Peyton's Place

Sentimental

2011-11-22T21:02:00.001-08:00

As everyone knows – time goes so fast. My little one isalmost 11 months. At the moment I’m more sentimental about our trips to SanDiego and New York City. I absolutely loved being in San Diego. It was a newexperience having the baby on vacation. Really it was nice being away from thedirty dishes and laundry. The quality family time was nice too.

We spent a long weekend at Hotel Del Coronado. Highlyrecommend it to everyone traveling to San Diego area. The place was aneasy drive to the San Diego Zoo, USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, Whole Foods, and itslocated on the beach. (In another post I will let you know how much I loveWhole Foods. Yes, we did plan a trip there.) Did I mention the perfectweather? We were also able to see all the animals at the zoo. Baby Grady willthank us later for it.

Beachfront at Hotel Del Coronado

Polar Bear - Have you watched them lately on the Polar Bear Cam? Love it. Go here to get you fix Polar Cam

Hodad's Burgers: Where a burger is bigger than my baby's head.

Momma & Baby Elephant

Lots of Crying

2011-10-06T14:44:00.001-07:00

Lately I feel more like thePillsbury Dough Boy than the trophy wife who stays at home, runs the house, andpops out babies. I’ve always imagined that perfectly toned body that comes withhaving extra time for the gym. Only now in the midst of laundry, dishes, andcloth diapers do I realize I have no time. The “to-do” list is really just anexcuse. I’ve gone to the gym a few times post-birthing. I was ready for it tobe hard. But I went all fancy and have a trainer who is pushing me to exerciseeven harder. It’s so easy to get out of shape and downright depressing torealize I can’t manage one full push-up. Now I reminisce of the days that I wasa machine. Remember those times? Right before you get married and way beforeyou have a baby. Remember when you could do 80 pushups in a minute and runhalf-marathons for fun.

I’m ready to shed this babyweight. Why is it the last 10lbs are the hardest? Here I am making thecommitment to exercise harder and eat less crap food. Guarantee there will besome crying involved when the hubby eats whatever he wants and I get a carrotstick with hummus.

Nothing Nice to Say...

2011-10-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

I love my mother dearly. She has ingrained in me a few wise sayings. Her most famous was "take some Tylenol and suck it up". But I had let one slip my mind the past few days, "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all". Amazing how God can remind us to be kind to others. I ran my mouth about another persons travel preferences. Thinking mine are superior because they consisted of less delays and cost only a few more dollars.

And this is what happened... Before we even leave for our vacation, our flight is delayed. The ticket person checking us gives us the chose to wait 5 hours in Detroit, wait here for a later flight OR change our destination. We opt for better layover and change our airport. Thankfully we had several family members at our arrival area. They arranged to pick up our car at another airport and drive to meet us 2 hours away. Ha. You thought that was it.

Here is the break down of delays.
OKC to Scranton: We are delayed in OKC and miss our connecting flight in Detroit. We are now flying into NYC. Once in Detroit we are bumped from our NYC flight and instead we fly into Newark.

Scranton to OKC: Our flight in Scranton is delayed. So we are bumped to the NEXT day at 6am. On top of that lovely news. I left my iphone at the gate. Of course security was gracious enough to go "check" the gate for my phone.

The added bonus to all of our flight delays, staying one more night, my iphone and nursing cover stolen was that Grady has the biggest poop while landing in OKC. We are descending in the air. Green poo is seeping out of his diaper and through his clothes. I can do absolutely nothing for 20 minutes but watch it soak through.

It was a wonderful trip between all the flying. I'll save that for later and leave you with the poo story.

To Be a Blogger

2011-07-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

The future seems to be in blogging. I have started to wonder about what type of blogger I want to be when I grow up. It’s highly unlikely that I will start renovations on our house considering my husband is a home builder. We start working on an area and then he hires someone to finish. I do love my new desk. I’m not complaining. I also will not start a cooking blog. I could only teach you how to ruin a pan by boiling water. It never fails that I’m boiling water for pasta and it overflows all over the stovetop. I’m not crafty. I’m not witty. But I have ideas floating around in my head. The brainstorming has begun. Stay tuned for my next adventure. In the meantime I’m staying away from all things DIY, afraid I might sew my fingers together.

