Chop chop

I chopped it all off!!! :)

I've had long hair for as long as I remember. I mean LONG. I only ever got it trimmed just to make it look presentable and keep the split ends away. It was only when I came to college that I started experimenting with the length of it a little bit.

My hair is the envy of all my friends, but I can't stand it! (isn't that usually how it goes?) My hair is curly, when it gets wet, it just curls up in little ringlets. Only, if I don't do anything to it, like blow dry it, or put product in it, then the next day it is POOF!! I can look like bozo the clown.

And it's thick. It takes me almost an hour to blow dry it. That's not fun, and my neck and back hurt after bending over for so long. (I have to throw my head forward and blowdry it straight... doesn't work as well if I just stand up.)

And since I've been married it has caused me considerable pain. I think my hubby doesn't realize it's attached. He'll have his arm around me while we are sitting down, and then he will move his arm, and take with him my whole head. There are numerous incidences where I have to yell "ow ow ow, my hair" He just says that I have a sensitive head. Um, no. :)

Not to mention how heavy it was, and hot it was. My head feels so much lighter now. And my neck can breathe.

How short is it?

Don't worry, it's just below my shoulders. :) I'll post a pic later!

In Rememberance

This past friday, David and I took a little trip to Oklahoma City. We have both been in Tulsa for about four plus years, and haven't even made it out of Tulsa! It was great to take a roadtrip together (i LOVE roadtrips, and the two that we had taken before were such a blast) We had a great time just getting away from our mundane routine of work, sleep, work, sleep. We went to see the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. It was really touching, and really sad. They have done a wonderful memorial site, with chairs of brass, one for each victim of the bombing, and smaller chairs represent the 19 children that were killed. At night, the white part of the chairs illuminate, and each chair has a persons name on it. There was also two walls with "9:01" and "9:03" which represents the minute before and the minute after the bomb. They are at two seperate ends of a reflecting pool. It was very beautiful. Some of the natural building is still standing, and that is what they built the memorial around. They also have a whole museum full of things, that end up taking three stories worth of stuff. It was very interesting, and we spent around four hours there, and probably could have spent more if we wanted to.

After that, we went to a place called "Bricktown" which is basically were all the nightlife of Oklahoma City happens. There is a AAA baseball park, several restaurants, and you can take water taxis to and from places. Also they have horse drawn carriages you can ride, and the whole town is made out of brick mostly. We ate at a place called "Bricktown Brewery," it was really good, lots of BBQ. Below are some pics of our trip. This is the field of chairs where the victims are remembered.
This is a wall of tiles that kids individually painted and sent in after the bombing to show their support.
This is the first thing you see when you walk up. Originally, a fence was put around the site to protect it from outsiders, and immediately people started putting memoriabilia on it. That fence was taken down, and now stands in the museum. This part was not taken down, to still leave a place for people to hang stuff.

This is one of the walls that has the time on it, and the reflecting pool.

This is Dave and I standing in front of the wall of tiles and the museum. It would be such a great picture if it weren't for that Red Sox hat. Oh well. :)

P.S. For all you who saw the news about Chris Simms spleen rupturing and having emergency surgery... NO, I did not wish that on him, and I feel horrible for him, and have said a prayer or two for him. However, I am anxious to see how this new rookie quarterback will do... we have nothing to lose.

Thursday Night Lights

Wow! What a day! We woke up bright and early to go to Mimi's and have breakfast. They stop serving waffles at noon, so we got there at 11:55, just in time for some. (I know, it doesn't seem like it's britht and early, but it is for us) Then we went to the mall, my hubby and I were looking for some warmer clothes for our trip to New Hampshire. He had some luck, but I didn't have any. I'll have to check a little later, i'm nervous about going somewhere where it's so cold!
It's official. We have angels. While leaving the mall, we were stopped and told that we had a flat tire. We happened to be right across the street from a car fixer upper place. :) But the funny thing is, is that tomorrow we are driving an hour and a half to Oklahoma City. I say we have angels, because thankfully that happened now, rather than on the road to OKC. But the good thing was that it was only a nail that got in our tire, so just 12 bucks to fix it. We went to incredible pizza and played some games, (which I won) and then I took Dave to work and went to Barnes and Nobles for an hour while he was at a work meeting.
Of course we came back after that and he was able to sneak in a little nap. Then I bribed him to go to Ross with me (i gave him a back rub, I know, the things i have to do!)
The church that we go to, Church on the Move, has a christian school as well, which is a K-12 school. The highschool has a varsity team, and tonight they had a game. It is the only time of the season that they have a game on thursday, and we figured since we both had off, we should go and suport them. We met up with our friends Ashley and Paul, and had a great time, even though we got rained on. Oh, we also got hailed on. We were sitting in the stands and off in the distance, all of a sudden we see hail. It looked like what a swarm of locusts would have looked like back in egypt when Pharoah wouldn't let the people go. It passed though, and the game went on. Afterwards we went to Applebees and ate and just talked, it was a ton of fun.
Sorry no pics! I took my camera out, and my batteries were dead! I was so sad!
Tomorrow we are going to oklahoma city, that is why this is so cut and dry. Sorry! More to come tomorrow though!

