#STTS

Over the past couple of days the mister and I have realized that we often have a song stuck in our heads, on repeat and we have been singing it to each other.

It's not a catchy top 40 hit...

Not an oldie, but a goodie...

Not a guilty pleasure that you're ashamed to admit you like...

Nope - it's this gem that is currently playing around the clock on the TV's in the NJ area...

Don't worry ... here is another version!

And more...

Okay ... Last one! 

I'm sure we will be going #DTS at some point later this summer!

The Differences

"Mama don't you worry, 

they won't change me.
A hundred thousand miles mean nothing to me."
-Eli Young Band

New Jersey is very different from Oklahoma...I know...shocking, right? Most of the differences are small.

If you're invited to a Barbecue in New Jersey you are not guaranteed Barbecue Sauce. Hopefully, a nice rub on some brisket or pork, but usually you're just going to get a burger and some hot dogs.

When I go running I lace up my Tennis Shoes, but my husband insists that they are Sneakers.

For holidays a big events you can bet that you'll see some type of Italian cuisine here in Jersey. Baked Ziti or Chicken Francaise, will make an appearance. In Oklahoma, it's probably going to be something fried, a cobbler, or a casserole.

Okies say Mozzarella, each syllable is given it's time in the limelight, in Jersey it's just Mozz. With a moo sound in there...it's really hard to type, call me if you're confused. Either way it's maybe 25% of the actual word.

Yield signs are closer to stop signs in Oklahoma, in Jersey it means jam your way into traffic at all costs. The commute is brutal.

Asking 'Hey, how ya doin?' will get you an actual answer out West, but asking the same question here in the East gets the question back as the answer.

I won't comment on the soda, pop, coke debate. I call it Soda, you're not changing that either.

There are many differences in culture and I'm learning about them every day. I may comment more on them later, I think I better start a notebook to make sure I don't miss any! 

Bye Y'all! or Yous Guys.

Paper Lyrics

So, just over 6 months ago we celebrated our 1st Anniversary ... 

Since I'm really on top of things I thought I would share our Paper Themed Gifts!

My parents made this! The frame is really beautiful and inside is a paper tree, with our initials hanging from the branch. They used petals from my bouquet to make the letters and they are held on by string that my parents have had their entire married life. The lyrics on the tree itself are our from our first dance...Miranda Lambert's 'Makin' Plans' and the song that my brother wrote and played at our reception ... 

Wedding Song
by Nathan Marrs

Small town girl, on her big day

Big city lights, she's moving your way
She's headed places with stars in her eyes
To the coast where the sun does rise

Big city boy is taking her hand

He vows to always be her big city man

Swept her off her feet and away they go
We'll get to know him as they grow

This is what happens when you fall in Love
When you say I Do we'll become one

This is what happens when you fall in Love
When you say I Do we'll become one

Small town girl, dressing up today
Altar lights will guide your way

She hugs her Daddy with candle lit eyes

In their tummies they feel butterflies

This is what happens when you fall in Love
When you say I Do we'll become one

This was my gift to Mr. E ... Paper hearts with our names and wedding date...I swear that our bedroom walls aren't THIS purple...

And I have to say that this was quite a smart gift to give ... a Bible!

With a very sweet note on the inside.

We didn't do a fancy dinner or a night out of the town, we were quite happy just hanging out at home!

Airport Delay and a Challenge

Since the only thing constant about my blogging is the inconsistency of my posts...I am challenging myself to blog EVERYDAY in May. I’m sure some of the posts will be short, hopefully sweet, but short.

For my first post of this challenge I will recap part of my recent pilgrimage to my homeland.

I worked a full day on Friday April 26^th, but my head wasn’t really in the game. I had a packed suitcase at home and a 7:30pm flight. There is one, yes only one, direct flight between Newark and Tulsa each day and vice-versa. It’s a tiny little plane with two seats on one side and only one on the other. Perhaps it’s a bit scary, but I’m used to it and enjoy the single seat to myself. I don’t have to deal with anyone stealing the armrest or drooling on my shoulder.

Newark Airport, EWR, is a large hub that is normally very busy, but my flight was out of smallest Terminal, A. I arrived early in anticipation of the furloughs I had heard so much about. I was able to jam all of my stuff into a carry on, so no time would be wasted checking a bag.

I was prepared to wait in line for my body scan, but as I made my way down the escalator I noticed that there was not one single person in line. Good news right? Well, I had contact with 9 different TSA workers in the ‘going through security’ process. A bit much if you ask me. I thought that this could be a good sign for the evening...maybe I would get to Oklahoma early!

