Top Moments of 2008

• Marrying the man of my dreams on the most wonderful day of my life!
• Our glorious honeymoon in St. Thomas
• Standing beside my sister as she married the man of her dreams
• Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time in my life
• Hiking for MILES to see the Delicate Arch at Arches National Park and then staring speechlessly in wonder..
• Seeing the Kansas City Zoo and going back to the Renaissance Fair
• Clinging to chains on a mountain side for my dear life, to hike across a tiny ledge and see Angels Landing with Kenny!
• Going to Colorado for the Fourth of July with my fabulous new mother and father-in-law
• Waking up at 3:00 in the morning to go see meteors streak across the sky
• Watching Dave Matthews in concert at the Bricktown Ballpark to celebrate our two month anniversary (the third concert of my whole life!)
• Seeing Kenny's soccer team take second place in their tournament
• Going to Missouri to spend time with Neil and Julie at their beautiful apartment and wonderful church
• Seeing three young Buffalos at dusk in the Wichita Mountains
• My birthday trip to Kansas City and seeing A Christmas Carol
• Celebrating my first Thanksgiving and Christmas with MY HUSBAND :)

Wow, so many new and wonderful things have happened this year! I am so excited to see what next year brings!

We wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!!

OUR Christmas ;)

It is a special tradition for Kenny and I to exchange our gifts to each other at home privately. Not meant to be rude or secretive, it's just something special to us. It feels like we really get to focus on each other and soak up each gift that way ;)

So, after driving back from Kansas on December 26th we decided to have "our" Christmas the next morning. We woke up surprisingly early and while I was brushing my teeth Kenny snuck into the living room and lit a bunch of candles all over, made sure the lights on the tree were turned on, put on a CD of Christmas music he had burned for me, and he had the video camera rolling as I peeked around the corner and got the full effect. He's so sweet! I just love all the little ways that he shows that he loves me!We took turns opening gift after gift and ooohhed and ahhhed over each one! Kenny got me some sketching pads and oil pastels, a huge case of GLORIOUS Lancome makeup, two fun new board games, a beautiful silver heart Christmas tree ornament (to commemorate our first Christmas), and..... A Wii along with four games!!!!! I was SO excited when I opened it! I know I must have been going on and on for months about how they were sold out in all the stores and not exactly hinting that I wanted one, but he must have known "some how" ;) One of the games he got me was Mario Cart and it has amazing little steering wheels, it feels like you are actually driving a car!

I got Kenny some new clothes, a few DVD's and CD's that he's been wanting, and an XBox 360! I think he was pretty surprised and VERY excited!

We are quite the gamers now all of a sudden, *grins*. Needless to say we spent a lot of that day playing our new games systems and board games! It was such a spectacularly fun day!

I certainly didn't take enough photographs of our little Christmas, I think I was just so excited and caught up in the moment that I completely forgot to take any, but we got a lot of video and I know we will enjoy "reliving" it all one day.

Christmas Day!!

Kenny and I had a wonderful Christmas morning. We got up bright and early to run downstairs and open gifts with Kenny's Mom and Dad. They have a BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree. It's really tall and extends up right beside the stairs, beautiful elegant white lights and such fun ornaments. I picked out a few that Kenny had made when he was a kid-o....SO cute!

We had such a fun time taking turns opening presents. I got some awesome photo frames and a whole big basket full of fabulous kitchen stuff that I was longing for! They also got us an adorable Snowman night light that the bulbs flicker like candle light, I just love it! It is particularly special because they bought it for us while we were all in Colorado for the 4th of July!

Kenny got some great clothes he had been wanting along with a jump rope and stopwatch (he's so energetic!) They also got us the gorgeous dark wood tv trays we had on our wedding registry! I know we will put those to great use!!

After our Christmas morning events Kenny and I got ready and went into Topeka to pick up Grandma and Nana to come over for Christmas Dinner with the whole family. They are both such special ladies. I absolutely LOVE spending time with them! Jeff and Jessica and Alex and Olivia came over and we got to exchange gifts with them too! Kenny and Jeff both got an awesome gift from their Mom and Dad, and ACTUAL piece of the wood floor where the Kansas Jayhawks won the national championship basketball game this year! It is so cool!!

