Christmas in OKC

My mom's house...Christmas morning. It looks so pretty when it's snow-capped!Marissa opening presents....she's looking more and more like a teenager. It's painful!

Andrew opening his scooter. It was proclaimed the best Christmas present this year. My head swelled a bit about that.

All Andrew really wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth.

With their granny

The kids and my cuzzies...snowman building 101.

Finished product. Cute, isn't he?

Us with the snowman...he stole my hat. (I love how Moussey sat like a good girl)

Kids and their cuzzies

Hannah...another one who is getting too painfully close to teenagehood

Haley...so sweet and cute...I wish I could stick her in my pocket!

Kaleb...future model for sure. Check out the dimples and his collar! ha!

Christmas Eve in OKC

All I could think about was 12 o'clock. That was the time when I was going to get out of work, make a last minute, mad dash to Target and rush home to get ready for the Christmas Party later that evening. Except...things didn't go as planned. Not. At. All.

When I left work, the wind had picked up. I had a hard time walking to my car let alone driving my car. The snow was coming down hard and my already blurred vision was even blurrier. I made it about two blocks down the street before all the cars around me stopped...as if frozen. And they were...sorta. They were stuck in snow that was accumulating on the roads at a fast pace. Not to mention, the morning's sleet left a layer of sheer ice underneath the snow. People were either stuck or sliding in their mid-size cars, SUV's, and trucks...so I knew the Fit-mobile wouldn't stand a chance.

I pulled into a nearby neighborhood, called Matt, and implored him to come pick me up. But as I watched the main road, from the neighborhood, I knew there was no way he'd make it 10 miles up the street to me...or that I'd make it 10 miles down the street to him. So, I waited...I'm not sure what I was waiting for...the snow to stop? Scottie to beam me up? I called Matt back and told him to turn around and go home. It was too dangerous. Afterall, we spent last winter in the tropics...so he only had the previous year of experience driving in icy conditions. That wasn't enough experience! I'd either wait out the storm or brave it and drive really slowly. After a while, I decided I had to keep moving. My gas was half past half, I had no coat, and waiting it out didn't seem like a good option.

I began moving...slowly but surely. Phew...made it one block down the road to the next light. The car infront of me was stuck. And as he tried to get unstuck...he kept slipping and sliding...just inches away from my front end. I maneuvered my way to make a left turn, drove one more block, and parked my car at the mall. It was warm there atleast...and me and my car would be safe.

Luckily my buddy Shines was getting off work...and offered to slide by and pick me up. An hour later, I get a call from him...asking me to walk to the corner of the mall parking lot and wait for him at the bank. Although I had no coat...I was willing to make the trek through the snow, so it would be easier for him to get me. But as soon as I stepped outside, I realized that the snow was coming down harder. Within 5 seconds, my glasses were covered in snow, and I couldn't see my own hand in front of me, much less the bank on the corner! I called Shines back, and he picked me up at the mall front instead. I had never been so happy to see him...although I couldn't see him until I scraped off the snow from my glasses! "Nice blizzard appropriate outfit you have on there," he said. Even in the middle of a natural disaster...his sarcasm was still on point.

We slowly drove back to his house to retrieve his wife, so we could rescue the rest of their family, who were stranded on highways and byways...what is usually a 15 minute drive took approximately 2 hours. It didn't help that mid-way....the windshield wiper decided it was done for the day. We tried to use a make shift wiper for Shines to use, but it didn't prove to be successful. Driving with caution with your head out of your window while simultaneously wiping your windshield is not as easy as it sounds. We had some near misses and I had a few mild heart attacks...but we made it!...alive and well.

