February Update

We had our new sign installed in our office a week or so ago.  It's on the wall behind my desk and the light stays focused on it all the time (even at night).  We are still decorating.  We have several things on back order that haven't come in yet, but as soon as it's completed, I'll post some pictures of the finished office.

 

Just thought I'd point out to all my family the Cruella Deville streak I have going on in my hair.  I actually have two of them.  This one in the front usually doesn't show because of the way I part and wear my hair.  However, the one in the middle (which you can't see here) shows up better after my hair is fixed.  I have not colored  my hair in almost a year.  The girls and Joe almost had a fit when I told them that.  I don't care - I'm not vain as I was in my youth.  Yes, I want to look nice and 99% of the time I do. I just don't care if my hair is turning gray.  I will be 60, (yes, you read that right) in about a year and a half.  I have EARNED my gray hair.  A whole lot of my friends have been gray for quite some time.  And I quite enjoy going to get my hair cut and they say, "That will be $35."  Yeah. I can deal with that.  Usually with cut and color and with a tip, it's about $135.

 

I made Daddy this "pocket" prayer shawl and attached one of the crosses he gave me when I came home for Christmas about 5 years ago. I'm going to mail it to him so he can keep it with him and know that I am praying for him and thinking of him, even though I can't be there physically.

My Zumba Gold class at the YMCA celebrated Valentine's Day on Monday this week because we don't have Zumba on Thursdays.  Everyone tried to wear red (except the ones that weren't there the day they announced it).  Here are some of the women (and men) that I take Zumba with.  The class didn't seem to be as full this day as it usually is.

 

My Zumba instructor, Maria,  on the left of me and one of the friends I've made in class, Carol, on the right of me.  I think they are both about 5 years older than me (64).

We had a little bit of snow on Tuesday, but by the time I left to go home after work, it was all gone.

 

Looks like it's Valentine's Day at the Jondahl house.  There are my cards to Joe and to each girl, and Joe's cards to me and each girl (plus candy).

Our New Office

Jann and I moved into our new office on Saturday, January 21.  I will post finished pictures in a couple of weeks.  This is looking at our new kitchen area back by our private entrance.

 

Jann's new office.  She also purchased new office furniture for her office.

This is in our reception area looking toward our office front door.

 

Our conference room.

 

The open area beyond the kitchen.

 

Looking at where my desk will be in the reception area.

 

The movers broke my desk on one corner.  They fixed it though.  This corner is up against the wall so no one will ever notice anyway.

January Happenings

In January I went to see Jekyll and Hyde, the Broadway musical.  I was very pleased - I think I've liked this one best so far.  I loved the music (a little more on the rock side), and it was a sexy love story.  I told Jann I was going to renew my seat for next year - they are having some more great shows, Wicked, Sister Act, Chicago, Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and I can't remember the other one.  Jann offered to upgrade my seat for me as a bonus.  I'm currently sitting on the first row of the top balcony; I'm hoping to upgrade my seat to a first row on one of the lower balconies.  I don't want a large person to be able to sit in front of me so I can't see.  I like my seat fine where I am, but I'm far enough away that I can't see who is singing sometimes and that bothers me.  I could bring my field glasses, but who wants to sit there holding those up for 2 hours?

 

 

Here's is Kaitlyn's letter from the Dean of the College of Dentistry announcing her inclusion on the Dean's Honor Roll for making a 4.0 Fall semester.

 

Kristen, Pat, Joe and I went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago and when they brought my hamburger to me it looked like the shape of Africa.  What do you think?

End of the Year

It's been awhile since I updated  my blog.  On the Saturday before New Year's I went shopping at Dillards and they had a great sale.  Bought 4 pairs of my favorite jean brand, JAG.  They had their cordoruys on sale for $10.00 each so I bought all the colors they had. 

Joe and I went to Dallas by ourselves for the Cotton Bowl.  We had a great time and celebrated by drinking some gross champagne out of some small bathroom cups we brought along. 




Cowboy stadium in the background.

 

Joe trying to get a picture of us both

 

The same weekend we went to Dallas, we also attended one of Steven's hockey games. He plays for the Dallas Snipers, a semi-pro junior league.

I just happened to snap the picture on the big screen in Cowboys stadium as they were introducing Johnny Football (Manziel).

What I got for Christmas

Well, for Christmas, I had all my "chickens" home in my nest.  We did have a White Christmas for the first time in a long time.  We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, I put the leaf in my kitchen table, and all six of us sat down and ate pheasant, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green beans, and rolls. I think the girls chose wonderful boyfriends and I just love my little family.

 

For Christmas I got an iPhone attachment that lets me talk like I would on a regular phone. I love it!

 

I also got the Zumba Fitness DVD set (with toning sticks) that I can use at home on the days that I don't go to an organized Zumba class at the YMCA.

