Tulsa trip and the Rhema Lights

Right after work on Friday Kenny and I set out on our Tulsa adventure! For my birthday he had bought me tickets to see A Christmas Carol in Tulsa and the performance was on Saturday evening so we decided to just make a weekend of it. Along with my gift was an amazing weekend stay at a luxury hotel which turned out to be Embassy Suites.
Embassy Suites always conjures up images of luxury in my mind. I've stayed there once or twice with my family and it never failed to impress *grins*. This place was just heavenly as well! The courtyard and lobby looked like something out of an Italian painting...This is where we had breakfast every morning, bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy and made to order omeletts, yum, yum! Our room was quite snazzy as well. We were laughing that we could probably live here comfortably! Can you see through that doorway in the back, that leads to the separate bedroom, wow!

And two huge flat panel tv's!?! I can see how this would also be a great hotel if you had kids and needed some extra space. I was impressed that there were three vanities with sinks in our room alone! One in the bathroom, one in the "kitchen" and one in the master bedroom below...

(Can you tell I'm a little obsessed with hotels *laughs* I'm a dork, I know...maybe for my next job I'll be a hotel reviewer!!)

After we got checked into our hotel for the evening we set out towards the town of Broken Arrow, about fifteen minutes away, to see the Christmas lights display at Rhema Bible College.

My family was in Tulsa the previous weekend and saw the lights. We just knew it was NOT to be missed!! And what a gorgeous show it was!! Wow! Nearly two million lights spread out over the college campus.
Row after row after row of beautiful trees decked out in colorful lights!
There was an amazing bridge over the water that was absolutely engulfed in lights. These lights were set in time to Christmas music and would blink and twinkle to the beat. So fun!
We loved this adorable Christmas gazebo and water fountain. The lake really reflected those lights like a gigantic mirror. I can't believe those little ducks were swimming around in arctic water *laughs*
Do you know who was waiting in the center of the gazebo....
That's right!! Santa Claus *grins* Oh, we just had a joyous time. I could have stayed there all night except we were starting to get hungry. We left the light show and headed to Cracker Barrel to get a bite to eat. That place sure has some yummy comfort food, perfect to warm you up after a cold night of light viewing.

We went back to our hotel room and as a surprise my precious husband had brought his laptop and video projector so we could watch a Christmas movie projected gigantically on the wall. He's so thoughtful! He got it all set up and we watched Elf.

It was just like being at the movies! *grins* then off to sleep dreaming about the next days adventures!

Cookies with my sugar

Fun, fun, fun! Kenny and I got creative this week and made some fabulous and cute little sugar cookies. Christmas time always makes me think about making gingerbread cookies and awe inspiring gingerbread houses decked out in fancy candy and sweet treats....but, we really prefer the taste of sugar cookies, so we decided to get creative with those! *grins*

Do you know what!?! I don't even own any cookie cutters! How sad is that? *laughs* I suppose I should have registered for some for our wedding huh? Well, luckily my sweetie Mom and older sister Lisa have some perfect ones to share!

My Mom had all kinds of cookie cutters, snowmen, Christmas trees, Santa Claus and even a tiny heart cookie cutter that my dad MADE for her when they were newlyweds! Awww! Lisa had some great snowflake cookie cutters that I borrowed and we ended up using those.

I found a recipe for sugar cookies here. It's a fun blog with lots of intriguing recipes! Yum! The dough was nice and soft and just the right level of sweetness. We rolled the dough out and got started on the fun!
I cut out a few...
and then Kenny went wild *grins*
He was cutting them so fast I couldn't keep up, transferring them to the cookie sheet! *laughs*
They only had to cook for about eight minutes, they were so small, so we let them cool and then they were ready for icing!
I absolutely love that Kenny is willing to do anything with me, even if it involves baking *grins* He is such a sweet husband and just my perfect match!
(This was Kenny's icing plan...."get as much icing on the cookies as possible" *winks*)

And here's me...

as you can see, it takes a lot of concentration to ice a cookie! Oh, we had a blast and this was our end product...
Hmm...we probably shouldn't try out for the professional baking tour, but we had fun and that's what counts right? Here's a couple cute ones...
Merry Christmas! From our kitchen to yours!!