0-6 months

2011-07-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

The moment I was sewn up and wheeled out of the surgery room; I was in love with this little guy. I have done unspeakable things that I didn’t know where possible of a mother. Including nursing 0-6 months. He is precise as a clock and every 3 hours he wants to eat, unless I can distract him otherwise. I have surprised myself and not squeamish about diapers. Also, taking it one step further I chose to participate in the cloth diaper movement. They are super cute. Plus very easy to clean and maintain. I would recommend going cloth to anyone.

After the baby thing, the biggest change in my life is working from home. I absolutely love being at the house and watching him grow. It has gone so fast from a little baby that barely smiles. Now, he is rolling all over the floor playing with toys. But what has happened to me.

I am by nature a quite person. But seriously I can only login to Facebook and check out my friends’ status so many times a day. I need actual face time with friends. I want to visit with people past the pleasantries of the weekend. I get frustrated with the baby. I need to vent about how little sleep I’m getting. Or that I have no time to exercise because I’m working, putting the baby down for naps, and tending the house. I’m sure all this will be better once I stop having the “sleep lady” stare down at 4am with said perfect happy baby that I love more than life itself.

I find it strange that most of my life was spent at daycare, school, and work. Now I am at home all day.

Cloth diaper baby.

Confessions After Dark

2010-11-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

It happens every year. I know about if for at least a week. But I always forget how sad it makes me after it happens. The time change depresses me. I'm never prepared for the darkness. I go to work, sit down at my desk, and notice the sun blinding me in the eyes. The sun is shinning in on me. This only irritates me because I'm not a morning person. It makes me really sad when I leave the office and its completely dark outside. It feels as if my day is over and all I did was work. I'm not that exciting after work. But I don't want to feel like I've worked all day long and now its time for bed. Its just so sad.

Now, a small confession. I'm ready for the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie to be in theaters. Its only a week away and I can't stop thinking about it. I already have my ticket purchased. But at least I'm not the only Harry Potter nerd. Thank you office mates for keeping me updated on the latest. We even had a little meeting at the end of today. Someone had found out where the movie ends at part one. Please don't ask if you are confused about the meeting.

This past weekend a few of the ladies from my family attended my MRCC baby shower. It was very special to have them here. Below is my grandma. Thank you for coming family and friends. Thank you friends for the wonderful shower. Its great to have the support and love from my church family. I really appreciate it.

Ready for the Cold Weather

2010-11-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have never been so ready for the cold weather. The summer was too hot for me and this lil' bun in the oven. Even today at 60 degrees, I just feel like a normal person. The girls in the office have been freezing all this time because I've taken over the air conditioner. They constantly wear blankets. I should be nice and buy them all snuggies to help them work more efficiently. More than likely not going to happen.

The fall weather and leaves turning color is the perfect time to take maternity photos. Thanks to Mandy Stansberry, we had the chance to get outside and capture this moment. I'm 7 months pregnant and feeling great at the moment. If only it will last. The anxiety of holidays and the baby coming is starting to creep into my head. Its hard to believe we are already in November. This year has gone by fast.

Below is a select few of the photos from the shoot with Mandy.

This is it!

2010-09-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Early September, I vacationed in Charleston, SC with my Mom. We had a great time on our 2nd annual Chick Trip. Its fun being without the guys for a few days. We get a chance to catch up on all the little things that are going on in our lives. We have such a great time walking around, eating, shopping, eating, naps, plus more eating. Apparently Charleston is the place to eat. There were many great restaurants that we patronized. Oh so good. This is the place that turned me from vegetarian back to an meat eater. I just couldn't help myself. I'm sure it has little to do with being 5 months pregnant. The fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and fried okra at Justine's was amazing.

