unemployment!

Well our time is narrowing down here in Oklahoma City. I have decided that I would start applying for jobs now. Thinking that MAYBE I could get an interview set up once I get home. So far I have applied for six jobs. Let's hope I hear from someone! I really don't care what I do at this point, just as long as it does not include wearing a bathing suit and being in the water for two hours a day! I have applied to US Bank, National Bank (two positions), another bank but I can't remember which one. Is that bad? I also applied for a position at HOST communication, as well as, the Health Department in Lexington. I will keep you updated on my unemployment status. Fingers crossed that I will hear something in the next couple of weeks.

Shoes?

For all of you who know Brian, you know his love for fashion. And not good fashion, I'm sure Brian would beg to differ. Before we came down to OKC Brian had me purchase a pair of white slip ons from Wal-Mart. Kyle, the bad influencer (I think I made this word up), was wearing a pair of these shoes. He insisted that he have a pair. Anyways, he could not wait to show Lehne his new shoes because he knew she would "love them". Of course when Lehne saw them she was disgusted just like any other normal person would be. All Brian could talk about were his white shoes. He wore them every where and he wore them with black dress socks. Now to me, it's just normal. I give him my look of disapproval and go on. It's just like the mullet. It's Brian and he's going to do it no matter what I think. It wasn't until one night that Lehne and I stayed up talking and Brian went on to bed that we noticed he had left his white shoes in the living room. We decided that we should hide them and see how long it would take him to figure out where they were. Since he loved them and all, we thought it wouldn't be that long. So, almost two months later...he figures out that he can't find them.

This proved a point for Lehne and I. And that point being that he was all talk. Obviously he did not love these shoes as much as he let on because if he had then he would have noticed them a long time ago.

This gives me great ideas for some other personal items of Brian's! I will keep you updated!

A few things.

I wanted to share a photo with you that I took today. It's not the best photo because I took it with my phone. Today was my last day of swim lessons. I enjoyed teaching swim lessons, but I'm glad they are over. Two straight hours of 3-5 year olds splashing, kicking, screaming and parents watching your every move is not always so much fun. The two in the picture are brother and sister, Isabella and Thomas. Isabella is 9 refused to be in the class that she was supposed to be in because a boy taught it. So, I took her into my class. I became very close to these two and I will really miss them! They are currently going through some difficult times and are being taken care of by their grandparents. There dad is still in the picture, but travels a lot for his job.

Also a few things about my life in Oklahoma:

1.Everyone fights for the few parking spots under the one tree.

2. We have a heat advisory until Saturday night. We have had 100 plus degree weather ALL week.

3. Since it's to hot to go outside, I have found another TV series to watch Weeds! It's great!

4. I just got my wedding book in the mail today.

5. Thank god for Netflix.

6. Brian and I started a training program that Greg developed for us. The first week went great, but Brian managed to get a massive blood blister on the inside of his arch and has had to take the week off. Hopefully next week we can get back on track!

Engagement Photos

There have been a number of requests to see a picture of the Amanda's ring. So I have uploaded an album containing pictures from the engagement, some of the ring, dinner last night at The Melting Pot, and some pictures of the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at last night. The album can be found here.
Oh yeah, diamond rings are not easy to take pictures of up close. I have still yet to get a good picture of it.

We're Engaged!!!

After 7 years and 4 months Brian finally decided to pop the big question. Let me just say it was perfect. We went to one of our favorite parks here in OKC and we started on a jog. I asked Brian to go a head and stretch before we ran, that way we wouldn't have to stop in the middle of our run. I hate stopping because it messes up my flow. He insisted on stretching during our run and I did my usual rolling of the eyes and we started off. We ran for 3 minutes and then Brian decided he need to "stretch". I thought it was early for him to already need to stretch, he usually waits till a mile or so into our run. I went with it and threw my leg up onto the bench and was stretching complaining about how my foot hurt. I noticed Brian was on one knee, but I didn't assume anything, I just figured he was in the process of laying all the way down. That was until he grabbed my hand and then I knew what was going on. I was in total shock. Was not expecting it to happen here, I figured he would wait until we got back home. I had to make him retell me what he said to me while he was proposing because it was all a blur. It seriously took at least 5 minutes for me to grasp what happened. Then the tears came pouring down! We stayed at the park for a couple hours calling everyone and letting them know the good news.

