Homecoming: back to OKC

Last week Molly and I made a trip back home to Oklahoma City. We had so much fun and I thoroughly enjoyed having extra hands to help with Molly. It made Working at Home so much easier! I was also able to squeeze in a couple nights out thanks to my parents who babysat. Always nice to have free babysitters.

When I wasn't working we were busy with activities. We celebrated my brothers birthday, we met up with old high school friends who have had babies for a play date, we went to brunch, we hit up the bookstore, we checked out the new local library and we visited family. A fantastic trip.



Doing a little reading with GG at the new library



Upside down reading at Barnes and Noble



Nomnom on some letters



Checking out the backyard



Lunchtime with GG



Exploring the new environment




And of course we had to enjoy a few drinks during our downtime. Sitting and chatting in the front yard.





Its always nice to go home for a few days. Extra help with the baby, prepared meals, laundry service...it doesn't get much better. But back to reality.

Sunday Funday

We had a very full weekend and crammed in a lot of fun activities. Chase has been away from us for over a week and we were reunited on Saturday afternoon. Molly was so happy to see her daddy.

The weather has been absolutely perfect so on Sunday, which happened to be Earth Day, we planned a little trip to the new city park in downtown Oklahoma City.











The park is amazing and I am so proud of my hometown for creating a place like this in the heart of the city. I can't wait to take Molly back when she is older and can run around and play.

Come Sunday evening I was exhausted but it was completely worth it.

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

friday five: home sweet home weekend

This weekend is filling up quickly!  Anytime we are back in OKC are schedules are quickly consumed as we try to cram weeks full of activities into a few days.  This weekend is no different.



Oklahoma City Friday Five:

1. Cloth Diaper Basics Class- an adorable local store called Green Bambino specializes in cloth diapers and Chase and I are going to get a tutorial on everything we need to know to successfully dress our lil bean in these eco and budget friendly diaper alternatives.
2. Wedding Shower- one of my best friends, Brittany, is getting married in October!  This weekend is a her lunch bridal shower at a local country club.  Should be fun to dress up the bump and celebrate.
3. Dad's Birthday- my Dad's actual birthday was a few weeks back but the celebrating was put on hold until Chase and I were in town.  Its a big one too, 6-0!  Going to do it up right and exploit his new senior discount.  
4. Baby Registering- Our list of "what we need" is a hefty one and with a couple baby showers coming up Chase and I are going to shop til we drop and get our baby registry checked off the to-do list.
5. Outlet Mall- Oklahoma City just got a brand new fancy designer store outlet mall (one we have had in Dallas for quite some time).  Mom and I are going to go check it out and see what all the fuss is about.

Hope everyone else is having a fun weekend full of activities...or just relaxing around the house. It's good to be home!

Home Sweet Home

Despite the fact that we live in Dallas, and have for almost 2 years now, Oklahoma City is home.  And it always will be.

This week I am in OKC visiting friends and family and soaking up all the goodness of truly being "home." So, I thought I would share some of my favorite things about being back Oklahoma City...things I will do my very best to experience while I am here.

#1- Time with friends and family
While we have made some really good friends in Dallas, all of our best friends live in OKC so its always a priority to visit with as many of our friends as we can.  Our families also both live in OKC so we cherish the time we get to spend with them too.

#2- Favorite Restaurants
Yes, there are a ton of great restaurants in Dallas but none that are quite as good as our favorites at home.  If you are ever in OKC be sure to check these out...

Iron Starr BBQ- best mac n cheese you will ever eat.  Oh and delicious ribs and chopped brisket as well. (we love this place so much we had our rehearsal dinner here)

Bunny's Onion Burgers- I have been visiting this place since I was 4 or 5 years old.  They are, hands down, the best burger I have ever had.  And we can't find anything like them in Dallas.

Nomad's Pizza- a very cool atmosphere straight out of the Godfather.  One of Oklahoma's first mobsters with ties to NY opened this place way back in the day.  The pizza is amazing and they deep fry the pepperoni's!  Yum.

#3- NO Traffic
After you live in Dallas and fight the horrendous traffic for a couple years this becomes a really big deal. You can travel from point A to point B in OKC without getting stuck in traffic that will add an extra 30 minutes to your trip.  Its wonderful!

#4- Nostalgia
Nothing can compete with being confronted with your own personal history at every turn.  When you grow up in a city, make friends in a city, meet goals in a city that city becomes a part of who you are.  This fact alone is why Oklahoma City is truly home.  OKC is a part of who I am, and I am proud of it!


I am so glad to be home for a few days.  Going to soak it all up!  Okie for life!

october 31st or as some call it, halloween

Now that the Halloween holiday has passed let's take a look back at how we celebrated this year.

It was the first Halloween in our Dallas home and while we were initially excited about making our porch extra creepy and handing out delicious candy to tons of cute dressed up kids we opted to head back to OKC to attend a friend's halloween party.

But...we definitely did a little bit of decorating and carved our first pumpkin together before we left town.