Funny stuff

Guess who came into Mimi's this weekend?

Sinbad!

I haven't heard to much about him in the recent years, but I remember he used to be really big, and now he makes a living doing comedy. Well, he came into Mimi's Cafe three days in a row, and we all took pictures with him and it was a lot of fun. He ended up giving the managers tickets to go see his show. So Dave and I were able to go on saturday night to see him. He made a lot of jokes about Mimi's, all really funny and true if you know how Mimi's is. He was really clean, which we were happy about because we had heard so many negative things about him, like his language. But he didn't use one curse word, and everything was very tasteful.

He made jokes about night managers wanting to close early and kick people out.

I laughed so hard!

For those of you who don't know, I am the closing manager at my restaurant. I love closing, it's not as hectic as opening, and it gives Dave and I the same schedule. But sometimes we get late nighters, and I have to admit, I have wanted to kick them out a time or two.

I can't start any of my paperwork at night unless all the tables are closed out on the computer, and all the servers are clocked out. So if someone decides to stay past 11pm, it just means that I am going to be there a lot longer. Now I know they are trying to have a good time and enjoy themselves, but I always wonder if they think about us. Not only are they holding me back, but they are holding almost 10 other workers back from being able to go home and see their families.

It's actually funny, because I am the one who has to calm the bussers down if they get upset from people staying late. The bussers all work two jobs, they are up at five in the morning, and at Mimi's till midnight. They are the ones that get real upset if people stay late. But I'm trying to deescalate the bussers while I'm probably fuming just as much as them.

I probably make it worse than it sounds. But it's so important to Dave and I, that we won't go in a restaurant if they are within thirty minutes of closing. We just won't do it. We know that the kitchen is getting ready to close, and everybody wants to go home. So a word of wisdom, if you are going somewhere late at night, pay attention!!! Find out what time they close and please! Be considerate!!!

***
Dave and I went to church early this sunday. We ventured out to the nine o clock service. I know, what were we thinking! We actually wanted to go out to eat afterwards, and we just don't have enough time to go out to eat if we go to the eleven o clock service. We actually really enjoyed it. We both got soaked running out to the car, as it was pouring rain. And we were shocked that the service was as packed as it was. We knew the eleven o clock service was the busiest, and we figured the other services were barely full, but it came close to being as many people in the eleven.
I was a little dissapointed to see that the women's retreat that I go on is scheduled this year for when i will be in New Hampshire. I had such a wonderful time at it last year with Ashley, Megan, and Jess. It's actualy the weekend right before I go to NH, but there is no way I could take off extra days at work! But I know that New Hampshire will be 10 times more fun than the womens retreat! I'm excited!
We went to Cracker Barrel afterward and got the worst service ever. I won't go into it, because I don't want to get upset about it again. It was that bad!

Sadness in Bucland

I'm not even going to start...

on second thought maybe I will a little...

As my father would say, it's a sad day in Bucland. That's right, our beloved Bucs have lost a second week in a row. If only John Gruden (TB's head coach) would listen to my millions of emails I have sent him (jk), he would know... GET RID OF SIMMS!! (he's the QB)

I don't like him. I never have, and frankly, I don't think he has what it takes to become a breakout quarterback in today's league. Yes, he passed for over three hundred yards today, but for what? We scored a big goose egg. ZERO!! In fact, we haven't even put up a touchdown for two weeks.

Well, if the Bucs season flops, I'll still root for them to the end. But I'll pull for the colts. Tony Dungy is an outstanding man, and has been through a lot this year. He deserves it if anybody does.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGS!!!

