Hooray!

I'm right in the middle of cleaning up for a small group party tonight, but thought I'd share some news. But first, an ode:

Oh Jeep Liberty with your dark blue hue,
Through thick or thin, I've always had you.
Your poor gas mileage, your dark interior,
Always made your owner feel a bit inferior.
You drove 60,000 without ever sputterin'
Although that flat tire had me mutterin'.
First one chip, then two, and finally three,
Yet your windshield stayed true to its owner (that's me)!
It's time I bid you one last farewell,
As you sit in your space in used car lot hell.
I know you will find a new owner in time,
But I doubt that new owner has my kind of rhyme.
They're also pretty dumb since your mpg is 17,
Nevermind that, because to them you're supreme.
My new little friend has moved in rather quickly,
But I shan't say much as it might make you sickly.
So goodbye, take care, and know with elation,
I'll think of you each time I pass the gas station.

RIP Jeep Liberty: November 2002 - August 29, 2008


Say hello to my new friend! Dark grey Prius!

Whirlwind Weekend

We're back from Wauconda! I am busy at work this week so this post will be a lot of pictures and not so many words. Mom and I left Tulsa at about 1p on Friday and drove to St. Louis. Spent the evening with Melissa, Michael, and Maddilyn. It was great to see them and hold little Maddi! (I've decided I can handle seven month olds--it's the newborns that terrify me!) We left early Saturday morning and drove to Pontiac, IL for Michelle's family baby shower. Mom was nice enough to rent a few books on cd so we listened to David Baldacci's The Collectors. It took the entire trip there and back to complete the book--quite the doozy.

Below are pictures from the shower. There were so many kids (three of them were under two months old)! I was a little frustrated because I felt the attention was on the kids at times and not Michelle. She, however, was thrilled that so many of them came. I guess that's a good sign since she will have one of her own in a few months. :) She received some great gifts and it was nice to see everyone. She did not receive many clothes (because there are ZERO cute unisex clothes) so Michael and I were given permission to spend all of our money on clothes once the baby was born and not worry about buying the boring stuff... like strollers. :)







After the shower we drove to Wauconda (another two hours) and had dinner at an adorable restaurant. It looked like an old house and we ate on the front porch. Wauconda is a lake town (found out this weekend it used to be a vacation resort) so their neighborhood is right next to water. It's beautiful. Sunday was spent lounging around the house and catching up with the future parents. We went out again for dinner at another great restaurant, which was right on the water and gave us a great view of several boats! Before we went to dinner we took the traditional Besancon family pictures (I'm not sure we could function without a camera)...





Being weird Aunt Merdi...



SHOCKED!

SAD (Justin's face looks absolutely pitiful):

How we felt after the 37 day trip from hell:


Unfortunately, Monday was spent entirely on the road. 12 hours total. It was pretty brutal but mom and I still managed to have a great time. Michael was at a fantasy football draft when we arrived home (I thought those only happened in the movies. Nope, turns out they're real) but he'd left me an adorable "welcome back" gift. How cute is this little guy? I believe he thinks this will be enough to keep me from moving to San Diego and working at the zoo. Not a chance, sucka!!!! :)



That's it from me! Wish I could write more but unfortunately my to-do list keeps growing.

Who Knew?

I am still sticking to my New Year's resolution of reading the entire Bible. It's very tough at times since I have the attention span of a 3-year-old boy with severe ADD. Sometimes the Bible reminds me of a 4 hour movie that should have been 2 (including previews and credits). Or the person in your business meeting who clearly made his point the first time he spoke, yet feels the need to say the same thing 42 different ways just to make SURE everyone knows what he is trying to say.

Regardless, I'm really enjoying it. I tend to stick to the NIV version but sometimes like to mix things up. Have you ever read The Message version by Eugene Peterson? I believe it is for my generation and can be a little bizarre--at times it is borderline Ebonics. I may not fill my vocab with 4 and 5 syllable words, but slang and the Bible are an odd mix. They DO, however, provide massive amounts of entertainment.

For instance, here are a few verses from NIV:
They will say, Get up, let us go back to our own people and our native lands, away from the sword of the oppressor. There they will exclaim, Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity.'

Same verses but interpreted by The Message:
Let's get out of here while we still can. Let's head for home and save our skins.' When they get home they'll nickname Pharaoh "Big-Talk-Bad-Luck.'"

