TWO!!!

Our wedding is a mere 2 weeks away... well now 13 days and something like 22 hours... but still... It is crazy to believe that we are only 2 weeks away from something that we have been planning since September! This past week I set out on the task of completing the bridesmaids and mother's bags... they were from the "Sew Easy" Projects and were pretty easy to make... My friend from work (one of the few friends I had at my previous job) allowed me to come over to her house for two afternoons and take over her kitchen table and sewing machine. Karin had no idea how scared I was of using the sewing machine... I hadn't used a sewing machine since before my grandma passed and using it now made me afraid I would cry! Karin was super patient with me and assisted me in making not 3 but 8 bags... and one of those 8 we made smaller for my youngest niece.

Once that project was complete, I set out to make wedding favors at home, and on my own... This was the majorly daunting part of the process... using my grandma's sewing machine, on my own... I locked myself in the basement for about 3 hours while I cut fabric, ironned it and then sewed it together. After 3 hours I had made all the bags that I could out of the fabric that I had. The hardest part was turning the tubes right side out... I went to a feed store and bought 50 pounds of millet, a small grain that is easier to manipulate than whole kernel corn. I also bought more fabric from the fabric store across the street. After another afternoon in the basement and a few hours the next day, I found out that a 50 pound bag of millet would fill 50 corn sacks... 20 tubes (all about 22" long by 2-3" wide) and 30 bags (various sizes ranging from 5-8" wide and 6-10" long). I now need more millet to finish the project. I am very proud to say that I only have like 25 bags left to fill and that should be a breeze now! (Now that I figured out that I could use my sewing machine to finish the seam that I left for filling rather than hand stitching each and every one!)

Other projects going on that are wedding related. We ordered the guys gifts this week and I am so excited to get them soon! I can't say what they are since there is a chance that one of the guys reads my blog (highly unlikely but you never know)- but I will say that since we have thrown tradition and seriousness to the wind with the wedding this gift will define whimsical and fun...

I also ordered the willow for our center pieces and the sand for our sand ceremony portion of the wedding. Those should arrive early this week! Centerpieces finished... YES INDEED!!!

The last project that we have to complete is assembling the bags for guests at the hotel. We ordered labels for water bottles, neat blue plastic gift bags, and stickers to put on candy last week. These should be at our house the end of the week! Once my nieces get here with my parents we will have them help us to remove labels and replace them with our custom labels, placing them in the bags along with various snacks (with wedding related stickers on them) and a cute label on the bag with ribbon. And we will have them help us to put cute instructions on the favors... I am so glad that we will have help with these projects!!!!

On other news, I am as calm as a cucumber... I know that I will more than likely cry during the ceremony and definitely during our vows... I can't even watch a silly wedding related show without tearing up during the vows! Ian is starting to get a very small case of the nerves in relation to the ceremony. Hopefully meeting with the minister this week to go over the ceremony and etc will help ease his mind! We also have a walk through with the caterer and venue this week as well to determine placement of tables and such.

Here's to a wonderful 2 weeks... filled with appointments, house projects, cleaning house and traveling!!!!

Soccer Camp

This past week McKenzie participated in the British Challenger Soccer camp out in Sand Springs. Although none of her teammates were at the camp with her, she had a lot of fun. Both of the coaches that were running the camp were amazing with the kids! I picked up on a few ideas to use with my students from them in the two days I went with Kenz!!! Their teaching method totally reinforced to me that my philosophy of learning through play is a good idea! Kenzie was super excited about all the "cool soccer tricks" she learned each day and was ready to go back the next day, despite the heat and her apparent likeness to me with heat stroke readiness...

Here's a picture of Kenzie on Friday after she started to have a heat stroke during camp. She felt terrible, but she didn't want to leave. She really wanted to be out with her group playing!!! I just liked how I was actually able to capture all the feelings she was displaying in the picture!!!