We are so excited and have waited for this day for a long time. We can't wait to share our special day with everyone! Let the planning begin!!! :)

Twilight

Ann sent me two books in the mail for me to read. When I first opened them I laughed because each book is about 500-600 pages long. And for those of you who know me, know that I'm not much of a reader and I try to stay away from books that big because I usually never finish them. I decided to give it shot and read. Now that I am over halfway finished with the book, in just two days which is great for me, I can't seem to put the book down. I love a good romance book with a thrill to it. I read all day yesterday even during dinner, which I some how manged to get hot sauce on the side of the book. Sorry Ann! :) I guess you shouldn't read and eat at the same time. Anyways, I will have to encourage Brian to write the next couple of blog posts seeing that I will be preoccupied for the next week and a half until I finish the two books.

Wrong Idea!!

After several text messages and phone calls I figured that I might need to clear things up about my recent blog post. I guess that blog would only make since for those who know all 3 of us...it was actually supposed to be funny. We all get along great! Although I'm positive Brian and Lehne get on each others nerves here and there. hahaha! And Brian loves to joke with Lehne and give her a hard time. And it's all in good fun!!!!!! We just thought the picture was funny. So, for those of you out there wondering Brian and I are best friends and still in a wonderful relationship...there is nothing to be worried about! We are all happy roommates! :) Hope that clears things up! Have a great day!

Best Friends?

This weekend Brian and I went to a water park. It was a lot of fun even without riding down the slides that looked like you could possibly die. Brian insisted that I ride these rides. People who are not afraid of heights do not understand the fear and anxiety that one feels when they are afraid. Anyways, I didn't ride it and I still had a good time.

Later Saturday night we went over to some friends house to hang out. I just wanted to share a picture that represents Brian and Lehne's relationship. I think you could classify them as best friends.

Questions that can't be answered

Let me just start off by telling a little bit about my childhood. I grew up in a big family. I have 3 sisters. Sissy (a.k.a. Kerry), Kim, and Abby (my twin). We are all very different and some say if we weren't sisters we probably wouldn't be friends. Maybe that's what makes us all so close. Growing up in a house full of girls had to be hell at times for my dad, especially once we all hit puberty. It probably was for my mom as well. I want to share a few of my favorites memories that will always stay with me.

Memory #1: Dad was always good about letting us paint his nails, comb his hair, put make-up on him..you know stuff little girls like to do. One day we had got him all fixed up. His blue eye shadow on, bright pink blush, and Red lipstick. I guess while we were styling his hair he fell asleep. Once we were finished fixing him all up we went on to doing something else. I don't know how long he had been asleep, but long enough to forget that we had got him ready for his glamour shots, when someone knocked on the door. Dad went outside to chat with the guy and came back in 20 minutes later. It wasn't until mom made it home and made a comment about his make-up that he remembered what we had been doing several hours before. He was totally embarrassed! hahaha!

Memory #2: We always dreaded when mom had to be out of town because that meant dad had to get us ready! We all three would hop into the bathtub, but not without a fight of who got front, and take our bath. We would then put on our clothes that we would be wearing the next day and get into bed. I mean heaven forbid dad have to get us dressed in the morning. The worst part was dad fixing our hair. Mom was a pro! Dad, on the other hand, was awful! Needless to say, we all would cry because he couldn't do it like mom.

Memory #3: With 5 girls in the house there was constant PMS. Dad came home one day with a Wal-Mart bag full of stuff. I'm sure he was proud of himself for actually purchasing these items. He pulled out a box of 50 tampons. We were all excited because we were constantly having to buy them. It wasn't until we realized what brand he bought. It was Kotex. I hated to be the one who told him, but it had to be done. "Ugh, Dad, we use Playtex Gentle Glide not Kotex". The typical male response "What's the difference?"..... From then on Playtex Gentle Glide was fully stocked in our bathroom.

My sisters and I are very lucky to have grown up in such a loving family. My parents made sure we had everything we needed and wanted. They sacrificed many things and worked extra hours to make sure we wouldn't go without. If I might say so myself, they did a great job raising 4 girls. Although we're not perfect (well, Abby claims she is prefect) and we've made mistakes, at the end of the day we know what really matters. It's not money and buying all the material things, it's love. It's having a family and friends to go to when you want to share your good news, or a shoulder to cry on. I couldn't imagine not having my parents. So many kids today are not being raised by their parents, but by a family member or someone they don't know. This is where my questions can't be answered. Why would a mother and/or father not want to take care of their child?