No such luck – the plane was late coming in from Virginia and we were delayed nearly 2 hours. I have a second job working for The Krazy Coupon Lady and Friday’s are normally one of the nights that I work, I’m a party animal. The plane didn’t have Wi-Fi so I typed all of my information into a word document for some simple copy and paste once I had an internet connection. Have you ever tried to look through a store circular on an airplane of sleeping people? I don’t think I was well liked. And those little tray tables are a joke of a desk.

So, by the time it was all said and done... I didn’t even make it to Oklahoma on Friday...we landed after midnight. I had a couple of hours of work left to dodo when we got to the house, I never thought I would be wishing for Wi-Fi on a plane, but it would have made the night a lot shorter!

3:30am – I finally laid down to get some sleep.

Place your bets now ... how long will this daily post thing last?!

Just a Cold Little Prostitute

Reporting from NJ where the current temperature is a lovely 18°F.

I know that I lucked out last year with an extremely mild winter, but that doesn't mean that I have to be happy about freezing my tail off this year. It's cold y'all!

Every night, between 10:00pm and 11:00pm, we walk our precious little Sophie Jean. It's normally not a big task, but last night the temperatures were around 14°F. A doggie must, obviously, go outside at least a few times a day, so we bundled up and headed downstairs. It wasn't until we hit the ground floor, two flights of stairs behind us, I realized that I had managed to put on a hoodie, scarf, coat, and gloves. My lower half didn't fare so well. I was wearing a rather thin pair of pajama pants, yes...I wear my PJ pants outside, judge all you want. On top of this, I wasn't wearing any socks and my slippers didn't really stop the wind from nearly instantly freezing my feet. I may or may not be able to feel my little toe on my right foot right now. #dogwalkfail 

This morning I walked outside to be slapped across the face by 11°F...I think I cried but my tears must have instantly froze, so I can't be sure.

My health woes haven't changed too much. I'm in a waiting game with my body until March 6th, one day before husbands birthday. I pray that his gift will be good news!

Okay, so my post title has a bit of meaning.

No, I'm not an actual prostitute...I just play one in church.

Yes, yours truly will be playing the one and only Mary Magdalene during Lent.

Should I be insulted? Do I look like a hooker? I hope not! I guess I'm one of the few of the appropriate age and willingness to rock out a 5 minute monologue. I wonder what my costume will look like, hmmm...

Stay warm!

Wendy's Trip to the Big Apple

I kinda wish we lived in Chicago, the title of this blog would have been epic.

So, I love last minute airfare price alerts, they bring me family and friends! WHOOP!

Mom and Wendy (a fellow University of Tulsa employee) flew into Newark and after a few minor detours through some not so great neighborhoods, bars and laundromats, we made it to our apartment in Jersey City. 

Here is our trip in pictures...I always look at my pictures and realize how much I missed! darn it!

GE Building at Rockefeller Center

Natalie Morales waved at the crazy lady in the pink coat... aka MOM

Al's sweet suit

Mama, Me, and Wendy - basically famous!

Mama's picture request

Off to Radio City!

So, are all the Rockettes 85?

Central Park

Strawberry Fields

Strawberry Fields #2

The Dakota

The Plaza Hotel

FAO Schwarz

A Pine cone for Wendy

THE TREE

THE TREE

Tree with skaters

Times Square

Can you see us?!

Empire State Building

Macy's and the Empire State Building

9-11 Memorial

Trinity Wall Street

I stood here too...I must be a princess!

Federal Hall

Wendy and George

I really wish I could have moved those barriers...stupid barriers.

Mama, Bull, Wendy

Wendy at St. Patrick's

Husbands favorite at St. Patrick's

St. Patrick's Nativity - can you find Lexington?

And then I apparently lost the ability to take a photo...we went to church, ate wonderful food, and bought super cool items...I swear!

We had our first official guests in our new apartment! We are still working on our hosting abilities, but our rates are cheap and I think we make interesting company. 

Sandy, Athena, and Sophie Jean

I know that everyone is very well aware of the nasty Miss Sandy, we survived.

Winter Storm Athena roared through our neighborhood on Wednesday...

This is the only picture I took, because I only went outside once and I wanted a glove back on my cold little hand, but we survived.

Yesterday I received a frantic call from my other half, our doggie Sophie Jean wasn't feel well. This is not normal for our little girl, she's been extremely healthy and minus the troubles caused by our previous landlords...read about it here.

We take her for regular check ups, she gets her necessary medicines (flea, tick, heart worm), all in all she is a happy and healthy doggie.