Here is Kenzie with her coach Nick on Friday. I think she has a crush on him. She told me several times that she would like for him to move to Oklahoma to coach her team... as if he doesn't have a job in London or his own soccer team that he plays on there!

Each day the coaches had homework assignments for the kids. Everything from creating a juice drink, to looking up information about UK online, to bringing dress up items to put on the coaches... Nick took off part of his attire for the World Cup competition before camp ended, but here he is with Kenzie looking all sorts of silly.

The entire camp. The photographer from the Sand Springs paper came out and took their picture for the paper... if anyone happened to see if it made it in the Sunday paper let me know!!!!

Kenzie is super excited about starting her fall soccer season and learning more soccer skills. I am thrilled that she is pumped about the sport!

Random Summer Fun

So far this summer at home has been fun! I have watched Ana and swam with her some as well as gotten together with some of my friends!!! I can't believe how much Ana's skills have improved! That girl has some talent when it comes to swimming!!!! She is such a hoot to watch jump into the pool off of the diving board. She likes to make up dances and such as she comes down the board until she jumps!!! Here I am watching her from the swing the other day...


Saturday I was blessed with the chance to see one of my best-good girlfriends and hang out poolside at her parents house. We had a good time as usual and caught up on our guys! It is so great that we are both in love AND with such amazing guys!!!! I love ya Val!!!

And last but not least... my babies... yes my family grew the last time I visited Ian in Colorado... Growing up, my grandma had these plants called Hen and Chicks that I watered religiously and helped her replant as needed. When I moved away to Texas, she sent a few of them to me in a pretty yellow pot. Well, when I moved home after her passing, I (ignorantly) left the plant in Texas on the back patio. So... while at the nursery with Ian one day I commented on how much I loved those plants and how I would like to have my own. Ian suggested I get a plant or two of my own to care for in Colorado. So... I did!!! We now have our own hen and chick family, two hens and about 5 chicks! He is a good daddy and hasn't starved them off water and I have been a negligent mommy and abandoned them with their daddy for 3 weeks...

COWGIRL UP!

NOTE: Pictures have been removed from this blog... I finally figured out how to edit the pictures!!!!

Ok... so you have seen this picture once in this blog... I promise that I didn't upload it twice... I guess the computer program just KNEW that I loved this picture A LOT!!!! So as most of you know, I spent most of the month of June out in Nevada with my boyfriend's mom and sister. These are some of the pictures that we took of me being a "cowgirl..." Below (and above) you see a picture of me in my lovely shirt that announces that my boyfriend is out of town! I am holding Ang's horse Jake for her while she gets ready for her ride at the State High School Rodeo. Since Kendra (Trevor's little sis) wasn't riding I didn't have to be in western attire, hence this cute shirt! Have no fear! I bought Trevor a shirt that says that his girlfriend is out of town... he has yet to wear it and I have been gone for most of my summer vacation! Isn't the scenary awesome! Yeah stop laughing... the thought of me sitting on the tailgate of a truck holding the lead rope for a horse in my boots and cowboy hat... yah yah yah...

This next series of pictures is from Gymkhana. It is a riding club where you can participate in the speed riding events or horse shows. Kendra participates in the speed riding events, which is what I did that particular weekend! Don't I look the part of a barrel racer/pole bender???? My dad is still stuck on me NOT wearing a cowboy hat... :) The horse that I am riding is named Paul... he is just about as old as me... he's a good ol' boy!
Notice the look on Paul's face... it is as if he is thinking, "Not the blonde chick again..." We had quite a weekend of riding together! It was the most that Paul had been ridden in a LONG time!!!! I am sure that I confused quite a few people at the Gymkhana with my saddle and my display of extraordinary riding skills! I had the privelage of using Kendra's HIGH POINT girl saddle which she won at a rodeo last summer and I had the chest strap that said Rookie Cowgirl 2005 (or something to that effect). I almost wasn't allowed to ride in the events that day! The registration lady wasn't going to let me ride without having one of my parent's signatures!!! Something about having to have parent signature to ride if you are UNDER 16! She didn't believe that I was older than 16!!! That was funny to say the least!