We all had a grand time! I got to hang out with Olivia more and we did the "stamp dance" together *grins* basically on the count of three you leap as far as you can over the couch cushions, which have been specially lined up on the ground. It was so fun, but I'm sure Alex (who was in the basement at the time) thought we were having an earthquake! ;)

Every year that I get older I realise just how special it is to spend time with family. I am SO thankful for the family that I have and for the new family that I am now a part of!

Chrismas Eve

Kenny and I woke up early on Christmas Eve to drive up to Kansas and spend Christmas with Kenny's family. My family sweetly agreed to postpone our Christmas celebration until January 1st so that Kenny & I and Neil and Julie could spend Christmas with our in-laws and still all be together on New Years for our Christmas! I'm so thankful it all worked out that way. It would be so difficult to choose where to go and have to miss out on one family or the other.

We finished up some last minute packing and hit the road! It was a pretty chilly day and Kenny's Dad called to warn us about some icy weather around Wichita. Every mile we drove North the temperature seemed to drop. I was super excited though, you know me always dreaming of a White Christmas! *grins*

Along the way we spotted our Dairy Queen (we like to stop there on the way back and forth to Kansas because you can't seem to find one in Oklahoma) and nuts that we are... even in that cold weather we got a Butterfinger Blizzard to share, and boy was it YUMMY!!

We made it to Topeka about 3:00 and went straight to Kenny's Grandma's house. She hosts Christmas for the WHOLE family on Christmas eve. It was such a grand time! I got to meet more of Kenny's family who I'd never met before. They are all so sweet. There were a bunch of little cousins running around and new babies and just a room full of cheer! Grandma got us the MOST beautiful lamp to go out by our swimming pool! It's wrought Iron with a bright copper top and we can't wait to have it glowing out there this summer while we're swimming!!

After the Christmas party we went to the Christmas Eve service at Jeff and Jessica's church. It was really beautiful! The church is in an old building with such charm, lots of wood and arches and stained glass, so pretty! They had music and Christmas Carols. Kenny and I were especially impressed with the Bell Ringer. We've seen people play the bells, but it's usually people (as in plural).....this was just ONE man and he played the most amazing Christmas songs!! WOW! It made my fingers ache to go try it out myself ;)

After church we headed for Kenny's Mom & Dad's. We all gathered up on the couch and watched "It's a wonderful life" before heading off to bed to rest up for Christmas morning!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

with love from Kenny & Karen

We sure hope everyone has a very happy holiday,

gets to spend lots of time with family and

thanking God for His blessings.

We are in Kansas with Kenny's Mom and Dad and having a wonderful time. We are so thrilled that this is actually the VERY first Christmas we have spent together. Last year Kenny was in Kansas and I was here in Oklahoma, so we are especially enjoying our First Christmas *grins*!

We'll be back soon and I'll share all the stories :)

1/2 year Anniversary!

Goodness! December is just flying by and I'm not being very diligent about posting! I'll try to do better!

Yay! Kenny and I celebrated our half of a year Wedding Anniversary yesterday! We had a really fun day :) We went to church in the morning and they had some of the most beautiful Christmas Carols. I just get chills to hear the whole congregation singing together and it makes the songs extra special when I really think about what the words mean...

"Glory to the new born king"...."Round yon virgin mother and child"...."Joyful all ye nations rise, join the TRIUMPH of the skies" WOW!

After church we got a little extra Christmas shopping done. Probably doesn't sound like a fun way to spend your anniversary, but we just wanted to be together, whatever we're doing. It was such a nice day outside, nearly seventy degrees, perfect time for shopping.

