in Oklahoma with friends and family and not take a single picture! I did take some with my parents' camera, but it is at their house. So, no family Thanksgiving pictures to share. However, we did host a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner at our house the week before Thanksgiving. The turkey (my first attempt at cooking one) turned out beautifully (thanks to Matt & his help in the cooking process),


and everyone else contributed delicious delights that made our Thanksgiving feast complete. What a wonderful evening!




On another note, our house guests have moved out, so Matt and I are back to living alone in our big ol' house (well, it's really not big, but after that Chicago apartment, it feels like a mansion!). We're slowly getting things back to normal, and we even started our Christmas decorating last night (pictures soon to follow). I love the holiday season!

School is slowly getting better. Some days I still feel like I'm going crazy, and some of the kids really know how to push my buttons, but I feel like I'm handling the craziness of it all better than I did at first. At least I tell myself that I am. With only 2 1/2 weeks until Christmas, I just might survive this semester!

The Car...

Well, I'm obviously way behind on blogging. The job has me snowed under, and I feel like I'm constantly running to catch up. But, I promised my mom several days ago that I would post pictures of my NEW CAR!!! Well, it's new to me at least. She kindly reminded me tonight that I have failed to do so. So, here you go...It's a 2004 Toyota Highlander, and I love it! RIP Old Red...there's a new car in town!

I will write more later, but for now I have to do lesson plans & go to bed. It's past my bedtime already!

The Classroom

Well, today was my first day at work. We have 4 days of inservice this week, and then school starts on Monday! I have to say, I'm a little overwhelmed. The classroom was a mess when I arrived, and there is absolutely nothing on the walls (except for some border half way hanging off the wall). But, I'm sure it will all come together eventually. I have some wonderful friends who have offered to help & have shared supplies with me (thanks Taryn & Vivian!), so I think I'll get it together! Here are some pictures from this morning...after I had straightened up a few things (but not much). Maybe everyone won't be super excited to see these, but I know my mom wants to see them :)

1. A picture of the room from the entryway:


2. A picture of the room from the other side (by my desk):


3. The entryway with cubbies, cabinets, and a bathroom:


4. Storage behind my desk:


Hopefully by the end of the week I can post pictures that look much better!