So, being that this was out of the ordinary we rushed her to the vet where we were told (after some crazy expensive test!) that she was suffering from pancreatitis. She would need to be admitted to the pet hospital for overnight care, then returned the following day for continued care. 

We took her over to the same hospital that saw her for the above mentioned incident. She was admitted and we went home, helpless. As crazy as might sound, Miss Sophie Jean has filled my life with love for nearly 8 years. My husband has become incredibly attached to her and we just felt horrible. She wasn't there to keep my feet warm or to snuggle with us on the couch, it was a sad sad night.

This is what she looked like when we picked her up this morning at 7am

They had to put the cone on her because she was chewing at the IV in her right front leg, poor thing.

She was dropped off at the Vet at 9am and we will pick her up before 7pm tonight, she is expected to make a full recovery.

So, we will survive!!

Bring it on life, this little family can handle it all!

Sandy: Between the Facebook Posts

October 29, 2012 7:25am

"The wind is picking up a bit and work is officially cancelled."

The wind was really blowin by this time, I was honestly surprised at how loud and constant it was all day. The wind in Oklahoma is steady on a daily basis, but not quite like this. We just sat around all day watching the news and waiting...and waiting...basically the exact opposite of a tornado! 

October 29, 2012 6:38pm

"I think it's almost here...wind is really blowin now. Just praying the trees don't blow over..."

We have a large tree in the backyard and two in the front. I was very scared that one or all of them were going to come directly into our house. We don't have a garage so we were also hoping that both of our cars would stay damage free during the storm. One was parked in the driveway and the other we parked down the street, as far away from the trees as possible.

October 29, 2012 11:06pm

"just lost power :( going to bed and hoping this calms down by tomorrow"

I'm honestly shocked that we didn't lose power earlier, seriously. We packed up our stuff and moved to the bedroom for the night, hoping for the best in the morning.

 

October 30, 2012 10:53am

"We are so blessed! We made it through the storm, so far. The wind and rain is still going, but it's dying down. We don't have power and our phone lines are out, I'll keep everyone posted via Facebook as long as we have cell phone towers.

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!"

 I was so extremely excited that our house wasn't damaged. Our cars made it through with only some minor scratches and crapload of leaves on them. We spend the majority of the day talking to the neighbors and listening to the news. The paper wasn't delivered so we had only seen a few pictures of the damage online...like these...

This is the PATH station in Hoboken. I have walked by that elevator, put my Metrocard in, and rode the train to Manhattan or back to Jersey City.

This is Point Pleasant, NJ ... the beach we took my parents and brother to during their trip in NJ...it kinda looked liked this...

Sunny, warm, and a very clean beach.

October 30, 2012 6:33pm

"We are still here and doing well! the apartment has stayed rather warm and we stocked up on candles before the storm.

I'm so bored that i have started to reorganize my closet by candlelight, but thank god we are safe and we had no damage to our personal belongings.

 Please pray for those that lost their home, cars, and even their lives to this horrible storm."

We had spent part of the day cleaning out our two spare bedrooms, of course this could only be done during the daylight hours. I did do my closet at night with the help of 6 candles and 1 amazing flashlight, it looks mighty awesome. 

We also realized that everything in the fridge was done or almost done. So we cooked up an entire package of turkey bacon. I ate my on a sammich with some mayo, husband added some cheese to his. 

We through everything else away, our greatest loss.

October 30, 2012 10:21pm

"Wanna test your cooking skills? Try unplugging your fridge, microwave, and toaster oven! Fun times.

We are officially out of refrigerated and frozen food, minus a small cooler that we are hoping stays frozen until we get power. Time to bust out the Ramen noodles! yum!"

I found out that you can toast bread in a skillet and it actually tastes better.

October 31, 2012 7:27am 

"Work is closed again today and we still have no electricity. The houses on the next block have power and they predict that we will get it back today.

I guess we are lucky to live near a major post office, NJ Transit Railway, and two busy roads. Right now, I would much rather hear the sounds of the train...the emergency sirens are just overwhelming as I think about where they could be going."

By this point calling to see if work was open was partial hope for a place to go to keep warm and the other part was fear of how horrible I would like if I were to go in. I hadn't been able to use a blow dryer in days and the ponytail look was gettin old. 

The entire neighborhood was hopeful for power soon. Directly to the west about two blocks is a major sorting center for USPS and we can also see the railway. We spend hours discussing this with our newly found neighbor friends.

October 31, 2012 4:15pm

"Keeping myself occupied with this awesome book! seriously, highly reccomend it!"