We knew a cold front was supposed to be blowing in any moment, but we decided to get bundled up and go downtown to see the Crystal Bridge Botanical Gardens Sunday evening. Boy were we glad we bundled up! A bitter cold wind was blowing in and the temperature dropped down to about twenty-two degrees! We parked about a block away from the gardens and rushed over to get inside.
The gardens were all lit up with Christmas lights and there was Christmas music playing. So pretty! The place was pretty packed, I think a lot of other people must have had the same idea for a Sunday night outing. So, we didn't get to dwadle much, but it was still a fun date. We walked outside and saw ALL the lights out there until our noses were about to freeze off *grins* and then we headed back to the car.

We spent the rest of the evening snuggled up on the couch watching Christmas movies! :)

My Birthday!!

Kenny planned a wonderful gift for me for my birthday. On Saturday morning we left his Mom and Dad's house and headed to Kansas City for my "gift". The snow was gently coming down all around us while we made the drive (about an hour) and we arrived at the Kansas City Theater.

Kenny had bought tickets for us to see "A Christmas Carol"! It was such an amazing show! The stage was unbelievable and there were trap doors and moving parts and flashing lights, smoke and SNOW! Really, it was amazing! The ghosts were SCARY and towards the end of the show all the cast came out singing "Oh come all ye faithful" as if they were caroling in the streets. They came down the aisles and all around the audience. I actually started crying. It was just so touching. As you can tell I LOVED the play!

After the show we drove downtown to stay at the Hyatt Crowne Plaza hotel (Wow!) it's directly attached to the Crowne Center and quite a fancy place :) We went shopping at the Crowne Center shops. We were looking for a topper for our Christmas tree. It would have been a neat reminder of our trip, and especially neat because this will be our first married Christmas. We never found just that right one, but we sure had a lot of fun looking!

Kenny took me to dinner at a sweet little restaurant and afterwards we went outside in the snow to see ALL the Christmas lights and the giant Mayor's Christmas tree. There was also a beautiful ice skating rink. So Fun!

We stayed the night in our beautiful hotel room and it really was one of the best birthdays EVER!!

Thank you Kenny, I LOVE You!!

Shopping in Lawrence

The day after Thanksgiving Kenny and his Dad had planned to go out riding their motorcycles and Cecilia and I were going to hit the town shopping!

Well, the weather was kind of slushy rainy cold so the boys had to call off the riding. But Kenny, being a sweetie son and hubby said he'd accompany us on our shopping trip :)

It was Kenny's Mom's birthday so we had a fun day shopping all over Lawrence. There are all kinds of different shops all along "main street". Antique stores and food shops and neat little restaurants. We popped in and out and just enjoyed the day. Kenny and I bought her lunch and we had some tasty Barbeque!

After we left these "main street" shops we went to a place called World Market... SO COOL!! They have things from all over the world. Decorations and accessories and furniture! Wow oh wow!

It was starting to snow as we were finishing up shopping. We got home just at dark and Kenny's dad had Chili and Baked Potatoes all warm and waiting for us!

Our Thanksgiving!

Well, Kenny and I had a fabulously fun and thankful Thanksgiving. My wonderful boss gave me Thursday AND Friday off and let me leave on Wednesday at 4:00. Kenny had dropped me off at work that morning so he just loaded up our bags and picked me up at 4:00 and we were on our way.

It's about a four hour drive up to Topeka. Plenty of time to talk and laugh and enjoy time with my Hubby! We're always reading together. Right now we're reading "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity", an autobiography of Bill O'Reilly. It is actually quite interesting and makes me laugh out loud. So, I (not being the driver) read several chapters out loud for us ;)
We got to Kenny's Mom and Dad's house about 8:30 and they had Taco Villa (Kenny's favorite) burritos and chips and queso waiting for us! Yummy!

Thursday morning, Thanksgiving, we woke up bright and early and I tried my best to help Cecilia with cooking and cleaning and all the prep work she was doing. Then Kenny and I drove into Topeka to pick up Kenny's Nana. She is so sweet and always so excited to see us. I just love her!