The Nutcracker Ballet

Oh la la! My very first ballet was such a wonderful evening! I was so excited and looking forward to our grand evening out to the civic center all day long! Kenny and I got all dressed up fancy and even stopped to take some Christmas pictures in front of our fireplace before we left.
When we arrived downtown the night was crisp and cool and there was Christmas music in the air wafting over from the ice skating rink right in front of the Civic Center.Once we stepped inside the building there was an enormous Christmas tree and the whole event hall was decked in twinkle lights and garland swags. Some of The Nutcracker cast members were posing in front of the tree taking pictures with guests. *grins*

We took our seats in the balcony on the very first row! Wow! I couldn't have asked for better seats. We were a little above the stage with no heads blocking our view and I could even see some of the musicians performing Tchaikovsky for our merriment.

Kenny warned me that there was no photography allowed. I knew this would be the case during the performance, but I thought it would be okay to snap a couple pictures of the beautiful stage and Christmas curtain before the show began....oh.heavens.no! An usher came flying down the stairs to alert me that there was no photography allowed inside the theater at all! Eeek!

The performance began and I was completely enthralled! The costumes were so beautiful and there were ballerinas ranging from three years old to thirty. They were all so talented! I was especially in awe during the waltz of the snowflakes when it actually began to snow on stage!I found this picture online to show you what it looked like (since I was banished from photography *laughs*)
The entire show was just astonishingly beautiful and really put us in the Christmas mood. I hope it becomes a regular holiday tradition of ours *grins*

Celebrate good times, come on!

oOo I have had a glorious week long birthday celebration! It's so nice to draw holidays out like that, then you don't have to squish it all into one single day *grins*

My first birthday celebration was up in Kansas with Kenny's Dad and Mom while we were visiting them for Thanksgiving. They got me a gorgeous teal turtleneck sweater and a set of red gloves and a scarf! They are so soft and beautiful. I wore the sweater to work last week and got a lot of sweet compliments *grins*

like this except teal *winks*

Kenny's Grandma also gave me the sweetest card and some money to buy whatever my heart desires! Hmmmm, I'll have to think about that *winks*

My next birthday surprise was on my actual birthday, my boss had some beautiful flowers delivered to my office to surprise me! He's very thoughtful like that *grins*

Then when I got home from work Kenny had two dozen of the most gorgeous roses waiting to greet me!! Wowiee! He is such a fabulous hubby!! The best in the whole wide world! *grins*

We got Olive Garden to go, you know how dearly I love their salad and bread sticks! And I got to pick out our Christmas movie for the evening! Serendipity!!
Next I opened my gifts...

Tickets to see The Nutcracker ballet downtown at the Civic Center! I'm so excited, this will be my first ballet ever. I can hardly wait to see those lovely performers and hear the Philharmonic orchestra serenading in the back ground. *grins*

AND, a phenomenal weekend trip to Tulsa to a luxury hotel and tickets to see A Christmas Carol at the Tulsa Theater! Ooooo, we love an exciting excursion adventure out of town. Last year we got to see A Christmas Carol in Kansas City. I hope this theater company is just as wonderful!

Several of my friends have mentioned what a sweetie husband I have to not only be willing to go to the theater and ballet with me, but that it was his idea to buy me the tickets! Yes, I am one lucky lady! Thanks baby!!

Then, for my final act of Birthday festivities we celebrated with my family on Sunday. We enjoyed pizza galore and two different cakes. My favorite, a Strawberry Roll Cake...and a pumpkin roll cake too! My Mom is so creative, she stenciled "28" on the pumpkin cake with powdered sugar! So cute!!

I got some fabulous gifts from my sweet family! Some Bath and Body Works yummies, new makeup that I had really been wanting to try, a fun DVD of all the faerie tale theater movies (we used to ADORE these when we were little girls!!), a soft, plush, red rug, all kinds of treasures *grins*

Then, to end off the night I did a Christmas photo shoot for Bart and Lisa, Bryce and Griffin outside by the lake. It was really fun capturing their sweet smiles and endearing family moments. Luckily it was a fairly warm day (for December) and the wind wasn't blowing us down *laughs*

I don't want to ruin the surprise, but once Lisa gives me the okay I'll post some of those pictures on here, they.are.so.cute!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh gracious, the holiday time always conjures up images of scrumptious treats, all sorts of yummy things to cook and eat. It's fabulous for your taste buds, but murder on your diet plans (mine anyway *winks*).

Well, one specific recipe has alluded me...until now. Chocolate Chip Cookies. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not too shabby with the good old classic Toll House recipe, but they never turn out just exactly the way I think they should. They're either a little too flat or a little too gooey. Overdone or underdone. (I keep thinking they need yeast or something *laughs*)
Well, I happened across a recipe online that was called Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and they had me hooked from the get go *grins*.