It was about 4 o'clock by then...we collected Merly and were off to go rescue the rest of the family. To make an already long story...a bit shorter...As we were on our rescue mission we got stuck 3 times. Each time, Merly gave the car some gas, and me and Shines pushed the car with our brute strength. It took about 15-20 minutes but we managed to get unstuck every time. This was saying a lot!...since there was so many abandoned vehicles everywhere...on the sides of the street and even in the middle of intersections! We kept saying how it felt like the end of the world...seeing people walk through the blizzard aimlessly and cars abandoned. All I could think of was...OMG...this is the last day of earth and I've been stuck with Shines for the past 7 hours?!? We finally got to my apartment at 8 pm!!...so much for being happy about getting off of work early!! We were drenched with sweat and snow and exhausted. And that, folks...is how we spent Christmas Eve in OKC.

I've got no passion for fashion...

After the recent Oprah episode about fall fashion. I was feeling pretty good about myself. It seemed I wasn't as clueless as I had assumed...I actually wore "in" colors, understood the basics of accessorizing, and made good use of tights! So, since I was "so" fashionable...I was pretty confident in wearing a dress to the last wedding I worked. Wearing Indian outfits are a job hazard. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've tripped on churidar pants as I was running around.

The dress I picked was actually a skirt and shirt. I bought it a few years ago for a Christmas party. I'm not sure what the skirt is made of, but it is charcoal gray with black velvet designs on it. I knew the colors were in this season, so I figured I could pull it off with a pair of my favorite black tights. Of course, Sheryl made fun of my shirt....and come to think of it, so did her mom. It was a 3 quarter length sleeve jacket-shirt in black velvet. Sheryl didn't get how a jacket could be a shirt and her mom didn't get why I buttoned it all the way to the collar. But, I blew them off...I mean, what do THEY know about fashion? So, I went to the wedding and felt pretty good about myself. And I felt pretty good about the outfit after...thinking I should wear it to all weddings that I work.

Until....I was at Walmart over the weekend and saw someone else sporting the exact same outfit. Now, I'm not a fashion snob who thinks I need to be wearing "originals." The problem def'ly wasn't that someone else was wearing something I owned. The problem was.................she was 60. She definitely burst my bubble. If only Stacey London wasn't so rude to her show guests....I'd def'ly sign myself up for "What Not to Wear."

Wii dont' have it...

Pardon me for my lack of posting last week. It was an extremely busy work week. I actually had to spend time at the office after 5 pm, which is very unusal because I'm usually out the door and in my car with my seatbelt strapped by 5 pm.

Let me fill you in on the events of last week. I had been dropping both subtle and obvious hints to Matt that I wanted a Wii for Christmas. Partially because I rock at Wii bowling and I also wanted the Wii Fit to excercise with. Since Walmart was giving away a $50 gift card with their Wiis Matt decided that we could finally get one. So, we woke up at 7 am one Sunday morning to beat the rush. We came home with our new purchase and I was so excited to set it up and start playing...after church, of course. So, imagine my disappointment when we stuck the game cd in and it...DIDN'T WORK!!

I could hardly concentrate in church because I knew that if we took the Wii back to Walmart, we wouldn't be able to exchange it. There were only 3 more in the store when we bought ours. Sure, I could wait until Monday to exchange it...but that totally threw a wrench in my plans of playing the Wii all afternoon long!! Church was finally over and I told M & S (not to be confused with M as in Matt or S as in Sue...) about our dilemma. They were certain it was an easy fix and offered to come by and look at it.

Unfortunately, they couldn't fix it either. We were all set to go get a refund for our purchase when Matt decided to call the 1-800 number help line. I was pretty sure that the call would get him nowhere...it was obviously a problem with the console that couldn't be fixed. Matt told the lady that he tried to put the cd in and it kept giving him the same message over and over "unable to read disc." She very patiently asked him to walk over to the console, and see if there were plastic feet on the top of it.....

And there ya have it....we had the unit upside down the whole time....so it was reading the disc upside down!!

We had to go through all these obstacles and in the end....we didn't keep the Wii afterall. Oh, it worked perfectly fine...but, SOMEONE seems to think that they're going to come out with a new and improved system next year and then by that time ours will be outdated...(blah, blah, blah).
So, there goes that Christmas wish...on to the next....