We got back to Kenny's Mom and Dad's just in time to meet up with Uncle Gary and Aunt Linda who were dropping off his Grandma. They are all such sweet people!

Well, we had a glorious lunch/dinner Mashed potatoes, biscuits, a whole big turkey and Kenny and I even got to break the wishbone! We both pulled with all our might blasting the top right off. I think we both won (or lost) lol! It didn't technically pull in two *laughs*
Later that evening Kenny's brother Jeff, his wife Jessica and Alex and Olivia all came over and we had a good time playing Wii. I'm not very good, but it was fun! Then all the adults sat down for a nice game of dominoes, chickens foot. We were battling it out and Jessica and I were neck-in-neck right down to the last hand where I pulled off victory! (I think that's the first time I've EVER beaten Kenny!)

We were so thankful for fun times with family!

Give Thanks!

Well, I'm about to head off for my first Thanksgiving with my Husband! We're venturing up to Kansas to see Kenny's family and spend our holiday with them.

There are so many many things that I am thankful for this year.

• God, of course, for His never ending love for me.
• Kenny, our marriage and the start of a wonderful life together.
• My family for their love and constant support in everything that I do.
• Kenny's family and their love and patience towards us for being far away.
• My many friends (who feel like family)!
• And the everyday moments where I can only sigh in awe of ALL of God's blessings, thank you Lord!

I hope everyone has a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and really takes time to remember all the things that they are thankful for.

Doe a deer...me and my "dear"

Lol, I hope I'm not the only one goofy enough to "get" that headline. I know Dad will laugh if no one else *grins*

Kenny and I had SUCH a fun weekend at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge! We got up early on Saturday morning and drove a little over an hour to the park. As soon as we got there, the first place we saw was Mt. Scott so of course we drove to the top and got a spectacular 360 degree view of the entire place!

It was a little breezy and about fifty-eight to sixty degrees, but we had layers on and once you got out and moving around the weather was just about perfect. :)

We drove around the whole refuge stopping at all the little turn off's and lakes and scenic places. It was really beautiful. The leaves had all changed to their fall colors, and we were plesantly surprised at ALL the wildlife that was out this time of year!
There were a bunch of really neat hiking trails that we of course had to check out! A couple of them went up into the mountains and over rivers, then a few others went winding through the woods on flat ground with just a dirt trail to guide you. I just knew we were going to be lost in the woods and be on one of those "survivors" tv shows ;) ....there was NO CHANCE we weren't going to survive. I was practicing my LOUD whistle just in case I had to alert someone of our location, lol. But, my fabulous trail guide husband kept us perfectly on course at all times!

Kenny is such a great photographer. He really got a chance to practice this weekend! We were about to give up hope on seeing anything other than ducks and geese when we rounded a corner and came face to face with a huge longhorn! It was so cool, just grazing right beside a trail.

I sometimes wonder what animals do all day, I mean...they don't have "jobs" and they don't go on vacation or play sports or watch tv....hmmmm, I wonder.... ;)
There were sweet little praire dogs running about...back and forth between their dens. They were precious but kind of fraidy-cats. They were munching on grass and seeds and would keep glancing up to see how close Kenny and I were getting and once we got within a certain distance they would stand up on their back feet and start chirping the alarm *laughing* SO adorable. Some of them were stretching in the sun and snugging up together!!! Awww!
We also saw three beautiful deers and got to pull over and get just close enough not to scare them and take some great pictures. They were so peaceful and content. Kenny was really hoping to see some buffalo and just as we were leaving the park to head to our hotel for the night he spotted THREE young buffalo tramping around and butting heads out in a field! It was amazing! You could hear them grunting and growling...so surreal! It's is so different from seeing them at a zoo or something.
We left the refuge and went to stay the night at Holiday Inn in Lawton. This hotel was fabulous! I highly recommend it if anyone goes out to Lawton. There were free Otis Spunkmeyer cookies in the lobby the moment we got there to check in. The lady at the front desk actually encouraged me to bag some up to take to our room because they "go fast" ;)

Our room was HUGE, truly one of the biggest hotel rooms I've ever seen! Kenny and I also got to enjoy the hot tub downstairs all by ourselves. I think most of the hotel guests must have not thought about bringing their swim suits in November. There was a gorgeous fireplace outside right by the hot tub that provided such a sweet ambiance. It felt SOoo relaxing after a long day of hiking.