I whipped up a batch after work and the moment they came out of the oven I knew they were the cookie for me! An added bonus, you don't even have to use an electric mixer for this recipe. The butter is melted so you can just stir it all up by hand, wow!! I had a cookie photo shoot right in my kitchen I was so excited!
They are soft, moist and tender, but still hold their shape. I had to pull the reigns to keep from eating them all! I sat down on the couch next to Kenny after polishing off number three. I was at a cookie high, just grinning like a goof. He looked up at me smiled a sweet piteous look and leaned over to wipe off my chocolate goatee *laughs* They're that good people!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

2 C plus 2 T flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

12 T butter (1 1/2 sticks) melted and cooled until warm

1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

1/2 C granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

2 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 C semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Chocolate Chunks!)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower- middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips.

Shape with a standard sized cookie scoop and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (or a silpat). Bake until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 10-13 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.
I hope you love them as much as I do!!

Schell Thanksgiving

Kenny and I got to go up to Kansas for Thanksgiving again this year. I'm really blessed to have a boss that will give me extra days off to spend time with my family. We're also really fortunate that my sweet family is willing to postpone their Thanksgiving celebrations so we can spend "Thanksgiving" with them too!!
I love visiting Kenny's Dad and Mom in Kansas. It feels like such a relaxing retreat away from home. They always make us feel so welcome and have delicious food, gourmet breakfasts and yummy snacks for us! We just get to relax and enjoy the good company *grins*

Kenny and I left to pick up his Grandma and Nana and when we got home Kenny's brother Jeff, Jessica and the kiddo's were there and we were ready to eat!
Kenny's Mom, Cecilia, always makes an amazing meal! She had all kinds of appetizers, veggie trays, fruit and dip, celery with peanut butter, crackers and cheese...I can't believe I didn't get a picture of all the goodies! The dinner was mouth watering goodness too! A moist, tender turkey and all the fixins! Plus three different kinds of pie and ice cream for dessert! I don't know how she does it all and with a smile on her face, makes it look easy!

Another wonderful treat that she designed this year was to have everyone write what they are thankful for on large paper leaves to hang on the refrigerator.

It was a great way to get us all really thinking about how blessed we truly are...

After dinner we were ready for games! We played a big game of ultimate Frisbee. I made one champion catch last year and was convinced I could be a professional Frisbee athlete....hmmm, not so much this year *grins* But we had a fun time out in the cool air throwing that Frisbee around!

Next we all headed down to the basement. Olivia and I were having a hilarious time playing with a felt board and pet shop cut outs. First we placed everything neatly and correctly...
Then we were full of giggles putting things in the wrong place, like putting the dress on a puppy, or using a fish for a hat!

Alex and Ellis got in some excellent wii time. I even got to play some wii bowling with them!

Then to finish off the night Jessica, Cecilia, Olivia and I played a game of memory (let me just tell you, Olivia has an amazing little brain!! She beat me fair and square!)
And Jeff, Kenny and Ellis played a terrific game of darts!
They have this really amazing electronic dart board that keeps track of your score and who's turn it is, and has all sorts of neat dart games to choose from. *grins*

We just had a wonderful day of food, family and fun, and isn't that what life is really all about!

Dear Karen,

I wish a wonderful birthday to the greatest wife a husband could ever ask for. No present or gift could ever represent the love that I feel for you. I hope that your 27th year was better than your 26th and your 28th year will be even greater. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life, and thank your wonderful parents for having you 28 years ago.
I cherish every minute that we spend together, and all the wonderful new things that you bring into my life. I have truly been on one adventure after another since I met you. You have taken me from coast to coast from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. Gone swimming with sea turtles to hiking with bears. Run after burglars to getting ready to run marathons. I have almost been set on fire (not at all your fault ; ) which you helped put out, and you have helped me renovate our home, something I would have never thought I was capable of doing. I have seen great wonders of the world like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone with you and those memories are just as fond as the times we go walking at the local lake. No matter what we have done whether it be traveling, remodeling, spending quality time being productive, or being lazy watching tv... every year, month, week, or day is something special because you are there.
On this special day, I just want you to know how exceptional you are to me. I could not have ever dreamt of a better wife than you. Karen you are so kind, wonderful, generous, one-of-a-kind, patient, loving, beautiful, and a thousand other magnificent things. You make me a want to be a better man, dream greater dreams, and chase after my goals.
On this birthday, I feel that you are the one giving me the gift of great memories that we have shared and the ones yet to come. I know that I have to be the luckiest man alive to have a wife like you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY I LOVE YOU!!!