Perhaps my imagination is sub-par, but picturing anyone calling Pharoah, "Big-Talk-Bad-Luck" just cracks me up.

My favorite, however, is the following:
NIV version: Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful? O unfaithful daughter, you trust in your riches and say, 'Who will attack me?' "I will bring terror on you from all those around you," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. "Every one of you will be driven away, and no one will gather the fugitives."

Aaaand The Message: Why do you brag of your once-famous strength? You're a broken-down has-been, a castoff!

A broken-down has-been. YES! I actually laughed out loud. I DO love how he managed to write the same thing in 1/3 of the words. Eugene Peterson, I think we could be friends.

Green Yards Are Prettier Than Brown Yards

A few highlights from the weekend...

1. Watched multiple hours of the Olympics. I know everyone says Michael Phelps is their hero, and yes, the boy (man?) is magnificent. However, I am uber impressed with Dara Torres. She is incredible! And it's not just her age, she appears to be a nice, GOOD lady. I love that type of athlete (I should, I live with one). In other Olympic news, let's all say it together...

Feel the rhythm!
Feel the rhyme!
Get on up!
It's bobsled (er... running) time!

Of course I wanted us to win but way to go Jamaica!! Most of you know my love for that country, which can be credited to the movie Cool Runnings. I do not think the men and women need to concern themselves with a bobsled this time around!

2. After staying up pretty late on Friday night, I slept in until 11a. WHAT?! I think I could have slept longer but that would have been rude. It was magnificent.

3. Michael and I had "date night" on Saturday. Went to Ale House on the Riverwalk (delicious!) and then saw Pineapple Express. Probably shouldn't have seen it. And probably shouldn't have laughed out loud multiple times. Oops.

4. Went to church yesterday morning and spent the afternoon at Utica Square as well as running some errands. Evening was spent putting together some newly purchased bookcases. Our office is the eyesore in our home and we're doing our best to remedy the situation.

5. Saturday afternoon Michael mowed the yard and I cut the grass... with scissors. Yes, scissors. We don't have a true edger and it was getting a little jungle-ish around our flowerbed. Michael couldn't reach the area with the lawn mower so I gave our yard a haircut. Each time I heard a car turn on our street I immediately dropped the scissors and acted like I was pulling weeds. One of the cars stopped in front of our yard and I knew I'd been caught. I turned around with a sheepish grin and the friendly couple asked me my thoughts on our neighborhood. Turns out they're wanting to put an offer on the house next to us! Hooray for neighbors! The home has been for sale for as long as we've lived here and it's about time it had some occupants! We had a friendly chat and then they drove away. The cutting resumed.

6. Speaking of, I know you've been dying for another yard update. Below are 6 pictures. First 3 were taken the first week of May. Last 3 were taken this weekend. It's pretty incredible what 3 months of TLC and professional lawncare can do to your yard. My favorite part is the back. When the first pictures were posted on the blog, I mentioned how easy it was to tell where our yard stopped and theirs began. You can still see the line but only because our lawn is now GREENER than our neighbors. Victory!!








Time to wrap things up. After my last post, I received zero comments and a worried phone call from my mom. Hope I didn't scare you, it really was more of an "I'm so happy with my life as it is" and not a "Memoirs of an unhappy adolescent" post. Perhaps I should wait until I've eaten before I ever write again.

What Thinking Too Much Will Do To You...

I know I've posted several times about songs I hear on the radio stations. Bear with me as I do it again...

Michael and I have been driving separately all week because he has been busy at work. When we drive together in the morning, we rarely turn on the radio. I've noticed lately that I always listen to the radio if I'm in the car alone. I think I just like the company and if I can't have Michael's voice, I need something. Oh it is a curse to be so dependent.

As I drove to work yesterday a song came on the radio that always makes me smile: Living on a Prayer. I have a GREAT high school memory of several of us driving together in my fabulous Geo Tracker and singing that song at the tops of our lungs. I love having flashbacks because the feeling I get is one of comfort and relief. Relief because I'm so grateful the memory is still a part of me, and because I know that when that exact moment happened, I was on top of the world. There are other memories that can send me crashing to the floor or can consume me with fear, apprehension, or overwhelming sadness. Understandably, I try to keep those thoughts in the very back of my memory bank, praying one day they will disappear like so many others I have been able to will away.

