We volunteered to be course marshals again for the OKC marathon. It's really quite fun, especially when the swarm of runners comes by...and it literally lasts for like 45 minutes. By the way, our corner was TOTALLY rockin' it! We had such a crowd of specators and runnings that danced and sang along with the playlist we made for the event. We knew the runners would like it and it also greatly entertains us while we stand there for 4 hours. We bought a karoke machine looking speaker that you can hook your ipad/iphone up to and stream your tunes. This tiny speaker (okay it was like the size of a small amp) blasted music so loud and so clear, people could hear it a block away!
Here's my mom coming and going ... she always stops to chat when she sees us but this time we didn't really let her...don't want to mess up the PR!
Maybe one day I'll run this half marathon, but for now, I'm perfectly content being a volunteer and bringing musical entertain for the runners.
2014 was the inagural season of the OKC Energy FC soccer team. We purchsed season tickets as a Christmas gift to ourselves and I have to say, we've really enjoyed going to the games. The season started on April 26th and will end with their last home game being August 24th. Stephen and I are sort of home bodies so it was fun to have somewhere to go and something to do all summer long.
This is the supporters section. They are really vocal...but luckily keep the chants PG for the most part. This is a family event afterall. We cheer "I believe that we will win", " I believe in OKC", "OKC... ENERGY" and then for the other team who warms up in front of their stands they like to cheer "you're never going in, you're never going in!". Then if the referees screw up really bad we cheer "The yellow/blue/red team sucks!" (the color depends on what they are wearing that game)
Our colors are green and blue and I have to say whoever designed their jerseys and all the promotional shirts, stuff, and logo did a fantastic job!
They also do fun halftime activities. This was from the first game and it was "Bubble Ball". Hilarity ensued as people flipped and bounced all over the place.
The Energy FC are not ranked very high in their league or anything and frankly some of the games looks like you're watching a sixth grade team play, but the majority of the time they give it their all and it's enjoyable to watch. I asked Stephen if he'd like to get season tickets again next year and he said yes. I'm game for it, as long as the serious summer heat doesn't rear it's ugly head.
Last June we started on our kitchen remodel. Without doing a complete overhaul, we definitely gave it nice facelift.
We started by moving all of the attic insulation out of the soffits so when the drop down ceiling was demolished, we wouldn't have a butt ton of insulation in our kitchen.
After we had two electricians at our house ALL DAY to move a whole bunch of hanging wires and route us some new lights, we were able to install the lights and do the drywalling ourselves. The drywalling isn't perfect and it took FOREVER...but we saved some money and that's what matters most.
After the ceiling was put in place, all those seams needed sanding. There were a lot of seams. We also had to sand the dining room walls to remove the pokey texture that was there and replace it with smooth walls and eventually our own knock down texture. As you can imagine, all of this created a immense amount of dust.
We both looked like this afterwards. And as much as we tried to block off the rest of the house...every surface pretty much looked like this as well....for months as the dust just kept settling. It was a pain to clean becuase I hate dusting.
Once the dining room walls were 'smooth' we appled a thin layer of texture and smooth it out so we could start fresh. The bottom layer would be sanded multiple times to create the look of a perfectly smooth wall, while the top layer got an even coating of knock down texture. To save time and to ensure an even look, we opted to pay a lot of cans that spray the texture for you, then you just come back and 'knock' it down with a large putty knife with very light pressure. Buying the cans cost us more but it saved so much time and I was all over that!
Next we bought some pre cut poplar wood that needed just a little bit of trimming on the vertical boards to create our board and batten look. We were almost to the finish line! But first we had to do a bunch of wood filler, sanding, priming, sanding, painting, clean up, and all those other darn details before you can actually see some real results.
Since my last post, a lot has happened. We found out I'm pregnant, we've gone to a lot of Energy FC games, we've crossed off plenty of items on the to do list, and we sadly lost our sweet Mocha to dog heaven on June 3rd at almost 7 months old. She passed away so suddenly and in a tragic accident just in the backyard. I'll always remember what happened but we both try to focus on the good memories we had with her. Even two months later, the pain is so fresh.
Mocha was an awesome dog with a lot of spunk, sweetness, and stubborness. She was so pretty with short, glossy black and white hair and soft ears. She was becoming the alpha female to her sister Pepper, and they were both just learning how to fetch independently without chasing after eachother. Mocha always wanted to play, chase her sister, or play hide and seek. She knew all her commands but would sometimes be stubborn with you and just sit for a second. She mastered roll over like a champ.
Mocha and Pepper were awesome buddies, always entertaining eachother, cuddling, or playing keep away with toys. If they were too tired to run around outside, they'd just lay down in the living room and bark at each other. Mocha was sneaky, too. She'd always steal toys from Pepper when she wasn't looking even though she herself was just playing with the exact same toy!
Needless to say, she was awesome and we loved her dearly. We still love her and know that she's getting some awesome play time in dog heaven and keeping watch over us. My Aunt Rose sent us the book Dog Heaven after she passed away and I cry every time I read it. It's a sweet book about angel dogs waiting for their owners. It gives you peace at the same time knowing that they still get to play with all the other dogs and the children in heaven, sleep on clouds, have lots of dog treats, and go on walks, and have plenty of fields to run around in.
Pepper was confused for a few days, but she's coping well. She's such a different dog now. She's started to bark occasionally at strangers when we're not around. I think she's becoming more confident in being the alpha and protecting her home. It's awesome to see her growing up. She's knows all her commands like a champ now and will do some of them even without us saying anything. She loves to cuddle and wants to be right by you and know what you're doing at all times. Pepper is most excited to see us right when we get home and can barely contain her excitement to have someone chase her in the backyard, throw her toy, or play tug-of-war. She's also discovered that our bed is the best place to sprawl out and take a nap.
Ironically, their mom birthed another littler of puppies the day after Mocha passed away. We went back and forth on the idea of bringing home another puppy, someone for Pepper to play with and possibly fill the void. But while we all adjusted to the abrupt change in our life (losing Mocha, learning the new behaviors of Pepper, preparing for a child) we felt it wasn't the right time to bring a new puppy home so soon. We all need time to heal, Stephen and I especially. We going to be getting a little stuffed animal that will look just like Mocha soon, and we're hoping it will help us to cope. The first stuffed animal for our baby and something for us to hold onto when we are feeling sad and need to remember the good memories of sweet little Mocha.
Now that I've cried my eyes out, I'm heading to bed.
