Thunder Up!!

Last night was the end of the NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat beat the OKC Thunder.  Sad day.  But, over the course of the playoffs, I became more of a Thunder fan, and we got to spend lots of time with Eric and Ashley!  We got together with them at our house for every possible Thunder playoff game of the last two rounds that our schedules would allow.

These were our sad faces after we lost in Game 5.

Trying to be more normal.  Eric was super excited about getting to take home leftover cake.

Cherry-Vanilla Layer Cake.  We were hoping we would have something to celebrate.

We met a mouse.  He hung out with us for like 10 minutes.  Chloe had lots of fun dreaming up ways of killing him in her head.  Jason named him Gerald.  I wanted to name him Stuart.  I hope he doesn't come back.  He's cute.

I Am My Father's Daughter

There are days where I have to shake my head and laugh. It's funny to take a step back and realize how much he rubbed off on me. He's a little quiet and a lot practical. A little frugal and a lot wise. Here are a few things he taught me or somehow just rubbed off on me:

• Continental Airlines (now United Airlines) is the least painful airline to be a customer of 
• A steak cooked anymore than medium-rare is awful.
• If at all possible, only take carry-ons on airplane trips (including 10 day trips to Europe in the winter!!) 
• If it's going to be a cold evening, leave your faucets dripping 
• You have to eat at local, hole-in-the-wall restaurants when traveling abroad to experience good food 
• Always turn the lights off, when leaving a room
• "Keep an  eye on the weather!"
• Naps are the best
• Be mindful of what time during the day you're using energy
• Save your money and don't go in debt!  Always have an emergency savings and put money into your retirement accounts
•  Don't let people know you speak a second language, unless necessary
• Always say good morning to your family, and respect birthdays and anniversaries
• You gotta stay on top of cutting-edge technology

I could go on and on and on.  It cracks me up.  But, he's a great father, a great husband to my mom, and a great leader.  And I am so appreciative to have the privilege of being his daughter.

I'm fairly certain that the only thing I wish I hadn't gotten from him were his eyelashes, haha.  I would kill for some long, pretty eyelashes, and I give my dad full credit for not bestowing some of those on me.  For shame!  So, that should be evident of how awesome my dad is, when the only bad thing he passed on to me were short, stubby eyelashes.  ;-)

Happy, happy Father's Day!!

And, yesterday, the whole family came over for lunch, so we took some quick family pics too!  Check them out, Zoey is a walking machine now!  She brings such a smile to anyone who is in the room with her.

L.A. Trip

I've been wanting to visit my best friend, Laura, for quite a while. I was unable to visit her while she lived in Miami. So, we finally decided that her birthday seemed like a great opportunity to come visit.

And I desperately needed a vacation. A real one. Where you get to pack and travel and leave your home. One of the disadvantages of working from home is that days off from work, holidays, don't come with the same relief that one gets from working in office. When you get to stay home from work, you normally are excited to sleep in, do things around the house, and relax. Well, I already get to do all that, so holidays are not much different than any other day, for me. So, the change of pace was something I was looking forward to and I love finding sweet notes from my hubby hidden in my suitcase!

I left for L.A. on Wednesday night. Since, I'm able to work from anywhere that has Wi-Fi, I thankfully didn't have to take off any days to make the trip. Thursday, I worked, while Laura was at her job. That night she took me to Santa Monica Pier. We dined at Bubba Gump's and enjoyed some shrimp. We walked up and down the pier and got to watch a beautiful sunset.

Friday night, we went to Katsu-ya, a sushi restaurant. The fresh fish was amazing and the prices for sushi were very affordable. Then we decided to check out Mulholland Drive, even though it was dark. What resulted was a quick stop at an overlook to get a beautiful view of the L.A. at night. It was amazing!

Saturday, I finished up some work while Laura ran some errands. Then we headed out to Malibu for the day. The drive down was amazing! The scenery is gorgeous, and you eventually end up driving on the Pacific Coast Highway, along the water. So, we laid out and enjoyed the beach for a while. The weather in L.A. is definitely a lot nicer than Oklahoma! Highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s and 60s, with a nice breeze and no humidity! After relaxing on the beach, we headed further along the coastline till we got to Neptune's Net, a seafood dive bar where "The Fast and the Furious" filmed a scene. (Sidenote: Laura and I loved this movie when we were in high school, so it holds a special place in our hearts! Don't judge!) Then, we headed home and just took it easy, watching the NBA playoffs and other TV.

The last day we headed out to Hollywood. We grabbed a bite to eat than walked up and down the Hollywood Boulevard. We took a Celebrity Homes Bus tour and had so much fun checking out celebrity homes, Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. After that, we stopped at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and had a little bit of fun before heading out. It was a great way to wrap up the trip.