I recieved a call today on my cell...no number, no info...just said "incoming call." When I picked it up, the person said, (in a very professional voice), "May I speak to Susan?" My automatic response was, "this is Susan." That response literally took one second to come from my mouth...but in that one second of time, my brain worked over time to figure out who the caller might be. Initially, I thought it was from India...but the voice sounded American. Maybe it was a credit card collector...but wait...I have no credit card. Maybe they were going to offer me a credit card...doubtful...A real estate agent that I had contacted weeks ago? Perhaps...orrr was it church that I had recently sent my resume to?? Maybe they were calling me in for an interview. But, just as my hopes soared, they came crashing down when I heard giggling....

It was Sheryl. She was trying to convince me she was Ellen Degeneres, calling live from her show. Needless to say, she needs to brush up on her prank calling skills, and I need to be less imaginitive I guess. =/ People always tell me I have an overactive imagination. I guess they're right...

Hey...that's not an onion...it's my finger!

Last night was cooking marathon night...the one night a week where I make enough food to feed our faces for atleast 7 days. I make Indian curries...which is time consuming and stanks up the entire apartment, but it's cheap and eating leftovers isn't so bad.

So, I made beef, chicken, fish, and fried potatoes and onions. Just as I was cutting the onions, I sliced the tip off my ring finger. It started bleeding profusely. Matt ran for a bandaid, and I ran for the sink. When I finally got my finger cleaned, we inspected the wound and realized a chunk of my ring finger was mia. We walked back to the onions...I certainly didn't want to throw my finger in and fry it up with the potatoes!!! There it was...still on the knife. It looked like a piece of onion...but it was rubbery...so I knew it was my finger. I saved it ...I'm not sure why. It's not like I can super glue it back...but I'm just weird like that, I guess. So now i'm typing with out a tip of my ring finger...and it hurts...so I'm gonna stop here. Until tomorrow, folks...

So, over the weekend...I was discussing my blog...or lack of...with my friend. She asked me why I didn't write as much as I did in the beginning. I explained that I feel like nothing blogworthy or entertaining is going on in my life right now. She advised me to take a closer look at my day to day...and assured me that there's plenty of entertaining things happening that I'm just not aware of.

So, I took her advice....

Last night when I got home, Matt was raving about this pie my mom made. My mom? Made a pie? She's not the baking/pie-making type. Then he explained that the pie had meat in it. Ok, that made more sense. But, why was he raving about it? I make chicken potpie and pizza pie all the time. I never hear him raving. He described the pie as a sweet meat pie, which is why he likde it.... It was sweet. But sweet meat sounded disgusting to me. Later in the evening, I went to my mom's and saw the sweet meat pie on the counter. I helped myself to a bite. I kinda felt like Joey Tribiani on the episode when Rachel made a shepherd's pie. Meat? good. Corn? Good. Cheese? Good. Sweet crust? Good. But all together...it was kind of strange. I couldn't understand why my mom's crust was so sweet. She bought a pre-made crust...and they usually just have a tinge of sweetness. So, I took another bite to figure it out...and sure enough, I realized she used GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST! She got the recipe from my sister...who probably said, "buy a ready made crust"...and then my mom went to the baking aisle and bought the only ready made crust she could find. She was really embarrassed and made me vow not to tell my sister. So, if you're my sister and reading this....Don't tell Mummy I told you. And if you're anyone else who knows my mom...You never read this. Kapeesh?

Later that evening...Matt and I played Scrabble. I hate playing games with him because he's a cheater. But, I thought I'd give it one last try...He spelled out the word "dickory" I tell him it's not a word...and he quickly replies with "hickory dickory dock" I couldn't argue with that. Next he spelled..."heartful" To which I reply,"that's not a word" And he says..."I give you my heartful condolensces." I almost fell for it...and then remembered it's heart-FELT. needless to say, no more scrabble for me and Matt.