This is my last vacation for the year. One reason, I'm out of vacation days. I'm going to be reminiscing over it for a while, plus photos to share.

Favorite quote from this trip by Mom, "Look at that big tree. It's beautiful." It seems like this came up every 5 minutes. Including this tree which was fascinating her because the limbs touched the ground. Those are the roots in front with sheep grazing on top.

Mom and I at Middleton Place Plantation. I loved the landscaping, pathways, rock walls and extra buildings.

Drayton Hall Plantation was the best plantation house that we visited. The woodwork is amazing. The house was very large. An extra benefit is photography allowed inside the house. Also, it has a great story about surviving the Civil War and Union soldiers. The family doctor posted yellow flags at the entrance and claimed that the house was being used as a small pox hospital. The two plantations next door were burned down by the Union Army.

Seattle, WA

2010-07-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like we have been around the world this year. Really we have only been to the west side. It has been fun going to different cities within our own nation, meaning we have not gone on a beach vacation this year. Our latest adventure was a trip to Seattle, WA. I had a friend getting married there as a destination wedding. Their wedding was beautiful. Plus for some reason Dusty and I had the most adventurous time. One example is the fact that we bummed a ride from two college kids to the wedding on Vashon Island. Who knew that there is absolutely no Saturday public transportation on the island? Thankfully a lady on the ferry helped us find a ride.

A lovely photo of the bride and groom.

The Space Needle is not as tall as I imagined or photographed. Its always towering over the city skyscrapers. But so not true. Good job photographers for making the Space Needle bigger than actual size.

Farmers Market

2010-06-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

I want everyone to know about the Farmer's Market downtown Edmond. Its the best place to be on Saturday mornings. Stroll through booths of fresh local produce. I really enjoy just being there with the hustle of other people. (I like to think) Knowing that all the money exchanged are helping local businesses grow. Summer vegetables help me remember that its summer. Since I no longer have summer break. It makes me hungry thinking about the red potatoes, yellow squash, and zucchini. Oh, buying fresh tomatoes (that have only traveled 20 miles) and making salsa. Yum! All this talks makes me want to cook right now. Here is one of the recipes that I enjoy making with all these fresh veggies.

More info about the Farmers Market.
http://edmondok.com/parks/fmp/events

I listed the recipe as I would make it. You can find the full recipe at the link below. http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/summer-squash-gratin-recipe.html

Summer Squash Gratin Recipe

1 1/2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/6th-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups fresh (whole wheat) bread crumbs*
1/2 pound yukon gold potatoes, sliced transparently thin

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9x9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil and set aside.

Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the sea salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the bread crumbs.

Make the breadcrumbs by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.

Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and half of the bread crumbs and toss. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.

Transfer the squash to the pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes.

*To make breadcrumbs cut the crust off 2-3 day old artisan bread. Tear into pieces the size of your thumb, and give a quick whirl in the food processor. I don't like my breadcrumbs too fine - and tend to leave the pieces on the large size - more like little pebbles than grains of sand.

Babies, Babies, Babies

2010-06-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of baby showers lately and babies being born. Until the past few months I did not realize all the preparation there is for a baby to come into this world. Plus all the generous people who are willing to help. I am one of the helpers. I created invitations and hosted one shower. Its nice to have the experience in the advertising world to help others. The only thing it takes is time.

To Be Clear

2010-05-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

I want to be clear about this point. Sprinkles' cupcakes are my favorite. I love them. I will stand in long lines for one delicious cupcake. They practically melt in your mouth they are so good. I'm sure it has nothing to do with all the sugar packed into it. Please never tell me how many calories might be in one. They are good. Thankfully, they are only in a few select cities. So I only eat them when in Dallas or LA. It is not often enough. All I can think about right now is the red velvet cupcake. Yum!