This is after all the events were over and we were getting ready to trailor up and come home. I didn't really win a ribbon... I was just pretending... they stop awarding ribbons at 6th place and I had two 7th places and two 8th places! Paul looks realy tired!!! No more riding for him for a while!!!! (Which was fine with me cause my buns were REALLY sore from all the riding!!!!)
For more information on my times and the events (and even a video which is on the funny side) contact me...
I was quite proud of myself for completing all five events! And I did them all in UNDER a minute! We won't discuss how my times compared to Kendra's... but hey she has been doing this for a few years!!!!

These next pictures are from the day before the Gymkhana... the MAIN reason that Paul was so tired! We went for a Longhorn Roundup as previously mentioned in another blog...

This would be me with the four cowboys that were with us on the ride. Ernie is to the far left and Mike is next to him. I can't remember the other two guys names. I know that the horse to the right of me (with the blaze like Paul) is named Jake... They thought it would be funny to take a picture of me in chaps (or chinks) and a hat and beer with the guys and send it to Trevor... Throughout the entire day the guys called me TEXAS... not quite my name... but ok... we had lots of fun, crossed quite a few muddy bogs... and even saw a few longhorns. I must say that I think that we covered all 1500 acres of the ranch at least twice...

Here Kendra joined me on Jake for a picture! Jake and Paul look a lot alike! Overall I had a great trip in Nevada and I miss getting to ride and hangout with Kendra! She is the best "sis" that someone could ever ask for! Her mom isn't bad either!!!! Thanks for the good times while I was home with you!!!!

Little Twinkle Toes

These are pictures of the most adorable horse you will ever see! Her name is unofficially Little Twinkle Toes! She is a miniature horse and was born March 17, 2006 in Yerington, Nevada.

Here she is inside with the stuffed horse she thinks is a playmate! She is about the same size as this toy horse!!!! Boy is she precious!

Here we see Twinkle Toes eating lunch with her mommy Pumpkin in the yard. The hay bucket is almost bigger than she is!!!

Twinkle Toes is tuckered out from all the pictures!!!!

Going to the chapel and she's...

We are going to the chapel and she's gonna get married... but the she isn't me... sorry to get your hopes up! June 24, 2006 was a very special day for Valerie Reynolds, we went to the chapel and SHE got married! These are a few of the pictures from her big day, or week shall we say! (Note to reader, I haven't mastered the art of uploading pictures on here in the correct order, so pictures are kinda crazy!)

This is me at her parents house before going to the church to get ready. I decided to get dressed a little early so that I could have my picture taken before the fireplace, which is a Reynolds family tradition!

Me and Trevor at the reception... it was almost midnight and the poor baby had been up since about 4:30 in the morning! He had a rough weekend! He spent most of the afternoon Friday checking the radar and weather place to get clearance to fly up to Tulsa in his little Cessna 150... no luck as the weather between Tulsa and Ft. Worth was horrible with storms! So he woke up EARLY Saturday morning to get clearance to fly up to Tulsa before the storms built up and before I had to be at the wedding prep activities!

My mugshot that Dad Reynolds took after my hair (redo) and makeup were finished... for the time being... more makeup was added at the church to "finish" the job... I have worn more makeup in my life... but Trevor has never seen me wearing "real" makeup... which would explain why he thought I looked like I was wearing a mask!

Me and Valerie at the Bridal Attendants luncheon! We were both looking good and were sooo happy!

Someone snapped a picture of me as I was putting my camera away at the Bridal Attendants Luncheon. I like the picture...