Sunday morning we checked out and went back to the wildlife refuge just to enjoy a little more before heading home. I am so thankful for the time Kenny and I get to spend together. Just being around him makes me fall in love all over again. I appreciate all the sweet little reminders of why I love him, like the way he ALWAYS opens my car door for me even when we're in the middle of the wilderness, or the way he hikes downhill ahead of me and stops to take my hand and help me down the rocks or across streams, or picking up an empty pop can to throw away for someone who had just left it there. Awwww, I love that boy!

Well, it was a fun weekend adventure in the heart of God's awesome creation that I will never forget!

Camping in the living room!

Well, we had a glorious five month anniversary celebration. We rented a cute little cartoon movie, Kung Fu Panda, and ordered Chilis to go. I ordered their new chicken tacos which turned out to be fabulous! We moved our mattress into the living room and Kenny got a wonderful fire roaring and we just had so much fun "camping" in the living room! We stayed out there Friday and Saturday nights and had wonderful fires going both evenings. We were ever so thankful for all those tree limbs we cut down and had ready and waiting for us to have a fire with ;)

Saturday Kenny and I had another soccer game. It was such a close game this time. The final score was 7 to 8....we just lost by one point. I brought my throat spray with me just in case I had a coughing fit *grins* I did use it several times, but since I was out sick last week I was really wanting to play this week. It's fun to feel like part of the team and just run around and be active!

On Sunday Kenny and I went out to lunch with Dad and Mom and Lori at IHOP. I LOVE spending time with them we just can't stop talking and laughing. Then when we got home we cleaned ALL the leaves off the lawn again. It really is a never ending job. I raked them out of the flower beds and Kenny was sucking them up with the lawn mower and we made a pretty awesome team! The weather was just gorgeous. Minimal wind and seventy four degrees!!! In NOVEMBER!! Can you believe it!? We're planning a trip to Lawton next weekend to go hiking around in the Wichita Mountains and see the wildlife refuge. I sure hope the weather is just as beautiful.

Five Months!

Hooray! Today Kenny and I celebrate five months of wedded bliss :D

I'm excited because in celebration we're going to order Chilis to go and have a big cozy fire in the fireplace and rent a movie and snuggle up and camp out in the living room! I can't wait! What a nice relaxing weekend treat!

Sick

Sniff, sniff....unfortunately I've been sick for about five days now. Nothing serious, just stuffy head, coughing, achey, sinusy, yucky stuff. It certainly makes work a lot more difficult when I can't seem to concentrate on much of anything. :(
I probably should have just gone to the doctor but it seems like by the time I decide it's really time to go see a doctor I'm just about better anyway. I've been taking Dayquil and Nyquil and just trying to get by until I'm better. I've been pumping Kenny full of vitamins and orange juice and making sure we're both washing our hands extra often just because I REALLY don't want him to get sick too.

I even had to miss the indoor soccer game on Saturday. I felt really bad leaving only four girls to try to field the whole game. Well, I'll be better next week and hopefully be able to play a lot!

Engagement Anniversary!

One year ago today....Kenny asked me to marry him!

Kenny's proposal was super sweet and so special! He asked me to come and take some pictures of his middle school basketball team (that he coaches) because they just got their uniforms and their first game was coming up soon...So I drove down to his school on Friday right after work.

They had just finished practice and went back in the locker room to put on their new jerseys. I was getting my camera ready. Then they got all lined up on the bleachers and started pulling out a banner.

I assumed it would say "Roosevelt Titans"....Well I was reading, through my camera, and it said...Will you marry me?

WOW!! I was so excited I started shaking and was so close to tears and Kenny walked forward and got down on one knee and said the sweetest things and asked me to marry him.