We Moved, Settled In, and Went on Vacation

2010-05-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

It is true that we moved. Plus the same week that we moved, we went on vacation. It really was the best time to do it. I have been in a whirlwind of craziness with work, baby showers, and wedding showers. I'm so close to all of it being over. As much as I wanted to be a part of every shower and love love being busy at work... I'm tired. I need another vacation. But for now I will reminisce about our trip to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. We had a great time. It was the perfect weather, not too hot or cold. I enjoyed runs on the beach. Spent one day laying by the pool. It was incredible. Thank you SB & LA for the lovely time. I must thank my friend Michael Ives for guidance around SB. He had the best restaurants listed and places to visit.

We had a great room at the Roosevelt Hotel in LA. Really look at this view. It was sunny and beautiful when we were on the loungers. Side note - strange people at the pool. There was a guy who wore skinny jeans all morning and afternoon. It was too warm for jeans. Another guy asked to borrow sunscreen for his girlfriend. This couple was across the pool. Strange request. I would understand if he was sitting next to us when I pulled it out and started using it.

So thankful that my husband will humor me and shave his facial hair into a mustache. I actually liked it. He thought it was creepy. Oh well, I have a few really good photos of it!

Found It

2010-02-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

I found a birthday photo of me. This is how I've been celebrating my birthday for 22 years now... my little brother next to me.

We Are Moving

2010-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

We are moving into town, so it feels. We have lived 4 miles north what most people think is city limits. We put our house on the market to get a feel of how well our house would sell. Then it sold in 11 days. Its a very emotional time right now. I will miss the home Dusty built for us. Its our first home together as a family. Sometimes change is good. I am excited about our future.

Its been a busy few weeks with the house and my birthday. Only now, I realize that I did not take one photo of my birthday celebrations. Instead I will post one from last year. They basically look the same every year at my parents house. The family gathers around the dining table. My youngest brother and I (whose birthday is the day after mine) sit behind a cake while the family sings happy bday.

One more random birthday thought. While visiting a friends house during the week, their son Colton (2 years) sang the sweetest rendition of happy birthday. Thanks Colton for the song.

This is a sad note for myself. I have gone through four years of archived photos and cannot find one from my parents home. Hopefully this just means my Mom has all of them. Here are more family photos from another brothers birthday in December.

Photo of my oldest brother and his two sons.

Sunshine

2010-01-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

This photo makes me so happy to think about sunshine warm on my face. Especially when its so so cold outside. I could not resist sharing it. I'm really just trying to stay positive with all this bad weather that is keeping me trapped inside. I want sunshine! Soon please.

Vegas Baby!

2010-01-22T15:58:00.000-08:00

We recently went to Vegas. It was another fun mini-vacation. I am firm believer that Vegas should always be a mini-vacation. We stay up so late. Even dinner was super late for us. Then get up early to see all the gorgeous hotels. They should come up with a new name for the hotels in Vegas. They are more like a resort. Everything you need is in the one place. I enjoy seeing all of them. The Bellagio is the best in my opinion. Above is Dusty in the conservatory where a elaborate Chinese New Year theme is displayed. The animals are so cool. The tiger's head moves. Yes, the real tigers from MGM are below. Can you believe that man is standing in the tiger den? He also tried to wake them up. He is a brave brave man.

Sweet Babies

2010-01-18T14:33:00.000-08:00

These are the sweetest babies I have been around. I admit Haylie did cry a lot while taking photos. But I cannot blame her for crying when she was only 10 days old at the time. I'm not sure how I would like it either being so new. Connor was super easy being outside in the sunshine. It was perfect afternoon day for photos. Thanks friends for letting me take photos of your babies. It was a joy and privilege.

White Christmas

2009-12-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

I love having a white Christmas. Its one of my favorite things ever. We spent most of the day inside with a fire and watching movies. We had at least 6 inches of snow on our drive way the next day. The truck could not pull out of the garage. Completely trapped inside the house. But we made it to see family on Christmas Day. My father in-law let us borrow his truck with 4 wheel drive. Dusty and I counted 135 abandoned cars between our house and El Reno.