Below is a picture taken over the weekend...from a little soiree we attended. When I moved back in March and started helping Shines and Merly plan their wedding. I didn't know that it was going to be the beginning of a new business venture...or the beginning of a very special friendship.

I really don't know what Matt and I did on the weekends before these two became our "couple" friends....now we have partners to go to church, to kill buffets, to house hunt, to laze around on Sunday evenings, and to taste test new recipes.

The Thomas's love the Mathews. ;)

Well, it was an interesting weekend. The wedding was on Saturday, and although overall, it went well. There were a few unforseen glitches I had to deal with. I guess I learned that even if you do something that you absolutely love...you can still have an off day. The entire event was just a learning experience....I learned that not everyone will always appreciate me or see things my way. And, I realized that there is a time to be a silent and a time to speak up....and stand up for myself.

Luckily, I have another event to work on coming up in January. I love that business has been coming in steadily. I guess I officially have a "side gig" now. Saturday someone had actually asked me for my business card.. So last night I sat down and created one for myself. I'm really thankful that I was able to take some small steps and start doing things I really enjoy this year...I just hope that next year I can make even more progress!

It's 2:30 in the morning, and here I am blogging at this ungodly hour! I find that my brain is so full of things that I'm stressing about that I can't make myself relax long enough to fall asleep!!!

Basically, my stress is centered around the wedding I'm working on that is coming up next weekend. With the bride and groom in Dallas, it has made for a complex situation. I usually get nervous before every wedding, but this time it's a bit more than just nerves. It's anxiety.

I'm sure in the end it will be fine...mainly, because I'm begging and pleading to God that it will be. I have also called in a few favors from my pro-bono assistant. Knowing she will be there to calm me down during my potential melt down is comforting.

I hear Matt and Mousse snoring...I think I'm going to try to go join them....

Well, we were off to Dallas for Stan and Sheryl's wedding. I've known Stan since I was ten...

STAN how can I can explain him?

I'll take you frame by frame him...

Actually, my whole Stan description in the tune of OPP won't work because every word I think of to describe him doesn't start with S-T-A-or N.

Stan is the little brother I never wanted but somehow adopted. I know deep down he loves me, but you have to dig pretty deep to get that because whether it's been a month or six years I've seen him, we always pick up where we left off....and where we left off is him dawging me mercilessly. =/

But, Saturday was a monumental day...he was blissfully happy and sweet. I hope Sheryl will only bring out a lil' more of that in him in the future! the happy couple cutting their beautiful cake...

I have shared lots of great times with the Crystal (to the right), so it was great seeing her again after so long! Sonia, me and Sheryl...with Elijah.

My girls...

The other chair was missing someone....Sunu.

My gracious host for the weekend...

Me and Matt totally fell in love with this lil' guy

Overall...it was a great weekend...it was great seeing my friends from way back when and re-connecting!...and it was especially great to see Stan happy in love!

Well, it's official...I've fallen back into "The Hills" trap. Since LC left, I haven't really been following it. Not that I'm a huge LC fan. Towards the end...her "I'm so mature, and you're so not" attitude was working my nerves. (Not to mention, I'm slightly jealous of 3 book deal. Why is it only the rich get richer?!?) But, it's like when she left, it brought the whole facade to light. And suddenly, the Hills seemed so fake! Never mind Matt's been telling me that since the very first time he watched an episode. I refused to believe it and couldn't get enough of the drama...the catfights...the love hate relationships.

This time, I've fallen back into watching the show because I love to hate on it. It's almost embarrassing for Kristen Cavalleri to take up this new roll on the show. Being the replacement for your high school nemesis?? She must be desperate. And, would anyone care to tell me how her and Bartender Stacey became friends? I mean aren't there zillions of people in LA? And of all those zillion, she's BFs with HER?? A bit too coincidental I'd say.

I also don't get the Lo/Audrina/Steph friendship. Where'd Steph and Lo come from, anyway? How in the world did they weasel their ways into this show? And how does Holly and Heidi's mom feel about the show portraying Holly as an alcoholic?? I don't know why I do it...I need reality rehab.