Today was Megans Birthday!!
Dave and I made a cake for her. We had a lot of fun doing it. I made the cake and Dave decorated. You can't tell from the picture, but he wrote Happy Birthday" in blue writing at the top, and "Megan" at the bottom in pink. Then he put the "22" candles in the center, and blue icing all the way up them. He really put a lot of work and detail into it, and Megan loved it. She came over and we all went out to dinner, and then came back to the house to hang out. It was a whole lot of fun, especially since I don't get to see a whole lot of the girls, unless it's on a friday night and I'm off. I wanted to try to make it really special for megs, cause she has really been a great friend since I've known her, and I know how hard it can be to not have family around.
You can't really tell from the pic, but Jess only has two more months to go! Then we won't be calling Nathan "baby" anymore. He will be a big boy! We keep telling him that, but I don't think he quite gets it yet. :) He loves being the center of attention, and I don't know how he's gonna be with a baby brother, of whom, there is no name for yet!




And for those of you who want to see what Dave really does to me...

Yes... that is a cake he is about to shove in my face. But he knows better :)

But obviously, nobody is safe!

We all survived though :) Happy Birthday Megs!

Thankfulness

My mom over at just the two of us was participating in a blogging link called fall grains of gratitude. It was started when a fellow blogger gave her kids a a grain of wheat for thanksgiving and everyone went around a said what they were thankful for using the word "grain." So here is what I'm thankful for.
Getting up everyday and being able to enjoy life. To wake up to the sun shining and the birds chirping and the weather just being absolutely beautiful has been amazing!
R ealizing how short this life is, and making the best out of it while you can. None of us are promised tomorrow, therefore today should be lived to the fullest.
A husband who is sensitive and caring, and who really pays attention to my needs. For some reason recently, girls (who are not married and still teenagers) have been coming to me with all their guy problems. They all think Dave is a saint by the way he treats me, and they want to know how they can find one of him. (they can't, he's one of a kind). I tell them the only thing that makes Dave different than other guys is he is saved, living for the Lord. Makes a BIG difference.
I ntimacy with the Lord. What other religion gets to have a personal relationship with their god? Waking up to Him can make your day!
Noticing the details in life. The leaves changing colors, the shapes of the clouds in the sky, the cool breeze against your face. Things that you can see and feel everyday, but miss because of the business of life.
What are you grateful for? :)

Happy Birthday!!!

So it's the five year anniversary of Sept 11.

And it's also my Daddy's birthday!!!! So, i'll write about the thing that has impacted my life more.

DADDY!!!!!

My Dad is an amazing man, and I look up to him probably more than anyone else.

Where do I start? From a very young age I remember special things my Dad would do with me. He always made it a point to come tuck me in at night, and if it was really cold, he would give me a "Daddy tuck in." Basically he would wrap me up like a pig in a blanket, but it kept me warm and I slept sound. To this day, my husband complains that I wrap up the blankets around me so tightly at night, I don't even notice it! I'm sure it's from all those days he tucked me in snug as a bug in a rug!

I grew up with two brothers, who were all boy. I was the baby girl, and my Daddy did a real good job at making sure I didn't feel left out. When the boys wanted to play football, I always got to be on Daddy's team, and he would toss me the ball, wrap the boys up in his arms, and say "run chrystal!" and I would take off and score. The boys would go crazy, saying it wasn't fair, and I would get the high five from Daddy. Made me feel on top of the world. Basketball wasn't any different. I remember Daddy would always lift me up to dunk the ball. The boys would get so frustrated. He may have bended the rules a little, but he always made sure I never felt left out.

When the boys started baseball, I started softball. Who would of thought that I would go further than them? Dad was my coach from the very beginning. I can't even count the number of balls he must have caught from me pitching, and I can't count the number of bruises I must have given him. He was always there for me when I needed a catcher. I think my best memory of softball wasn't even from me pitching, or winning a championship. We were playing a really hard team that was undefeated at the time, and my Dad put me in Centerfield. If any of you know me, that is just crazy cause I'm really slow, but I guess he knew what he was doing, because bases were loaded and their best batter was up. She hit it deep, and I just took off, closed my eyes, and dove for the ball. I caught it and once I came to, I ran into my Dad's arms and he twirled me around a couple of times. That proud look he had on his face is still engrained in my memory. :)

And who knows a dad that can recall about any game I ever played? I'm talking games from 10 years ago, my dad can remember who we played, how I pitched, crazy stats that I don't even remember the day after the game! :)

I think the best thing I learned from my dad was how a woman should be treated. From very young, he taught me that he opened doors for my mom, and I should expect the same. He would bring flowers home for my mom, and said someday someone would do that for me. (it's true!) He cared for my mom when she had her heart attack, and I saw their love grow so much during that time. I knew that I wanted a husband as caring and loving as my Dad.

