Come See The Animals At Arbuckle Wilderness

On Sunday, I woke up extra early to pick Pauline up from her apartment. We were headed to...Arbuckle Wilderness! I told her about it when she first came to Oklahoma and she really wanted to go. This was one of the last weekends I have free before she leaves on October 1st, so we grabbed some breakfast and hit the road.

I had forgotten how much fun this place is.

There were camels,llamas and an alpaca that spit on us in the car.





There were antelope looking things.



Our favorites by far were the crazy zebras, who came right inside the car to eat the feed from our hands. It was a bit freaky when the food was gone and they were still looking for it...you can't just roll up the window to make them get out!






This picture cracks me up because Pauline didn't know the ostrich was behind her. She is terrified of them!!! There were tons of them roaming around, and every time she saw one coming up to the car she would freak out, shriek and try to roll the windows up really fast. I have a video of this happening several times. It's hilarious!!



The rest of the assortment of animals...





These giraffes stretched their long necks from the fence and were eating from her hands and licking the windows! It was so cute/gross!



I just love that place.

Baby Bojangle Rose

Abby Rose is one of the few on my favorite people list in OKC. I'm friends with her through Jana, and we hang out often with their other high school friend Savanah who lives in Dallas and a girl named Beth. Here we are all together:



Abby and Dayton tried to have a baby for over a year and it was heartbreaking to watch and hear her talk about it. We didn't ever think they would get pregnant. And then one day, voila! Just when they had been talking about trying to use science to conceive. Very cool.



Abby is having a boy named Jordan, and he is due on Ryan's birthday- September
14th. She is the cutest pregnant lady ever. She has always been very small and fit, and she told us she has been working out, even until now. She does elliptical and low impact aerobics every day. She has hardly gained any extra weight, besides the baby bump. It's amazing!

We played a lot of games at her baby shower, which was on Saturday afternoon. Jana and Savanah were the hostesses, and we played "Guess the Circumference" of the baby bump using a string of yarn and then measure it against the real bump to see how close we were...



"Guess that Goo" where we had to smell/taste labeless jars and figure out what food it was (GROSS!!!)



We guessed the number of safety pins inside a glass jar. And of course, there was baby gift Bingo. Then after she unwrapped her gifts, we played another game where we had to make up a baby name using the letters in Dayton and Abby's full names. You could only use those letters and Abby got to pick her favorite. I thought of a funny one, and we were cracking up at the ones everyone else came up with. "Agile Bot," "Jail Bait," and mine..."Bojangle." I was laughing so hard I was crying. Abby picked mine! I won a cool reed diffuser.

I got her this teddy bear and an infant "Sleep Sack." You put the baby inside it when it sleeps and it looks like a baby burrito!



Look at all the great food we got to chow down on too! I didn't know there would be food, and I was starving before I arrived...so I had just eaten lunch at The Spicy Pickle and then I had to eat again. Haha! Mmmm.





Here's the group:



Congrats Abby and Dayton!!!

Weekend Review

Once again the weekend has passed way too fast.

Friday night, Ryan and I rented Hot Tub Time Machine and watched it while we ate dinner. It wasn't very good, but it was about what I was expecting.

Saturday, Ryan was on call. I had a secret shop to do at lunch, and I met Liz at Mama Rojas after I was done running a few errands and getting my name changed at the bank. The food was soooo good! I think it was my last secret shop for a long time though. I don't have time for them anymore, because the reports take so long to do. Liz was very entertaining, as always....we caught up and talked about me watching her pomeranian, Wolfie, while she's gone on vacation to Florida.

After lunch, I went out and did a bunch of errands. I went by Dillards to get my work jeans, and I went by two different places in search of Ryan's birthday present. One of our friend's has a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes, and Ryan thought they were really cool. I had no idea what to get him, so I think these will work. Apparently, they're in high demand because there were only a few pairs at each place. I'm happy with the pair that I found though, I hope he likes them!



I went home to get ready for Diana's wedding. Rebecca was my date, but she hit construction coming from Tulsa and so she was running way behind. We sped to El Reno and got there at 7 on the dot. Good thing the wedding didn't start on time! It was an outside ceremony, and it was sweltering. Diana and Kevin were so cute, and she looked beautiful. Her colors were pink and green, it reminded me of Jenny's wedding a little. The reception was fun, we spent some time hanging out with our PR friends and eating chicken fingers and mashed potatoes :) Rebecca wanted to drive home to Tulsa the same night, so we left right after the first few dances.

Here are a few pictures from the night.

Goal!!

Our second indoor soccer game was last night. It was later, which was nice because it wasn't as hot inside the building. We had all of our girls there, so everyone had a sub.

Halfway into the first half, Blake crossed the ball to me pretty hard and I made contact...and scored!! It's so thrilling. Why wasn't I playing midfield or forward in high school? Oh, that's right. I still can't dribble worth crap. But it doesn't matter as much in indoor, because you can use the walls and the field is so short. I love it! I was high on that goal all night, and we didn't score again until later in the second half so I was secretly hoping that my points would win us the game until that happened. Ha.