I'm currently listening to the tunes of "way back Wednesdays." 80's music is the one thing that gets me through hump day.

I recently explored a website that I wanted to share with you. I have been attending Life Church in Okc for the past eight months. I really love this church because they are coming up with innovative ways to spread the gospel and reach people.

You Version is one of their innovative ideas. I'm still learning how to use it, but I love what I know so far. Basically, it's the Bible on line. It has suggested daily readings, a place for you to jot notes, a place for you to hilight and save passages....It also has a place where you can read other peoples thoughts on certain passages and you can share your ideas with the community as well. It's a very cool way to get your daily dosage of the word. You don't have to live in Oklahoma or go to the church to use the website, it's for everyone! Even more awesome is that you can access You Version from your phones! Check it out!

Watching yesterday's Oprah was an eye opening experience. On the show, she discussed how shoes, purses, and accessories can actually make you look leaner. The eye opening part was....I already knew that! I guess I'm not the fashion retard that I had assumed myself to be!
Remember when those tiny purses were fashionable? You know, the tiny purses you could barely fit your car key and phone into? I never owned one. I saw 'fluffy' girls carry them and realized they looked 'fluffier' doing so! My purse of choice is a mid-size, square purse...black (to match my sweaters). This is apparently a good choice because the stylist on the show mentioned that round girls should never carry round purses.

Next up is shoes...There was a point in time when I would wear four inch heels. But, that was a time when big, bulk heels were all the rave. Now that thin, sleek, pointy heels are 'in'...I can't seem to make my extra wide feet balance themselves in a pair of heels. I'm more of a wedge heel kind of girl. They give me the height I so desperately need, while giving my foot a bit of support. I also appreciate a nice, comfy pair of ballet flats. But, according to the stylists on Oprah, a shrimp like me should primarily where heels in order to maintain a facade of being tall and slender.

Accessories...my favorite subject. The show didn't really stress the importance of them...but I will. Accessories are my #1 weakness. I typically find a fabulous pair of earrings and then find clothes to match. I know normal people usually shop the other way around. This season's hot accessory is scarves...which happen to be my latest obsession. Per the show, they make your torso look longer. I could def'ly use some torso length. I happen to think a necklace/scarf, a pair of earrings, and a cute bracelet or a fabulous cocktail ring just makes you look more put together. It makes an outfil look well though out...and makes things more interesting. And in case you're reading this and live in the OKC area....check $1 jewelry Galore on 23rd and Penn (my accesories store of choice)...all their earrings, bracelets, and necklaces are ONLY a dollar!...and their cocktail rings are $1.99...a steal of a deal!

My first concert...

Last night, was the U2 360 tour. 2 words....uh. mazing. ha! This was my first ever concert experience and it was the best first concert I could have gone too! Our seats were so-so...we sat on row 68...and that's where we sat and watched the Black Eyed Peas perform. But then, by some twist of fate, someone came up to us during intermission and told us that someone was switching out tickets for some of the better seats which were still open and had not been sold. Without hesitation...we switched...and got to see U2 from row 11!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was total perfection....I coulda swore I felt Bono's sweat fly on me...but it coulda been a rain drop. ;) Pictures below!!....

I've got my little munchkin on my mind today....

TGIF...

It's interesting how I wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. And then, I walk into my office and it's like I've suddenly been rolled over by a steam engine. My energy source feels depleted, and lying under the covers of my cozy bed is all I can think about.

It's Friday...thank God. It's been a painfully slow week. Maybe this is because I'm suffering the "back to reality" blues after my wonderful vacay last week. This weekend proposes to be a busy one. I have one more wedding to do for 09 and it's coming up rather quickly. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to plan for this one and since the bride lives out of town, it makes planning really difficult. This weekend is one of the few weekends she will be in town before the big day, so there's lots to do and discuss.

