Remembering a Great, Local, Fallen Hero

Owasso lost one of it's own, Spc. Andrew R. Looney, to a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last week. A memorial service was held in his honor tonight so many from our city and surrounding towns lined the streets near where the service was held to pay respects to his family. It was an amazing site that brought tears to my eyes. Everyone was wearing red, white, and blue and waving flags. I thought it was a great experience for the girlz to witness and it reminds us to be so thankful of those that give up their lives so that we might live in a free country.

(Photo by Owassoisms.com)

Images by Danielle Parker, Owasso Reporter Staff Writer...
Owasso Reporter - Owasso, Oklahoma - Neighbor Newspapers > News > SLIDESHOW: Images from Owasso ~ June 28 in honor of Andrew Looney

Celebrating 18 Years With My Hubby :-)

My hubby and I are celebrating 18 years of marriage this weekend - it's a miracle of miracles that he's been able to put up with me for so long, but I'm so grateful that he has ;-)

We typically celebrate by going to Scottsdale, AZ every year but if we do that this year, we'll wait until it cools off like in September or October. Plus, we just got back from a big vacation so it didn't quite fit in the budget to go on a trip somewhere.

This anniversary, we decided to just get away for a night so we stayed at the Kennedy Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Tulsa. It has a lot of rich history and some famous people have lived there including Dana Plato (from Different Strokes) and Steven Tyler (from Aerosmith). We really enjoyed talking with the owners, Françoise and Darell Christopher, and had a very nice, relaxing stay.

Here's a video about the Mansion...

After we checked in, we drove around the area to see some of the historic houses around the Mansion. We came across this one which is the oldest house in Tulsa. Too bad it's boarded up and you can't see inside it! Our girlz would love to check this place out!

Next, we ate dinner at Casa Laredo in downtown Tulsa. It was our first time to try it and we were pleasantly surprised - doesn't quite hold up to our ultra favorite, Ted's, but it was still good and had an authentic, Mexican atmosphere.

The breakfast at the Kennedy Mansion was to die for! Homemade granola with fruit and yogurt, savory vegetable crepes and turkey bacon - all made to order. The chef, Françoise, who is also one of the owners, is originally from France and is an expert in French cuisine. She even has a cookbook with all of her AmAzInG recipes featured in it! (You can purchase one for $20 on-site at the Kennedy Mansion. Françoise will even autograph it for you!)

So, we had a terrific stay and next time we'll have to remember our swim suits and go swimming in their very relaxing pool! It's a great place to check out if you're wanting just a local getaway close to the Tulsa area! Here's a few pics from our stay - and yes, I made them look "old". You're not just seeing things and we're NOT that old :-)

And here's a cheezy video I made for Steve last year for our anniversary. It's pics from when we were dating up to last year. Funny to see all of my hair style changes ;-)

Happy Anniversary to my hubby of 18 years! You're THE best and I am so blessed to have you in my life. I thank God for you always :-)

Cheer Camp 2010

Spirit Cheer Camp 2010

"Cheeralicious!"

Swim Lessons 2010

We decided to do swim lessons this summer in Oologah and the girlz have learned so much! "M" is a pretty good swimmer already but they have really helped her advance in her swim strokes and diving. "A" did a class with one of her BFF's, "Miss E". I got to hold her little baby brother, "S", while her mom did a "mommy and me" class with another one of her brothers.

These are supposed to be pics of swim lessons, but honestly, they are mostly of "S" because he's just so stinkin' cute ;-)

It's Time For a Change...

a Master Bedroom makeover change, that is! We redid our bedroom about 3 1/2 years ago and liked it at the time but, as my poor hubby knows, I like change a little too well and am ready for something different. It's currently really dark colors and I want to brighten it up a lot.

Our bedroom has definitely seen change over the years...

Eeeek! Yellow and country gone bad! We painted our bedroom this way shortly after we first built our house back in 1998. Scary!!!

A few years later we changed it to this. A little better, but still country...

And here's the last change we made to the room. No more country...

So now I'm trying to decide on a new comforter and bedroom furniture. We've had the same furniture for at least 12 years now so we are definitely due for new. For some reason, I am wanting black, white and apple green - I just really like those colors together. I am also a little addicted to damask so I am on the search for a damask comforter. Here's some of my choices so far...

Yes, I do realize this is a kid's room but I still love it ;-)

Beauville bedding...

Alexander Julian Baroque bedding...

Zeus comforter set...

Waterford Sheffield Bedding...

Flocked Floral Black & Cream bedding...

Rose Tree Symphony Comforter Set...

Avalon Bedding Set...

Ingrid Comforter Set...

I wasn't really looking for this color but I do love it. Can you imagine it in a room painted turquoise blue?

And here's a few furniture choices...

Pulaski Brookfield...

Ashton by Klaussner...

Winners Only canopy set...

Furniture by Paula Deen (didn't even know she had a furniture line!)...

Zebra Onyx Chaise...

It's funny - after doing much searching on the internet, I have found several different manufacturers use the same bedding and furniture lines and if you look really well, you can always find a lower price ;-)

So now I need YOUR help! Which one do you like the best? Leave me a comment and help me decide!

Father's Day 2010

"Father's Day Festivus" at church...

Father's Day Dinner at home...

Father's Day with Steve's side of the family...