My parents and I handed out candy and had drinks on the front lawn while dressed up in costume.



And Chase and I headed to our halloween party as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, complete with The Daily Planet name tags.



All in all a pretty good Halloween.

Up next...OUR WEDDING!  and Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Crazy and exciting time.

the oklahoma state capitol

When Chase and I first started discussing locations for our wedding ceremony we were struggling to come up with a good place. Neither of us are active in churches and the ones we found that we liked were charging huge prices to use their chapels. After that we both decided that we didn't want to get married in a church anyways. There was a few weeks of wanting to get married outside and trying to figure out how that would work...too difficult. Then Chase remembered that a friend of his got married in the state capitol. How cool is that. Plus...its FREE! Bonus!

After going and taking a look at the space, looking at photos from his friends wedding ceremony plus the tie-in of my dad designing the dome (he was the chief architect on the dome project) we decided this was the perfect place to say our I Do's.

This past weekend my Mom and I made a trip to the capitol to really iron out the details of the space and how the ceremony was going to work. The place is absolutely beautiful...no need for decorations. Another bonus. We took a few pictures so I thought I would share.

I can't wait to get married in such a beautiful and historical place.  A great way to showcase where we came from and where we call home.

81 days and counting.

couples shower

On Saturday Chase and I had our first official wedding event...a lovely couples shower put on by my maid of honor, Patti.

It was the perfect mix of a familiar location (my rents house), good food, and absolutely great company.

Plus presents!!

Its official now...no turning back. We are doing this thing.

A big thank you to all of our wonderful friends who came to celebrate and support us. We are so very lucky.

And now...a few party pics.


Patti our gracious host with us, the wedding couple.



Pies in a jar...cooked and ready for ice cream.  Patti made them.  Yum.



Busted!



The sweet message our friend Tim wrote us on his present.

engagement photos

A couple weeks ago Chase and I trekked back to Oklahoma City for a date with our photographer to snap some engagement photos.

I developed a thorough plan with locations, style of photography, props, outfits etc. It was the account planner in me coming through.

In preparation for the photos I got a manicure, a pedicure, some eyebrow waxing and then I had my hair and makeup done by my good friend Kande from eyekande.blogspot.com

We had a lot of fun running around our favorite spots in OKC and gazing into each others eyes for photos. haha In all honesty it was a little awkward at first but we warmed up to the camera pretty quick. Plus our photographer, Simon Hurst, helped calm me down with his charming english accent.

We just got the pictures in the mail yesterday and they still need to be touched up but I had to pull out a few of our favorites to share. Enjoy.


in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol Bldg



downtown Oklahoma City



Paseo Arts District



Jefferson Park



Edgemere Park




All images by Simon Hurst Photography

weekend plans

On the road again...

That's right, heading back North again for OKC. But this time its for a really fun reason. Our engagement photos!!

We have some really great ideas and locations planned and our goal is to have a great time that will turn into great photos that will capture this memorable time in our lives.

Sunday morning bright and early, 6am, I am up and at em prepping for the shoot that starts at 9am. And I talked one of my friends into doing my makeup and hair. She is great at that and I am not. (check out her blog full of beauty tips, www.eyekande.blogspot.com)

I will post some of our fave photos when we get them so stay tuned. For now I will leave you with one of my favorite engagement photos that served as inspiration.

messages from home

Every few weeks or so I get a sweet card or postcard from my Mom...just to say hi. I love getting these little messages from back home in OKC. I miss all my family and friends a lot so getting these always puts a smile on my face. Oh, and my Dad has sent a couple my way as well.

neighborhood ride

One of the highlights of my visit home to OKC.  I had to share it.

Why?  Who knows.  But it really makes me want some Reese's Puffs cereal.

weekend plans

Friday is here and my time back home in OKC is drawing to a close. So far I have had an absolute blast. I was able to hang out with several good friends, hit some of my favorite local OKC places, celebrate some birthdays and get some wedding planning to-do's crossed off my list. So what's left for the weekend?

1. Fancy dinner: Mahogany Steakhouse- part of our Proposal Contest winnings.

2. Marriage prep: Forever. For Real. workshop with the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. We get our marriage license for $5 if we complete the one day class.

3. Mothers Day: breakfast with my mom, my grams and my soon to be mother-in-law.

4. Sunday drive: a Sunday cruise back home to Dallas.


Hope everyone else has a fabulous weekend.

My mom and I from long ago- Happy Mother's Day!

Wedding Craziness

As of today we are 215 days away from our wedding. While that might seem like a lot to some of you, that number is starting to haunt me more and more with every passing day.

A couple weeks ago we decided that we wanted to find someplace else to have our wedding ceremony. Well that has proven to be very difficult. And now we are also exploring other options for the reception as well. I just felt like all of a sudden I had the makings of a wedding I didn't really like.

So the stress continues to build and my to-do list is growing longer and longer and I am not crossing anything off. Ahh!!

If anybody has any suggestions for wedding ceremony and reception venues in Oklahoma City I am all ears!