Other than that....sushi and wine on the menu for tonight. It should be a relaxing evening to get me ready for the busy weekend ahead!

Andddddddddddd.....I'm back!

awoke to an annoying alarm at 7am...
uploaded 1/3 of vacay pics on FB
rifled through 457 emails at work
updated 3 people on vacation fun...many more to go!!

vacation highlights....
*watching a tear stream down my cousin's cheek as his bride walked down the aisle to him!
*spending QT with Matt's side of the family
*crossing the border to Canada by car
*hanging out with Jana and Mike for an evening
*meeting Matt's really sweet friends
*seeing the breathtaking Niagara Falls
*road trip back to the U.S...filled with some laughing/arguing/sleeping/site seeing/eating/driving

Happy Birthday!

It's rare in life that you meet someone who genuinely cares about you....someone who helps you out with out you requesting it....someone who is pissed when you're pissed and excited when you're excited....someone who is joyful when you reach your goals and supportive until you do. Sixteen years ago, I met someone like this. And although we grew up and parted ways...God allowed our paths to cross again (literally). Happy Birthday, Furball...I'm so thankful for you!

Food for Thought...

The world is a cruel place...I've become increasingly aware of this fact the past few days/weeks. I've just seen people be cruel and be fueled with selfish motive. In a perfect place good would prevail over evil. People who help others would be blessed and those who hurt others because...well they can....would be punished. But that's just not how this world works. There is all sorts of sickness and ugliness and perversity going on...There were times this week that I wanted to just throw my hands up. I wanted to so badly to see an act of kindness to just restore my faith in mankind. But then I realized...I was definitely putting my faith in the wrong thing. Mankind has forever been and forever will be..."jacked"...for lack of a better word. If I want to see an act of kindness...I shouldn't wait around for it. I should be it.

Tessa!

I swiped these pictures of Tessa from her momma, NC. I couldn't resist posting them...I thought the rest of the blogosphere should enjoy her cuteness...

Here's my lil cabbage patch playin' volleyball like her mom and dad.being a little Indian diva like her mommy
being sweet and precious...

and being adorable! (it comes naturally!)

I asked my nephew, Andrew what he wanted to be when he grew up. It was actually the first time I ever asked him that question...and his answer was highly anticipated. "A cop," he replied. "A cop?!" I was astonished. Let me explain why...Andrew is a little guy. No matter how much he eats, it doesn't seem to have any effect on him. So, to hear this little guy say he wants to be a tough cop was surprising to me...."A mall cop," he explained..."the one that rides around on those scooters you stand on." Ha! My nephew wants to be Paul Blart!!

Look who's ONE today....

Happy first birthday, Madison! I still remember the first time I laid eyes on you...time goes by so fast! I'm sure your parents agree.
May God continue to bless you and surround you with lots of love. Enjoy your special day!

Love,

Sueni

Surfing instead of Sleeping...

I should be sleeping, but here I am...past midnight...surfing the web for dessert plates of all things in the world! I never knew these suckers were so hard to find. Luckily I have two sets that I use quite frequently...but I was looking for some for someone else when I stumbled upon....THIS! It appears that someone loves polka-a-dots as much as I do! I want everything on the site....(wouldn't that make for an interesting dinner party!)....But my heart is set on this.......It's the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen! And I can only imagine how amazing my strawberry cake would look in it! Unfortunately, I don't think Matt would be so happy about me forking over $100 bucks for my polkadot obsession. =/

Madi's First Carnival

My favorite munchkin celebrates her very first birthday this month! In honor of the birthday girl...her parents gave her her very own fabulous carnival! All the kiddies had a great time...and Madison did too...as soon as she spotted her cake! (Takes after Momma after all!)

the scariest clown EVER!

It's official...

Well, Saturday was the big wedding...Merly and Shines are officially Mr. and Mrs. Mathew. I've been helping them plan their wedding for the past six months...and now that it's over I really have no idea what to do with my free time!! Below are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure....Hopefully there will be more to come soon!

their vows...