Needless to say I said YES YES YES!!! I Will! :)

It was a dream come true! :)

He had already asked both of my parents, I don't know how or when he slipped that in, but I'm so glad he did. He's THE perfect man for me and the answer to my prayers!

I Voted!

YES! I voted today! I saw this verse on a friends site today and thought it was very applicable!

PSALM 22:27-28
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD'S and He rules over the nations.

I have been very mindful and prayerful about this election, more so than any other before. Maybe because I'm becoming a "grown up" *grins*, but I'm really going to have to just turn this one over to God. I know He is always faithfully taking care of me :)

November already!?!

I can't believe this year has flown by so fast! It shouldn't be past July yet! ;) I'm going to have to try even harder to savor EVERY moment!

Kenny and I had FIFTY sweet little trick-or-treaters on Friday night. I was pleasantly surprised at their manners and cheer. Almost every single one said "thank you" and "Happy Halloween" and such. It was so sweet! I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work and saw two little babies (twins), about ten months old, who were dressed up like soft yellow ducks! Awwww!

We had a really nice weekend, aren't the weekends always nice though ;) Dad came over on Saturday morning and used his backpack blower to blow up all the millions of leaves and sticks and acorns from the previous weekend's adventure of tree trimming. Kenny and I bagged up TWENTY FIVE big black bags full! The yard looked so pretty! I love it when it is all crisp and green and tidy! It only lasted about eight hours, but it was clean long enough to sew grass seeds and make me smile wide as a turkey ;) Here are some before and after pictures...

We had another indoor soccer game at 4:00 on Saturday. I played a BUNCH more this time! All different positions, defense, forward, midfield (whew, that's the hardest! running all over the place) it was so fun, I'm really getting competitive about it now. I can't wait to play again next Saturday! I will just be jumping for joy if I ever score a goal!!

Sunday morning at Crossings we got to hear the head pastor Marty Grubbs preach. The sermon was about Mercy and I really liked the way he explained things out. Justice is getting what you deserve, Mercy is NOT getting what you deserve and Grace is getting what you DON'T deserve. *Thank you Lord for your loving grace! Thank you for sending your son to die for my sins so that I can be in relationship with you FOREVER!

Then Sunday evening Kenny and I went for a stroll down by the lake to watch the sun set. I love just walking and talking with my hubby! I love the conversations that we have and how we never run out of things to talk about!

Two years ago!

Would you believe that it was two years ago TODAY that Kenny wrote to me for the very first time :) It still gives me butterflies and makes my heart leap when I read that first message he ever wrote to me. It is so amazing to see what God can do...to bring two people together like that. I am amazed and thankful each and everyday!

I was just thinking about my life and where I am and just how truly happy I am. This is the happiest and most content I've ever been with my life. I am really just enjoying every moment and looking forward to what each day brings.

When Kenny got home from work yesterday he greeted me with a kiss and an arm full of roses "just because".

He is unbelievable! I am so blessed to be his wife. I don't think I deserve him. I know it sounds goofy, but even the smallest things like making the bed, or doing laundry feel special because I'm doing them for Kenny. Just little ways to show my love.

Lumberjacks!

Dad, Mom, Kenny and I got to be lumberjacks all weekend long! ;)

We've been needing and wanting to really trim back a lot of the branches in our trees. Some of them were damaged during the ice storm last winter and some of them were just growing so big and out over the street and house that then needed to be trimmed back. Dad and Mom have the same situation at their house and we've just been procrastinating so we finally decided that THIS was the weekend to do it.