Growing up can be so hard. When I was driving in the car that day, I hadn't experienced much. I'd never lost a friend, never had my heart broken, never moved to a new city, never passed out on the bathroom floor from drinking too much (sad but true), never called my mom at 2a in the morning begging her to tell me the next day would be better. Why did I ever wish to be older? Probably because at that moment I'd never experienced a new city, never danced till I couldn't dance anymore, never walked across a stage to receive my diploma, never recited vows in front of 200 friends and family, and never woken up to Michael sleeping next to me.

It's such a tricky thing. Ever had one of those moments where someone knew this great secret and you wanted so very badly to know what it was, and the second they finally told you you wish you'd never asked? How many times has anticipation for an event been more fun than the event itself? At the same time, how many times has anticipation been great and then the event absolutely blew you away? Sometimes I wish I could just pause my life where it is right now and never learn anything new. I know as I get older I will experience many wonderful things, but only at the expense of learning bad things as well. I'm sure it's worth it, but right now I just don't know if I'm that brave.

Sorry for the atypical post from me, but this is my "diary" and these are my thoughts. I know I'll look back on this post when I have kids and will be so angry at myself for ever wanting to hit the pause button now. I am confident there are great times to be had and I know I will love life more tomorrow than I do today. I'm just not sure I want to use the phrase, "I can't wait" anymore because really, I can. And I want to wait... so badly.

6 Things About Me

I found this on my friend Emily's blog and thought it sounded like fun.

The rules: Link to the person who tagged you, mention the rules, tell six quirky, yet boring unspectacular things about yourself, tag six other bloggers by linking to them, and then go to each person's blog and leave a comment letting them know they've been tagged. (I think I will just list them at the bottom and leave it at that. If they see it, great.)

6 random things about me:

1. I was originally left-handed and at some point switched to my right hand. I wear my watch on my right hand, kick with my left foot, and (when i used to do them) cartwheel with my left hand.

2. I read really, really fast. Other thing I do really fast: eat.

3. I do not like to have more than 4 emails in my gmail inbox. All others must be archived. In my work inbox, I can allow up to about 10 before I start getting edgy.

4. I do NOT like the color pink. In my entire wardrobe, I have 2 pink shirts and only 1 do I ever actually wear. Color I have the most in my wardrobe: dark grey. LOVE IT.

5. If we could afford it and I knew I wouldn't gain 500 lbs, I would eat out every meal. It's not that I hate to cook, I just LOVE going to restaurants.

6. I don't like socked feet. If you're going to put your feet on me, take your socks off. And really, no need to put your feet on me at all.

I tag: Aubrey, Chris, Heather, Leslie, Lisa, Melissa

Time To Win The Lottery

Aaaaaand we're back.

I am in day 2 of my post-vacation depression. It typically lasts about a week and then I begin looking forward to whatever trip is next. It's not that I hate my job, I just LOVE vacations. :)

California was fantastic. I could move there and I WOULD move there if I was (a) rich and (b) given permission by the in-laws (which, unfortunately, I was not). I'm going to give a QUICK re-cap because a long post about my glorious vacation seems a bit rude, don't you think?

As we have come to expect, the trip started out a little rough. We woke up at 3:30, made it to the airport at 5 (thank you Kait & Steve), and found out our first flight was delayed. How is a 6a flight delayed? Apparently the crew's last flight came in late and they are required to have 8 hours of down time. I ask you, where was MY 8 hours of down time? Whatev. The delay in the first flight caused us to miss our second flight so we ended up arriving in San Diego 2 hours later than scheduled. A bit of a bummer, but not terrible. We spent the first day in La Jolla (anyone else read it as "Jolla"? Good.) and it was gorgeous. We were able to visit a Peter Lik gallery (a fantastic photographer) and had a great time touring the town.

The next day was the SAN DIEGO ZOO! I put it in all caps because it was that fantastic. If I lived in San Diego (hell, if I lived in California), I would have a pass to the zoo and would visit daily. It was so much fun. The animals were adorable (most of them sleep as much as Thumbs!) and I fell in love with the koalas. I wanted to grab one and cuddle with it but that is not allowed. We spent most of the day at the zoo and wore Michael's parents out. Took a quick break at the hotel and then Michael and I went to the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego for a few hours. It is several blocks and has awesome shops, restaurants, and bars.

