Tailgating at the OU/Missouri Game

I can't believe they actually let me put this on Facebook. They looked so cute in this picture. Kristen has started wearing lipstick (she usually wears lipgloss). I think she has matured so much in the last year out working in the world. Every now and then she says stuff and my jaw drops - I didn't think she was listening. She flew out today in the Chesapeake corporate jet to go on a pipe inventory up in Ohio/Pennsylvania. Pat (I guess you could call him her unofficial boyfriend) is driving down from where he lives in New York to take her to dinner tomorrow night. Next week, he is flying in to go to the OU/Texas game with her and she has strongly suggested (multiple times) that we get together to meet him after the game. They see each other about once a month around the country but talk every day by phone and text. This has been going on since May. He is a 5th year senior at one of the SUNY schools, majoring in accounting or finance.

Continued Update for Joe

I wish this blogger had a way to sense pictures and post them in the direction they are supposed to go. This is a picture of the flower arrangement that Joe's work sent to him for his hospital stay. They know he loves the Sooners - this is perfect for him. It's got a goalpost with a football going through, an OU basketball, and a HUGE drink mug with a lid for when he's better. He's getting better every day but is still very bruised and sore in his "wedding tackle" from all the pushing the nurses did on his groin to stop the internal bleeding. He keeps telling everyone it feels like he was kicked in the nuts. (I laugh everytime he says this - not to be mean, it's just the way he says it.)

Update on Joe

They went in yesterday and found 90% blockage in one area of his heart (not the same place as the last time). The doctor could and did put a stint in it. There were some complications last night while Joe was at the hospital, but he is much better today and is resting at home. The doctor told him he could not walk the steps at the stadium tomorrow, so Joe will be watching this week's game on T.V. Thanks for all the prayers. He should be up and at it within a few days.

Revisiting the Heart Problems - Joe

Joe has been hiding from me the fact that he's been having chest pains again. Its been 15 years since his last angioplasty. Well, last night, he couldn't hide it from me any longer. He wasn't feeling well, so I started questioning him, he was being kind of vague, then I got in his face and told him "don't you lie to me!" So he told me he'd been having tightness in his chest, pain down his arm and up the left side of his face. He went in the bathroom and stuck a nitroglycerin pill under his tongue and said he felt better but sent his doctor a text. First thing this morning, Dr. Merrill called him and said to come in. He went in at 9 and then called me to come get him and take him to the Heart Hospital here in Norman. His EKG was fine and showed that he didn't have a heart attack (yet) and there was no damage to his heart. I dropped him off at the new heart hospital so he could have some more tests and possibly a procedure done today. He'll either call me when he's done so I can come get him or he'll have to stay overnight for observation if a procedure was done. Either way, the doctor assured him he would be up and at the OU game by Saturday. I'll keep you posted as I know more. I have not said anything to the girls yet; I don't want to unnecessarily upset them. If he has to stay overnight, I'll call them in.

We knew at some point we would have to revisit Joe's situation, since he didn't get a stint put in the first or second time. Times and technology have changed a lot in the last 15 years, so they may be able to put one in now. Anyway, prayers for Joe - he unfortunately got all the bad genes in his family - high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Florida Weekend

This past weekend, Joe and I flew down to New Orleans, rented a car, and went over to Destin to stay for a few days. We had a wonderful weekend. We went to the OU-Florida State game in Tallahassee on Saturday. It seemed that everything went our way all weekend from good seats on the plane to not having to wait for dinner anywhere, etc. The only "bad" thing was there were marine pests in the water at the beach. I rarely get in the water anyway so it didn't really matter to me. Here's a picture of a jellyfish on the beach. We marked it with a stick so someone walking along wouldn't step on it.

Here's a picture of Joe and I in the stadium. Our church youth director was sitting down about 2 rows in front of us and Michael's mother was sitting about 10 rows up and one section over. I saw her but she didn't see me.
This was supposed to be a couples weekend with our friends that all go to OU/TX together, but none of the other wives ended up coming because of last minute commitments with school-aged children or trials coming up, etc. Here are the guys together outside the stadium. We didn't sit together nor did we see each other the rest of the weekend. Didn't even stay in the same town.

One night, we drove over to Panama City Beach and went to dinner at Pier Park. Fun place!

Saw a Texas pimp-mobile while we were there. Can you see the big horns on the front of the car?
One of the other marine pests were blue crabs that seemed to be all in the water the first day we got there. This one was dead on the beach.
We ate at all our favorite restaurants and I ate lots of seafood. I loved my weekend with just Joe and me. It's the first one we've taken since shortly after Kristen was born (before Kaitlyn) - about 22 years. I have lots of other pictures on my phone camera but currently don't have any way to get them from the phone to my computer.

Some Sorority Pictures

Someone took this picture of Kaitlyn and her "bestie" from the sorority, Gloriana, on "pref" night. Gloriana was one of Kaitlyn's roommates in the sorority house last year.

Okay, here's the costume fitting we had for Kaitlyn for her date party. Kaitlyn and Kristen designed the top and Kaitlyn designed the skirt. I sewed them up (Kaitlyn did the ruffle on the top). This shows off Kaitlyn's "donk". Looks like she could give Kim Kardashian a run for her money!

A front view of the costume.
Kaitlyn and Michael dressed up for the date party.

AOPirates - Gloriana, Kaitlyn and Alex. Three of the 4 roommates from last year in the sorority house.

AO PI-rates

It's time for the first date party of the year - A O PI-rates. Michael is going as a pirate (easy) and Kaitlyn is going as a mermaid. Naturally, Kaitlyn and I are having our creative differences as usual. She tells me or draws her vision of her costume and I'm supposed to come up with one without a pattern!!! I'm the one paying for the materials, and putting my time in for labor. Although this time she has helped a little more. SO FAR the top is purple. I made the bandeau part and she came up with the ruffled strap which comes up the right shoulder and splits in the back into two straps that make an upside V in the back where it's connected in two places. She may or may not "bedazzle" the top with jewels.



The bottom is sort of my idea. I looked at a video on you-tube to come up with how to make the skin-tight skirt. I made her lay down on some roll-paper and I traced her outline. Then I laid it on the material and allowed for seams and cut it out. Fits like a glove! Literally, second skin. We had our creative differences when it came to the bottom of the skirt. We worked it out and now I'm in the process of connecting the tulle to the skirt.

I think Michael will have to pick her up and put her on and off the party bus as she cannot lift or separate her legs (so much for booty popping while dancing!). Anyway, it's not finished yet, but I'll try to post a picture of the finished product this weekend. Usually after they wear a costume to a date party they've either gotten drunk and ripped something or spilled something on the costume. So much for all my hard work!

Temporary Sewing Space

Well, this sewing room thing is not going as quickly as I had hoped. So I've taken the bull by the balls and I've set up a "temporary" sewing area in the room. I bought one of these thread spool holders yesterday. After I got through with sorting through my sewing box I realized I have enough spools to fill up TWO of these. Oops!

This is one of the pictures that was taken for our church directory. This is not the one that we picked to go into the directory (it had to be on a blue background). But I like this one.