For the last 7 years my parents have raised my cousin Carmen, whom we claim as our sister. Her parents apparently had other priorities than raising her. My poor dad can't get a break, another girl! Ha! Carmen is so lucky to be raised by my parents! She is provided a loving family, a home, 4 awesome sisters, and she will be provided an education. But, she is now at the age where she has many questions. What do my parents say when she asks why her parents didn't love her? Or when she can't understand why she wasn't in Nana's belly? My parents have been faced with many questions and they give the best answer they can. It won't be until she is older that she can truly understand the whole situation. The meaning of "mom" and "dad" are not the same as they are for me. Her parents have missed everything. They know nothing about her. They don't know that she sleeps on my dads arm every night "because it makes her feel safe", or that she loves to do arts and crafts, or that she has 5 boyfriends at one time.

These questions will never be answered for me because I will never understand. I have two students that I teach swim lessons to, they are being raised by their "papa". Apparently, their parents just dropped them off and have walked out of their lives. I just want to say thank god for people like my parents and "papa" who take these children in and raise them as their own.

A cloudy day...

This might sound odd to some people, but I look forwarded to cloudy days in OKC. They rarely happen and when they do it usually means rain. It's nice to have a break from the 100 degree temperatures that OKC has every single day. I sweat from the moment I walk out the door. The sun is constantly beating down on you and giving me awkward sunburns. So, today it was cloudy. I was so excited. I went to work had a great day. The kids actually listened to me, for the most part, and one actually swam on her own. Another positive for cloudy weather is that Brian and I can actually run outside without dying from the heat. And with good always comes bad...I was driving home from work today when I went to switch lanes did my usual-- check the mirrors, turn my head back, and it was all clear...that was until I ran into the side of a brand new white Jaguar! We pulled out off the road into the McDonald's Parking lot. I thought to myself I don't care about my car, I just hope I did not hurt hers to bad. Then I realized that I was not in MY car (Chevy Cavalier) I was in Brian's Audi! I could care less about my car it's only worth about 800 dollars( if I'm lucky). So, at this point I realize I have damanged two really nice cars. I mean seriously I hit one of the nicest cars out there. The lady was very nice to me and we were both happy no one was hurt. She pulled out her Iphone calling several people and I had no clue what to do. So, I call my dad. What's he going to do? He's in KY! I thought I had to have my insurance because I was driving, not Brian's. I scrambled through the car till I finally found it. They decided to not get the police involved because it wasn't that big of an accident--for them it was not, but for me it was HUGE! I was holding back tears trying to keep calm and answer all the questions they had for me. Once we got that worked out I headed home. I'm pretty sure I cried for an hour straight.

I know these things happen, but it's always worse when you're in someone else's car and not your own. luckily everyone was very understanding and not to upset... I hope~! :)

Let the sun shine!!!! I don't care if it's ever cloudy again!

Dallas, Texas

Over the 4th of July weekend Brian and I headed to the Lone Star State. It was the first time I had ever been in Texas. We stayed with his aunt Marsha and uncle Gary. Brian and I were so excited when we found out that they had gone to the local Mexican store and bought some fajita meat (steak and chicken). Marsha insisted that Brian and I not be shy and eat all we want. And sure enough we both ate more than anyone else. Needless to say, it was Amazing! Being that it was the 4th, Gary went with us downtown to walk around and watch the fireworks. We took the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) light rail from near their house to downtown. With the increase in fuel prices, more people have finally started to use the public transportation, and if people of Big D can start using buses and trains, anybody can.
Saturday, we went to the 6th Floor Museum on Elm Street where JFK was shot. If you're ever in Dallas, this is a must! It was so interesting that it inspired Brian and I to watch the movie JFK again (Oliver Stone's conspiracy version). That took up most of our day. Once we got back to the Emery's, Gary took us on a driving tour of Dallas. Since the city is so spread out, driving is unfortunately the only way to view the whole city. We then ended the night going to one of their local favorite restaurants, which was Mexican! haha! Love it! We had a great time with Marsha, Gary, Anna, Eric, and Emma (the awesome dog)!