Wedding Packrat

I have so much stuff cluttering up our guest room from the wedding...but I don't have the heart to put any of it in storage!

I actually took pictures of some items Monday night and made a "For Sale" link on my Knot bio....a girl already wants to buy my starfish and sexy little bride tank top. It's sad, but I know I have no use for them now. The other stuff....my garter, cake toppers, bouquet charm....what do I do with this stuff? I want to look at these beloved things all the time, but they don't have a place anywhere.

My dress is still hanging in the garment bag. I suppose I'll have to save up some cash and get it preserved (or maybe I'll wear it to do the dishes in sometimes).

A Great Surprise

Our firm recently signed with a media clipping service called Factiva. They're part of Dow Jones, and they track where our clients are showing up in the news and then I can create reports from the results. I did a lot of research into the company, and worked closely with an account manager named Jennifer.

We signed because I convinced the bosses it was absolutely superior to our current clipping service, so we switched last month. Last week, Jennifer told me she was applying within her company for a higher position that would allow her to service our account through the entire year, and asked me for a recommendation.

I wrote her up one on our company letterhead...it only took a few minutes. She's been so helpful and patient with me while I learn the system, it was the least I could do.

Today, these were delivered to my office:



With a note that read: Andrea, thank you again for doing me a giant favor! ~Jen.

So nice!!!!!

Fighting Chickens

I signed up again for indoor soccer with the same team I played with in the Spring- the Fighting Chickens! Our first game was last night. I was half anticipating it, half dreading it because I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything physical since before the wedding.

There are 6 girls and 7 guys. Three girls have to be on the field at all times, so it's important to get all of them there to each game. We had a girl end up not being able to play at the last minute, so I asked my new friend Kristen to play with us for the season. She's from Kansas City, and she's looking for a PR job. We met back in April at the PRSA convention here.

The game went about how I expected. We lost....5-1. It was pretty rough, and I needed to sub out a lot. But it was still fun, and I was happy to get a hard workout in. I'm pretty sore today and I hurt my foot a bit taking shots. Our next game is Monday, so I need to rest up and start running on off days.

Weekend Update

I'm at work....and don't want to work....so I think it's time for a weekend update!

Friday night Ryan and I went on a secret shop to Riverwind Casino. It was the first time we had done one there, so I had to go over my shop report quite a few times that day to make sure I was prepared. We had dinner at Autographs, and then hit the Energy Bar for drinks, then the gaming area for Super Jackpot Party (yes, they reimbursed me $20 for playing slots!!) and more drinks! It was a pretty fun time...although it was hard to just enjoy myself because I was trying to take in every little detail and spent a good amount of time taking notes on my iPhone.

Saturday was spent cleaning the house, catching up on DVR shows and cooking! I invited Josh and Jana over that night for dinner. I love having people over, and I was excited to try out my new recipe for chicken enchiladas! I was still cooking when they came over because I started too late. I also realized I didn't even have a baking dish for the enchiladas, so they brought theirs over. I was starting to throw everything in the saute pan and ran out of room. I had made a TON of food! I double checked the recipe, and saw that it was basically enough for 8 people. All of the ingredients wouldn't even fit in the pan! I mean, there were cans and cans of green chiles, chicken, onion, garlic....Jana helped me throw most of it into the corn tortillas and I stored the rest in the fridge for later. They were so delicious!! A great recipe to impress, when you have a lot of people coming over for dinner. Next time I will half the recipe!! I set the table with the orchids from our reception, the linen runner that was neglected for the Hawaii wedding, and a white table cloth that I accidentally took home from Remington Park last weekend.


What is better than great friends and great food?


Halfway through our meal, I snapped a shot of the glorious outcome!


This is my pig-out plate...enchiladas with that sour cream?

Yum.

Yesterday I braved the heat and the Tax-Free Weekend crowds to hit some stores and do a little damage. I bought my server outfit for Upper Crust (white Pumas and black Levis. Sexy.) I bought Ryan some shoes that I will save for his birthday next month. I took all of our wedding giftcards and went to Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond to buy more stuff from the registry.

I picked mostly kitchen items.






I also got a cute red baking dish at Target so I could make more chicken enchiladas!!!! :)

This week is going to be super lame and super long so I'm trying to make fun plans. I only have a few weeks left until my server jobs starts, so I have to be as social as possible. Tonight, Mal and I are going to see Toy Story 3 since Ryan is on call all night.

I'm Part of the Upper Crust

I learned of a new Hal Smith restaurant opening in the Classen Curve this month, so I took my resume by during lunch with Rob today. They hired me on the spot! It's an upscale pizzeria and wine bar called "Upper Crust." Cute.

Orientation starts next Saturday. Ha! Here we go.....it opens on Ryan's birthday, September 14th. My plan is to work until about Christmas and pay off our debts, then quit! Wish me luck.

Goodbye, Kurys Lineage

It's official- I went to the Social Security office today to change my name.