So I've covered Tuesday and Wednesday. We spent Thursday morning in Balboa park (some of the biggest trees I have ever seen), and then went to Coronado Island to check out the hotel and beach. The beach was beautiful but the water was ridiculously cold. The highlight of the beach was the 9-month pregnant girl in the string bikini. I was astounded. And I couldn't stop staring. All of my friends belly pictures did not prepare me for such a sight. She was actually very cute and kudos to her for being that brave but my God.

Thursday night we went back to the Gaslamp District and had SUSHI! I ate fish almost every meal while we were there (because really, why not?) and enjoyed all of it thoroughly. Friday morning we took off for Laguna Beach and spent time at an outdoor mall. The rehearsal was that evening and a good time was had by all (can you tell I'm trying to fly through this trip for you)?

Saturday morning we woke up early, went to Huntington beach (I met up with Chris Lastrapes for about 30 minutes!) and played around until it was time to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous, beautiful views from the front (cliff overlooking the ocean) and back (town of Laguna set on the hillside) and the reception was fantastic.

I apologize for the ridiculous amount of descriptive words: fantastic, gorgeous, beautiful, fabulous, etc., etc.

We were there until 10p that night so we were able to watch the Gipsons take off and then we all headed back to the hotel. Had a drink downstairs and then crashed. Sunday morning we drove back to San Diego and flew home. Boooooo.

Below are 2 albums I posted on facebook. If you would like to see the unedited version (approx 250 pictures instead of 95), let me know and I'll be happy to send you the link. :)

Album 1 (La Jolla, San Diego, Laguna Beach)

Album II (Craig & Jessie's Wedding)

We came back to rainy weather, which we weren't too upset about since it meant our yard was watered (yes, we are 84 years old) and we weren't hit with 100+ temps. We were also really excited to be back in our home--we both really missed it while we were gone. Monday morning I got in my car only to realize the gas light was on and my tank was empty. Seriously? I felt a little odd as I yelled at my last week's selfish self, but really. What was I thinking? How rude.

Great trip, can't wait to do it again!

Busy day!

Another busy weekend! Today is going to be crazy since I'm off the rest of the week so this post shall be short.

Friday night--Ram-A-Palooza! We had a great time! Michael and I get picked on for always being the first guests to leave but we pretty much outlasted everyone Friday night. The reason? We were the Ram-A-Palooza Beer Pong CHAMPIONS! It was quite ridiculous, we've played a few times before and were always pretty pathetic. We lost the first game and then went undefeated the rest of the night (you play until you lose). Hence us being there pretty late. Great times. Rami will be missed at Samson!

Rami posing next to his sign...


This picture makes me smile--I love it!


Heidi and I (in the middle of a laugh):


Getting ready to play another round of beer pong::


:)


Beer pong champions!


Saturday I drove to Fayetteville to visit Jen, Cameron, Melissa, and Lincoln (who is still presiding in Melissa's belly). We were at the restaurant for 4 hours! It was great to see them both!

Can you guess which one of us is pregnant? Because based upon this picture, I'd say myself. Guess that isn't the most flattering shirt... :(


Cameron!


Melissa and baby Lincoln!


Wish I could elaborate but my to-do list is quite ridiculous. We are REALLY excited about San Diego tomorrow! If I could sum it up in a few words:

High today in Tulsa: 105 degrees
High today in San Diego: 75 degrees

Get me on that plane!

I Love My Radio Station

In 86 days (+ or - a few) I'm going to be an aunt!! WOOHOO!!!!

Heard a fun song on the way to work that I thought I would share with you. It was kind of a waste for them to play it on a Friday--probably should have been saved for a Monday or Tuesday. I'll give you a hint: it became very popular 20 years ago this week! My other hint, which will only help the Besancon clan: mom HATES this song due to one of her students singing it constantly. So mom, you might want to veer away from the "play" button.

Videos were pretty funny back then. Nice cameo from Robin Williams. :)

Happy Friday, happy August, and HAPPY WEEKEND to you!



My personal opinion: if you aint got no cash, aint got no style, and aint got no gal to make you smile, you are allowed to be worried and not happy.