The girlz and I are so super blessed to have Steve in our lives and I thank God every day for him. He is a great example of a godly father who loves his family and puts God first. Happy Father's Day to the main man in our lives ;-)

Destin Vacation 2010

Stone Canyon Summer Concert Series

We had the best time last night at a new event in our town called, The Stone Canyon Summer Concert Series. It's in a new neighborhood of the same name, Stone Canyon, is on a huge grassy area and overlooks a beautiful body of water. When the concert first started, the temperature was in the lower 90's so it was pretty hot when it first began, but it actually cooled off fairly quickly as the sun went down and there was a nice breeze going.

Raz-n-Kane was the featured band of the night and they were really good - and I'm not even a country music fan ;-) Lots of kids went up front to dance and even a few adults, too! Food and beverage vendors were there including our family's favorite snow cone vendor, IceCrystals - she makes the best shaved ice!

Dayspring Homes sponsored the event and gave away several country music CD's and an ipod! When they first started calling out names, they called my 10 year-old's name so we thought she won the ipod. Of course, so happy for her, I'm cheering and yelling for her as she runs up to the stage to claim her prize. She runs back with a Toby Keith CD. She was such a good sport and smiled graciously anyway. Ends up, a sweet friend of mine won the ipod. Later that night we were jokingly telling her our story about how the ipod "really" belonged to "M". A minute later she gave the ipod to her! We tried to refuse it and tell her we were just kidding but she persisted. She said they already had several ipods at home and didn't need it. That was so incredibly sweet of her and she sure made one big grin on two little girlz that night!



After the concert, we went to a friends house and cooked out smores. It was such a fun night and we look forward to the next concert - Remedy (rock/pop) followed by fireworks!

It's Berry Picking Time!

Our homeschool co-op went blackberry picking at the Owasso Tree Farm yesterday. That's one of our favorite things to do in the summertime and I think this year's crop was one of their best! They had a TON of huge blackberries and we can't wait to turn our 7 1/2 pounds the girlz picked into cobbler and jam! Here's a few picks from our fun morning...

Dance Recital 2010

Little House on the Prairie Festival 2010

Prairie Days Festival 2010

Independence, Kansas

"M" making pottery...

"A" making pottery...

Of course, I always love to compare pictures from previous years...

2009

2008

2007

We look forward to going again next year!

(Become a facebook fan of Little House on the Prairie
in Independence, Kansas by clicking here.)

Destin 2010 Vaca With Friends

We just got back from a very fun and relaxing vacation to Destin, Florida. We had such a great time and made lots of fun memories. About six other families went with us and we all stayed in the same condo complex called Beach Resort. We kind of all did our own thing all week but would occasionally meet up at the beach, pool or dinner to hang out together. Here's a run down of our week...

DESTIN BOUND:

We loaded up the car and left early last Friday morning at 7:30. The girlz did so good traveling we decided to drive the entire 14 hour trip in one day.

Our condo...

DESTIN - DAY 1:

Our first morning in Destin, we decided to do a little shopping at Destin Commons - a fun, outdoor mall that has lots of popular and not-so-popular stores. We spent most of the afternoon at the beach and swimming at the condo's pool. Then we ate dinner at Pompano Joe's with our friends then had more fun at the beach afterwards.

DAY 2:

We spent most of the second day at the beach then we had a fun cookout at the pool for dinner with our friends. Afterwards, we went to Baytowne Wharf which was just a few minutes from where we were staying. They had a lot of activities for kids including bungie jumping, zip lining, a castle playground, make-your-own video, a carousel and an arcade. At closing they did a neat fireworks show.

DAY 3:

Steve bought the girlz some boogie boards and they had the best time boarding with their friends. At night, we decided to eat a nice, quiet dinner in. Afterwards, we took family pictures at the beach then we got some ice cream and went back to Destin Commons to walk around.

DAY 4:

We got up bright and early on Day 4 to go look for dolphins at the beach. Unfortunately, we didn't see any but the beach views were so beautiful and peaceful!

Later that day, we ate at the "famous" Red Bar then spent the rest of the night at Seaside - a cute little community about 30 minutes from Destin (a.k.a. the town where "The Truman Show" was filmed). Seaside is known for its HUGE snow cones which were the yummiest we have ever had! After speaking to the lady working the snow cone van, she said the owner was actually from Oklahoma. Of course, all us Okies thought that was pretty cool. When we got back to our condo later that night, the kids all decided it would be fun to go crab hunting on the beach! So we grabbed our flashlights and pails and went hunting. It kind of freaked me out but the girls all had so much fun!

DAY 5:

Day 5 was spent at the beach and pool all afternoon - imagine that?! Then Steve and I had a date night! We decided to go back to the Baytowne Wharf to hang out. We ate dinner on the patio at Rum Runners then listened to an outdoor concert. We enjoyed walking around looking at the lights and people watching. Our girlz had fun hanging out with their friends while we had our date. Such a beautiful night out!

DAY 6:

Day 6 was spent boogie boarding then we ate dinner with friends at The Back Porch. Afterwards, we all met at the beach and took family pictures. The sunset was beautiful and a great night for photos!

DAY 7:

Our last day at the beach was the most fun yet! It just so happened to be the windiest day which caused a "red flag alert". Of course, everyone had to use extreme caution but the waves were huge! We had so much fun boogie boarding and getting knocked over by the crashing waves. We were a little sad at night because the realization hit that our vacation was coming to an end and we had to pack up to leave early the next morning to head home. We had so much fun and thank God we had the opportunity to make fun memories in Destin!

Making necklaces from the shells we found...

On our way back home to Oklahoma - with lots more freckles than what we started out with!