We rented a huge aerial lift that can go up FIFTY feet in the air! And we got to work!
Saturday morning Kenny and I went over to Mom and Dads and we started our big work day. Dad and I went up in the lift and I operated it while Dad used his chain saw to cut down limbs. We also took two big trees out for their sweet neighbor, Aunt Lee. That was an adventure! Dad tied ropes around them and Kenny and I were pulling while he chainsawed the base and they came crashing over. Then while Dad and I continued to cut down more and more limbs, Mom and Kenny were on the ground gathering them all up in bundles and Kenny chainsawing the big pieces into fire wood. Let me just tell you, we are all set for firewood for this year! *grins*

We worked the WHOLE day, just stopped for lunch and kept going until the sun set. It was a lot of work, but a ton of fun. It was really such a pretty day just to be outside, and I love the feeling of doing hard work and accomplishing something. It was fun hanging out with Mom and Dad and my heart was just throbbing with love for Kenny helping out there all day. It makes me think about what a huge help Mom and Dad were to their parents and I want to be able to help them ALWAYS the way they are ALWAYS willing to stop and help me.

Saturday night Kenny and I had an indoor soccer game at ten o'clock, after our long days work. I was so nervous. This was only my second time to play....ever, but it ended up being so much fun! Kenny scored TWO goals! :) I got at least one really good kick in, I'm hoping to get better every time.

Sunday morning Dad and Mom came over and we got started on mine and Kenny's trees. I was so excited! We go SO MUCH done! We worked all day again, just stopping for lunch and then working until the sun went down. I've been feeling sympathy for our Garbage collectors now, we have about thiry huge bundles of sticks waiting to be picked up.

All in all it was a VERY productive weekend and I'm thankful we were able to get all that work done :)

Springfield, Missouri!

Wow-o-wow, we had such a great time in Springfield visiting Neil and Julie!

Since Kenny was already there, gone camping with Neil for Fall Break, Lori and I rode to Missouri with Julie. We had a fun four hour drive just talking and laughing non-stop. Apparently the camping trip was pretty cold, so the boys came home a day early. They actually beat us to the apartment and were there waiting for us when we got there. Yay, I was excited to see Kenny!

Julie and Neil's apartment is so beautiful. Everything looks so new and fresh. They have high arched ceilings which probably makes Neil feel more comfortable ;) The colors are great and I love all their pictures and candles and decor. It really suits them!

Julie, Lori and I planned on having a girls shopping day, so the boys decided to go see a movie and watch some football on Saturday. We really had a fun shop-a-thon day! We went to TJ Maxx and Marshalls (found some GREAT deals on sweaters!) and a discount shoe store that had some amazing deals! I got some new brown heels that are ever so comfortable! We also went to a store call the handbag and jewelry warehouse (so neat!) Julie and I got matching purses ;) Mine is black and hers is brown.

We were starting to get hungry by this time so we met up with the boys and had a yummy hamburger lunch at Fudruckers! They have really great onion rings if you ever go. After lunch we girls went to go see a huge Bass Pro Shop! They had beautiful waterfalls and fish and ducks and animals all over the place! We took a bunch of pictures there, people probably thought we were a little crazy ;) but... I guess we kind of are *grins*

Julie wanted us to get to taste a Springfield treat, so on the way back to the apartment we stopped and got Andy's Custard (oh wow, SO good!) It's made fresh EVERY hour, and you can really tell, it's SO tasty!

Once we got back to the apartment we girls did manicures and pedicures while the boys finished watching their football and just had a great time catching up.

Sunday morning we got to visit Neil and Julie's church, First Church of God in Springfield, and hear them sing and Neil lead worship. It is such a special church. Not too big and not too small. All the people were so friendly, and they knew the moment we walked in that we were Julie's sisters, *grins* "Oh, you MUST be related to Julie, you look just like her!". The music was GREAT, Neil and Julie just belong together!
After church we all went to lunch at Ruby Tuesday. We actually ran into Julie's new bosses there. She's starting a new job today and they just happened to be eating lunch there too. They seemed like really sweet people. I'm sure she'll enjoy working with them.

After lunch we all said our goodbye's and Kenny, Lori and I headed back to Oklahoma.

We had such a wonderful time, I can't wait to go back again soon! I am TRULY blessed to have such a wonderful family, my sisters, my brother in laws, my husband, I don't deserve any of them. Thank you Lord for placing them all in my life!