I couldn't thank God more for the Dad that I got, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Times have changed, but I still feel as close to him as I did then, and I don't know many girls who can say that. Recently my dad brought to my attention a song about a Dad's daughter who has fallen in love.
Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world

I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl

Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first

How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time

But I loved her first and
I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at meI knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first
The words to this song don't do it justice, so here is a link... just click on the blue song title.
http://music.msn.com/album/?song=49206281&album=49173840#

I love you Daddy, Happy Birthday...and I know, I'll always be your little girl. :)

It's been a while!

Been doing a whole lot of nothing, and yet a whole lot of everything.

Sorry for no blogging... this past weekend was really crazy at work. It seemed like I was going into work early everyday. Labor day weekend is one of our busiest weekends. We did about 40,000 dollars from friday through the end of monday. It was crazy! And I only had one day off this week, and Dave and I haven't had a day off together for two weeks, so every waking moment I want to spend with him. :) Not that I'm making excuses for not blogging or anything!

Well, we finally broke down.

We bought an Xbox.

I know, I said I would never do it. I don't want our kids to be addicted to video games, computer games, or any other sort of technology. I didn't even want it in our house. No gaming systems, no temptations.

I never thought I would have a hubby that would want one so bad. Now, he hasn't ever begged for one, but subtly, ever since we were dating, he has mentioned it. So I decided that his early birthday present would be this. Actually, we were out shopping for one of those plug n play games that you hook up to your tv, and we just kind of stumbled across the xbox.

Now, we grew up with gaming systems, and they were a lot of fun. Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, playstation, gameboy... we had them all. But my mom was very clear about when we could play and when we couldn't. When we heard "go outside and play," we knew it was time to shut off the games and go outside. She never let us get to mesmerized by the games, and if we fought over them, forget it. None of us could play.

I just don't want our lives centered around the thing.

I thought that if we got one, we wouldn't talk because we would just want to come home and play the games, he wouldn't want to cuddle with me, cause you can't cuddle while playing games, and he wouldn't want to play our board games that we have so much fun playing.

But, so far, we have played rummikub two days in a row, and i'm not missing out on cuddling or talking. :) It's not so bad so far. Let's just see how long it lasts!

***

We haven't turned our air conditioner on for four days now! The weather has been beautiful here. We have the windows open, and it's perfect! It's been a nice change from the horrible summer heat we have had to endure. If the weather could stay like this all the time, I would be a happy camper. :)

Top Five

Top Five reasons why my husband is the most amazing man in the world:

5: He rubs my feet when I get home from a long day of work.

4: He brings me home roses "just cause he loves me"
3: He doesn't forget my ice cream when he goes shopping.
2: He snuggles with me whenever I want. (which is a lot!)
1: He tells me he loves me every day :)

Country Lovin'

I love music. :) It's kind of embarrassing, cause I don't have that great of a voice. But anyone who knows me finds me lost in song, whether it's in the shower, the car, while I'm on a run, or doing anything at all, I've usually got a tune in my head. I defend myself by saying "the Bible says Make a JOYFUL noise to the Lord, he didn't say it had to be good!" No one would contest that it's joyful. :)
My mom and I took piano classes together for a while, and it was a blast. She would practice, then i would practice, and of course her work was a lot harder than mine. But we always had fun doing it together. Eventually my love for sports overshadowed my love for the piano, and I put that on the back burner. I can still play some songs by memory, although they are getting to be a fewer number of them as the years go by.

I didn't think that this day would come, but I have a confession to make.

I listen to country music.

There, I said it.

To some of you, no big deal, especially those from the midwest. But being from Florida, country wasn't exactly the hippest thing around. If anyone knew you listened to country, you were basically blacklisted.
However, from a very young age, my Dad would play country music wherever we would go. He would always sing to me to. He always would sing a verse from a song that would just crack me up. "Old mr. Webster could never define, what's being said between your heart and mine." He would put his glasses on the tip of his noise and put his head down and look up at me, open his hands like a book, and I would just crack up!!!
Over the years my styles of music have changed, from classical to rap, to jazz, and now mostly christian. But I still have a special place in my heart for country music, and I frequently listen to it when I'm alone. (The hubby's not to fond of it). Although I bet he could even sing a verse or two from some of my songs. And the song we danced to at our wedding was a country song. Who would of thought? In this ever changing world of music, country music, i've found for the most part has remained true to it's values. I'm hard pressed to find a country song that is bombarded with sex, drugs, or violence. Kind of nice nowadays. :)
Here's a link to the song that is the reason I chose the name for this blog, Life's a Dance. Enjoy! :)


http://www.cmt.com/loaded/index.jhtml?vid=58622