As a present to myself, I bought some new Zumba shoes.  I wore them today to my Zumba class.  I like them. I also got an Amazon gift certificate so I can purchase more books for my Kindle.

Kaitlyn and Michael also gave us a Houdini wine bottle opener. 

Waiting for My Family to Come Home

Okay, after a week of my family being gone, I'm ready for them to come home.  Although I have been pretty busy the last few days. Friday, Jann and I left around noon and went up to the city to go furniture shopping for our new office.  We bought a couple more used 5-drawer lateral file cabinets, saw lots of desks and chairs, visited a reupholsterer's shop and looked in several antique shops for unique pieces of furniture.  We also went to a specialty jewelry shop (Silver Leaf Gems) so Jann could get one of her necklaces shortened that she purchased there.  She told me I could pick out anything I wanted up to $200.  I found this necklace and earring set on the 50% off table.  It's really pretty.  I don't have much green stuff, but I already had some red coral and turquoise jewelry so I decided to get something different.

After we got tired of shopping we had our office Christmas party - we went to Mama Rojas restaurant on Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City and watched the sunset as we ate our tilapia with chips and salsa, etc. 

Saturday, I got up early and went to Weightwatchers, then went to Zumba at the YMCA.  I did some grocery shopping in case we have another Snowpocalypse on Christmas like we did a couple of years ago.  Jann had invited me over for dinner with her and Tom. And because I hadn't seen her house in a couple of years and she had it decorated real pretty.  She made Shepherd's pie and a salad.  It was yummy.  We watched a movie and Tom gave me a bottle of wine from the winery to bring home.

This morning I got up and went to church and then one of the ladies in my prayer shawl group and I went to breakfast and went up to the city to see the newest Cirque du Soleil show.  Joe gave me a pair of tickets before he went out of town.  I really enjoyed the show (I think the name of the show was Dralian or something like that) and I thought it was better than the Saltimbanco one I saw several years ago.

Tomorrow I'm going to use my mani-pedi gift certificate from my birthday and pamper my feet and hands while I wait for the family to get home safe and sound before the snow hits tomorrow night.  I'm going to make my Cranberry-jalepeno dip to take over to Joe's Aunt Cindy's house tomorrow night and depending on when the family gets home, I may or may not go to Christmas Eve service.  I may even try to make a Hummingbird cake to eat on Christmas Day.  I've never made one and I had a piece when I went to Guthrie a couple of weeks ago.  The recipe just happened to be in a Southern Living magazine this past fall - so I've got to try it.  I'm making it from scratch so wish me luck!  I'll post pictures later.

I discovered Lorna is on Pinterest and I've started following her.  It's amazing the stuff that we like that is the same.  I even went through my Pinterest boards the other day and re-organized them making more boards so I could find stuff easier.

Oh and this is the recipe for my bourbon balls.....

My Favorite Week

A couple of weeks ago, our Prayer Shawl ministry had our annual Christmas Tea.  I brought bourbon balls again and used the "good stuff".  I also took a big swig out of the bottle while making them - made the experience so much more fun.....hee hee

 

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year.  The whole family has gone skiing and I have the whole house to myself to do whatever I want.  Last Saturday, I got up early and went to WeightWatchers, then went to Zumba at the YMCA, afterwards I went to the beautyshop to get my hair cut.  I went to a Christmas get together at one of the moms that had a daughter on the Pom Squad in high school with Kaitlyn.  Sunday morning I work up early, and before I went to church I did two loads of laundry, changed the sheets on my bed, swept, dusted, fed the dogs then went to church. When I came home, I cleaned the master bath, mopped the floor, cleaned out some paperwork and cut out a pattern.  I don't know where all that energy came from.

 

Kaitlyn left "puppy" with me so I could wash him (trust me he was black).  He has so many holes in him, the stuffing is falling out and he is in desperate need of repair but there is nothing left to hold the material together, it's so rotten. She still sleeps with the damn thing and Michael encourages it! So after I washed it, I put a sign on it, took a photo and sent it to her in a text while she's in Colorado.

 

 

 

This week, I also finished another scarf.  I think this one is for me.  It's really sparkly.

 

I also made a Christmas Apron that I'm going to give to my friend, Kay.  She gave me a birthday present, and I didn't get her one so I'm giving her the apron and I also made her a pink/white ruffle scarf too.

This coming Sunday, I'm going to the Cirque du Soleil show (Joe got me tickets) with one of the ladies from my Prayer Shawl group.  Jann and I are taking off Monday and Tuesday, so I  may go use my mani/pedi gift certificate Monday and relax and drink some wine (Joe got me the DELUXE package for my birthday). The family will be home on Monday evening provided the snow/blizzard holds off on the plains until Christmas Day.