I hate that my dad has nobody now to pass down the Kurys name. I seriously considered keeping my maiden name or hyphenating, but in the end I didn't want to deal with the mis-spellings and confusion.

It's like the end of the line. My grandma's parents died in the war, she was raised in an orphanage with no siblings and she moved to Canada to marry. After my dad turned 8, his dad died of a heart attack. I don't know anything about him, our family history is a mystery! So it's been just my dad and my grandma....and when my sister got married, I was the last. Until now.

I think the Kurys name probably lives on over in Poland through distant relatives....I'll probably never know!

Chef Hurst

I have been collecting recipes all week, and I can't wait for some downtime on the weekend to start cooking up a storm in the kitchen! One of my goals in life is to become a fabulous cook, and I guess now would be a good time to start learning.

I just came across a cooking class at Jamie's Culinary in OKC. I would loooove to drag Ryan to one of these. Maybe I should hint around at Christmas for a gift certificate, 'cause it's 'spensive!

http://www.jamiesculinary.com/Classes_parties.html

This will be dinner for Saturday:



Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses

Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Puppy!!!

Last night I brought up the subject of getting a puppy again. Ryan finally said he would "consider it!" Which is a lot better than no, which is what his answer has been for the past five years. So cross your fingers and toes.....I could be getting the missing piece to our family soon. I have my heart set on a long-haired daschund from a Daschund Farm in Blanchard.



Ryan says he doesn't like the long-haired doxies because they look too much like Cocker Spaniels. AGH!!! How can you not love that face?? I guess that will be our next battle...

Baby Names

I'm NOT pregnant...but I've had babies on my mind all week for some reason. I blame the craft/home decorating blogs and all the cute things I came across trolling Etsy.

I can never recall my favorite baby names on the spot. I came across one just now and wanted to write some of them down. Who knows when I'll be needing my list ;)

Charlotte
Elyse
Elaine
Ella
Elle
Madeleine
Audrey
London
Zoe
Isabella
Benjamin
Landon

At Home Reception

What a weekend! I blinked and it was gone. We had our At Home Reception last night and it was pretty great.

On Friday, Pauline and I left work early to go pack up the wedding decorations at my house. We met Mallory up at Remington Park and spent about 3 hours putting on chair covers, tying bows and setting up the candy buffet table.

On Saturday, Ryan came home from working a 30 hour shift and went to bed to sleep all day. I spent the morning running errands...I got my nails painted, picked up prescriptions and ran by the bank. Then I went to my hair appointment and to Crest to pick up pineapples for the centerpieces, and came home. Jenny was there and she got ready to come up to Remington early with me to finish decorating. Ryan was awake and said he would meet us out there.

We got there about 4:45 and Mallory met us up at the room. We finished setting up and some of the guests started arriving while I was still in my tank top and shorts, so we left to go to the bathroom to get ready and change. When I came back, the room was full of people and the party was on!

I tried so hard to talk to everyone right away. There were so many different groups, and I felt torn and anxious because I couldn't spend a good amount of time with everyone. I basically didn't spend any time at first with the friends I see on a regular basis (I did later when we started dancing). I barely saw Ryan too, haha!

The food was really good, it was a build your own fajita and nacho buffet with lots of fruits, cheeses, grilled and chilled veggies and cookies and brownies and lemon bars. The bar was open for beer, wine and the suites manager said he would buy me and Ryan drinks all night on him. We had a lot of Mai Tais! I think he felt guilty because the A/C wasn't turned on and they couldn't get it working so the room was HOT!

The candy buffet was a hit. We didn't have much left over, and people were talking about it all night. A line formed and I got some good pictures of the kids with their giant pixie sticks! I'm sure the parents hated us that night when they were all on sugar highs!

It seemed like just 10 minutes later that people started telling me they had to leave. I ran over to the DJ and told him to announce that we were cutting the cake because I didn't want to get stuck with tons to take home (it happened anyway!). Then I really wanted people to start dancing, so he dimmed the lights and started playing the dancing music. A lot of people got out there and yelled at me to join them. This is the part I regret the most, because when I was done dancing I looked around and two of the families that had come the farthest to see us had gone. And I barely saw or spoke to them (Stef and Tracie). :(

The rest of the night we spent dancing and drinking and saying goodbye to people as they trickled out. Daton, Ryan and Josh were being hilarious dancers and dancing crazy to every song. They were soaked in sweat, and Josh split his pants sliding on the floor at one point. Everyone was laughing at them.

It was a lot of fun, but it had to end.....when it was over, we had to throw everything in another room so they could lock it up for the night. Everyone pitched in and it didn't take long. Coming back, Jenny wanted to stop at Sonic for Cheddar Bites and then we were OUT.

I set the alarm for pretty early so we could get back to Remington Park and get everything home. When we got there, the security guard couldn't open the door to the room. We sat there forever, at least an hour before they finally let us in. Ryan and Jenny's parents met us up there, and Ryan took the chair covers and sashes back to the rental place while we all went to lunch.

I had fun, but I'm so glad it's over!!! Now we can box everything up and prepare to move. We have some great memories though, of our "wedding summer."