The Best Part....

Now the best part of having my own apartment but still living close to family is that I can see them pretty much whenever I want and enjoy all the cute things about them.  I got told the I was loved more than frosting. But I don't have to wake up crazy early with them nor do I have to be around for all the grumpy stuff.

So for example the girls came to hang out with me for a couple of hours one Saturday and this is what it looked like.

Chillin on the couch that is older than their parents.

Playing with Peanut Butter play dough...

  But I am pretty sure that more of it got eaten than played with.

And then there are always random things to pick up and play with.

A New Home

It didn't take me long fall in love with Oklahoma, driving over those beautiful hills and seeing some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, not to mention better lightning storms than you can get just about anywhere.  

Who could help loving a place like that full of beauty and with such loving and kind people who welcome you with open arms.  Family and new friends lead me into finding a job with State Farm, get an apartment, and settle down in Tulsa permanently....or at least as permanently as I am going to be now.

So at Christmas I loaded up my car and hauled all the small stuff up to Tulsa, all the real furniture had been brought up before the holiday by my parents, talk about generous family (of course I think I got more thank yous about the good excuse to clean everything and send all the excess to a good home--I am certainly a worthy cause).

It certainly is a pretty thing.

 Am I good at organization or am I good?

And yes there is a coffee table in the back seat, thanks to my brother.

 And even though the color my confuse people, I am still being true to my school.

All this stuff got put into my new apartment, and even if I am all by myself living there, you would hardly think so by the cozy feeling and all the friends that come over.  Makes me feel just at home, but the decorations don't hurt, thanks to all my friends who helped.

You walk in to the cozy kitchen...

Then you see my living room with the most comfy chair, a sinking couch older than me, and a wonderful collage of pictures from my recent travels.

My entertainment center, my favorite may be the color of the coffee table, thank you Rachel!

 A genius decoration set up in my bedroom, cutest ever.

And this one is thanks to my mother, hanging art work from the ages.

Happy day for me!  And I have to admit I was a little worried about living by myself, but with a great group of friends and staying busy there is no need to fret or feel lonely, plus after having little kids around so much the peace and quite is bliss, most especially when I sleep in on a Saturday or Sunday morning.  :)

How Crazy Life Can Be

Now I know I haven't posted in a while, but let me explain, no there is too much, let me sum up...

First I spent a few weeks living with Sharon, Alan, Ethan, and Jared.  Job hunting, apartment hunting, and an exhausting amount of fun with the boys.

Please note the water being thrown at me from the rubber boot. 

I am trapped by the hoola-hoop. 

They both wanted a ride at the same time.  Luckily they don't weigh as much in the water.

How hard is it to keep two children on your lap while you read to them a story?

Then I got a phone call from Rachel asking me to get myself to Oklahoma to help her with her girls while her husband had a lot of work stuff out of town...so off I went for a few months.

I started substitute teaching, helped out with my nieces.  I have to say that I may not have been "busy" in the traditional going out and working or taking classes and studying for tests and such, but I don't know if I have ever been busier in my entire life.  Seeing motherhood first hand and helping out with it all really gave me an appreciation for what my mother and all mothers do everyday!  If you haven't thanked your mother recently for all she did and still does for you, do it!  Now!

 She went down with her mother once, and then kept going by herself for who knows how long!

 Playing at the park was a blast for all.

Birthdays are just plain fun when you are a kid, theirs and mine. 

All required cake and candles.

One of the best toys ever...legos are a blast for all.

The aquarium...You get to pet stingrays and small sharks.

In honor of Louisiana...

 There was a long obsession with making tents on my bed with my sheets.

So Tulsa turned out to be a blast for several months, and the time came for the training to be over and me to move out, and as much as I planned to stay such a short time, things weren't what I planned...(see my next post to know what happened next)