We had a great time visiting with our families. Here are few of the candid moments and our Christmas pajamas.

Christmas Miracle

2009-12-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I received a Christmas miracle. Its made my whole week much better. I am a much happier person today because of it. I can really feel that Christmas is only two weeks away. We have goodies at the office from Santa. He brought chocolate today. I anticipate more to come. Above is a little guy from our hiking trip in Scottsdale. Amazing that one of the guys was able to catch it.

Upcoming I have two sessions with babies. This will be interesting. I like to use natural lighting on most photography. But it has turned so cold outside that I'm going to experiment with the indoors. The indoors presents many challenges with backdrops, lighting, and space to fit all the equipment. An update will come with beautiful babies.

Over It

2009-12-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

I'm so ready for Christmas vacation. This week has gone badly at work. So, I'm ready for another break from it all. The details are important in my job. But everyone that I deal with does not take extra steps to review the details. Its frustrating to monitor all of my projects and see three steps ahead. I'm over Thanksgiving and ready for Christmas.

The above photo is another from Scottsdale.

Sunshine

2009-12-02T14:25:00.001-08:00

Sunshine is fantastic and it warms you up. But in December it always tricks me into thinking that it is warm outside. I end wearing short sleeve shirts and freezing in them. Above is a picture from our Scottsdale mini-vacation. We went hiking early morning to see the sun rise. Being in nature was great. I had a hard time walking the trail though. Really thought I was going to pass out from dehydration. Thankfully I made it to the end of our walk and back to the car without fainting. How awkward would it be to fall down the mountain?

I'm Back

2009-11-13T11:29:00.001-08:00

It might be a little creepy for some people to think about. But while in Savannah, GA. We went to the most beautiful cemetery, Bonaventure. I loved all the trees, the statues, and history. One of the oldest cemeteries in Georgia.

I know its been a while since I have posted anything. I'm back and ready to share photos and the adventures. For now here are few more photos from Savannah.

Spanish Moss is very dramatic.

Owen-Thomas House

Savannah - The beginning

2009-08-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Savannah, GA is a lovely place for vacation. Here is the beginning from the vacation. I am still catching up at work and reviewing all the photos taken there. I really enjoyed all the beautiful green trees with Spanish Moss and the historical homes.

Happy Couple

2009-06-04T14:22:00.001-07:00

This was a really fun afternoon. We roamed the zoo for the perfect spots. Even with the zoo under construction we found a few picturesque places. We also explored Bricktown for more great aesthetic backgrounds. They really are the happy couple with great laughter you want to be around. It just becomes contagious.

POPS

2009-06-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Each time I drive by Pops I have the need to take pictures. This is one of my favorite places even though I do not visit often. The place is just cool and I always need a root beer. They have over 500 bottles of soda pop.

Blessings

2009-06-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

The blessing of being married for almost two years. We are still in the honeymoon phase of our life. I enjoy looking back at our photos from the big day. But I must admit that we do not have an official photo album for the wedding. Our friends and family have sent numerous pictures to us. But I have failed to select pictures from the photography company and to place in our book. We will be married forever, so what is the rush?

Romantic Cancun

2009-06-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

The beach, sun, and ocean can be very romantic. It's a dreamy place to be with your loved one. We were able to walk around and discover the different elements of our hotel. The natural rock in the water was also a great setting although very wet to sit on top. The only thing your missing from the below is my brother squirming from the cold ocean rolling up underneath him. It was very funny to me.

Family

2009-06-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

Here is the family at Easter. Sometimes I feel like we are the show Brothers & Sisters. There are so many of us with our own drama and successes. But I am thankful for each person being in my life. We are family. The little guy below is king of the family right now. He is the center of attention at family dinners.

Cancun

2009-03-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

I am just starting out on the blog so there are going to receive random post of photos. The photo dates will be completely out of order since I am digging through the archives. These will be my favorites from the past. Cancun 2009