We had an action filled week that is for sure! I arrived back in Tulsa on Tuesday evening, spent Wednesday with my mom shopping and getting my last minute stuff for the wedding... then Thursday was the Bridal Luncheon at Green Onion (yummy) and between the luncheon and the bachelorette party I managed to spend a little quality time with my AnaRae. AnaRae didn't quite understand the concept that I was going to a party and needed to look pretty, even though I was going with girls. She kept asking me if I was going to get me a "fancy boyfriend" in Tulsa so that I could come home more often... Thursday evening we met at Val's brother/sister 'n law's house for predinner cocktails and some fun before going to dinner at the Bistro and then to Brookside for some dancing at Suede. Friday, after getting a few hours of sleep we all had stuff to do before meeting for the rehearsal and dinner. Then finally, Saturday, the big day! I had a hair appointment at 8 am then picked Trevor up at the airport and he dropped me off at Val's parents house so that we could get ready! I have no clue as to what he did all day, I think he just crashed at Val's brother's house... then off to the chapel to get her married!!!! I was ready for a few days of sleep after that weekend!

I have pictures from my trip to Nevada that I will post in the next day or so... check back...

Greetings from Nevada!

Greetings from cool and sunny Nevada! I have had a great time here on my "vacation" from the heat and humidity of Oklahoma/Texas!

Since I have been in Nevada, I have had the opportunity to do things that I have never done before... mainly because I am a "cityslicker" and not a bonified "cowgirl"... I have now ridden on a renegade longhorn round up as well as in a speed riding event! I have even become very familiar with the morning and evening chores on the ranch and can do them pretty much on my own!

I will post pictures at another time as I keep getting kicked off line here at the house! But rest assured that we have some funny pictures of me on the horse!

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

Yeah... it's official... SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER! And I couldn't be happier!!!

I had a rough last few days of school. I found out on Thursday before school was over on Friday that I was going to be moved back to the school that I started out teaching in my first year in Texas... that meant that I had to pack up my classroom and bring ALL my materials home and also get my folders in some sort of working order for someone else to take over for me in my place... well... the folders weren't such a hassle since I am OCD on organization and making sure that my stuff is in order, but making sure that I had the important stuff written down about the students and the loose ends that needed to be straightened out when school starts is a different story... I called in sick on Friday since I needed to be in Tulsa for Blake's graduation from Cascia Hall, but stupidly I drove into work to drop stuff off at my schools. Which ultimately put me a few hours behind schedule and I made it to Tulsa at about the same time I would have made it into town had I stayed and worked half a day!

Why did I get home so late??? Well, I stopped off at the Denton Airport to tell my guy goodbye and all that mushy stuff and when I went out to my car to leave, it wouldn't start. No cranking or attempting to "turn over," no clicking, no nothing... battery was D-E-A-D dead! But of course being the electrical wiz that he is, Trevor had to check the fuses and then the voltage on the battery and also the alternator before determining that yes indeed it was definitely my battery... so off to AutoZone in Denton to get me a new battery before leaving for Tulsa. I was actually making great time on my drive, I left at 2:00 and at 5:05 I was sitting on the Turner turnpike screaming at the idiot who decided that we needed to STILL have construction just past the Hwy 97 exit... it took me over 25 minutes to go from the Kellyville/Sapulpa exit to the hwy 97 exite, which for those of you who know, is only about a mile...

Graduation was great. I can't believe that my "lil' brother" is going away (haha to TU) to college in the fall... then I drove back to Texas on Sunday so I could spend a little time with Trevor before coming back to Tulsa on Tuesday after half a day working...

I will post pictures from Blake's graduation and also from the airshow and all that once I make it back to the "great" state of Texas... but for now, I am getting ready to sign off for bed so that I can get up before the sun to drive to my dad's fire station so he can take me to the airport! I am going to spend some quality time in Nevada with Trevor's mom and sister this summer... That should be interesting... I will be sure to try to post from there as well... I am going to be riding in a rodeo, at least one... being a photographer... a spectator... a big sister... and a rancher... should be fun! There will be pictures to post from this trip as well... maybe before I get back, kinda dependson how busy we are!!!!

More information on my assignment change at a later date as well. Let's just say that at this time I am not going to be checking my work email until July cause I really don't care to know what has been sent to me! :)