If your not a major baseball fan, or at least a fan of the Mets, you probably don't know who R.A. Dickey is...hey I didn't until we saw him pitch in 2011 at CitiField! I probably actually saw him pitch while he was in the minor leagues in OKC, but I can't be sure. This book is a great read for anyone that loves baseball and/or needs a little hope that there are people that are still willing to dream and work hard for their dream. 

The Mets just signed R.A. for another year! whoop! 

October 31, 2012 4:36pm

"classy dinner time...still waiting on power"

Horrible dinner, horrible. I have 6 of these in my pantry and they make me sick everytime I look at them. 

October 31, 2012 4:49pm

"Obama says we will get power back today...he best be right, my toes are gettin cold!!"

A few hours earlier we heard Marine 1 and the other helicopters fly over our area...how crazy is that? I never thought I'd be in a natural disaster zone and have the President fly over. He stopped off in Wayne to see the flooding and then down the Jersey Shore. I wonder if the people of Staten Island, Long Island, and Hoboken are pissed. Just a thought. 

October 31, 2012 8:36pm

"turning the electricity on in 15 second intervals is just plain mean. come back sweet power!!!"

While reading the book pictured above the pretty lights in our apartment came on! We could hear our downstairs neighbors celebrating, even some whoops from across the street...and then blackness. 

About 5 minutes later we rinsed and repeated the same story above. 

And the power stayed off.

October 31, 2012 11:03pm 

"Still no power...Obama promised power to JC by the end of the day. You have ONE hour mister!!" 

Husband went to bed and I held out hope that the promise President Obama felt he needed to make during his press conference earlier that day would actually come true...all of Jersey City would have power by the end of the day! 

**Spoiler Alert**

It didn't come back on...and still isn't on for some people in Jersey City.

November 1, 2012 10:27am

"3rd day without power. Work is open, but the roads to get there are blocked. It's starting to get chilly in here...we might have to put a sweater on Miss Sophie Jean!"

I woke up Thursday morning to learn that work was open, but the roads to get there were blocked or were at a standstill. I also learned that I had a migraine. I think that it was from the tension of sleeping in house that was around 50°F.

My father-in-law had to work at the airport that morning so he offered to come by and pick me up...they have a generator so their house was at least 68°F or warmer!

We had to detour a number of times and I saw a few parts of Newark that I hadn't seen before, but we made it out there. I was able to work a little bit and finally saw some pictures of the damage.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I heard that Hoboken was flooded, but I could see the restaurants, bars, and the PATH station that I have been to with water still high. I learned from facebook that Point Pleasant was bad, but to see the reporter walking down the same beach I had sat on just 4 months ago was crazy.

Not too long ago I took a flight to California from JFK and I could see the streets and homes in the area that were damaged...

November 1, 2012 5:02pm

"finally made it out to the in-laws house where they have a generator! yippee!! still no power at our house (17 hours after we were promised!)

Continued prayers for those in Hoboken, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the entire Jersey Shore...damage is beyond belief and imagination.

We just were informed that gasoline will only be given to Police, Fire, Utility Companies, etc...NJ and surrounding areas will suffer a great shortage in the coming days." 

Mr. E came to join me and Sophie at my in-laws house for a nice warm dinner! 

A lot of the places you see on TV I have been to and a lot of them I haven't been to, but to see the people that literally lost everything is heart breaking. 

I spent the first part of the evening working and after dinner I just sat and stared at the TV as Mayor Bloomberg said that the Marathon was still going to take place, but that lower Manhattan shouldn't expect power before the end of the weekend. All of this was signed by the worlds most enthusiastic English/ASL translator I have ever seen...and then translated by the Mayor himself in amazingly horrible Spanish.

The Governor of New Jersey gave constant updates about the status of New Jersey, the state that took the brunt of the blow of Sandy. Chris Christie is a bad word in my husband's family, since he attacked the Firefighters, but overall I have to say that his attitude and blunt nature is appreciated by this gal, in this situation at least. He was upfront and didn't hold much back...especially to the Mayor of Atlantic City.

November 1, 2012 6:44pm

"I cannot believe they are going to have this event (NYC Marathon). As an aspiring runner that would one day love to run this exact race it's obviously not because I dislike the road closures or the sound of a starting gun. Way to go Bloomberg"

For reals, dumb move. I'm glad they opted to cancel. Many of the runners are helping to clean up after the storm. KUDOS!

November 2, 2012 11:15am 

"On our way back to the apartment, we hear we have power now! whoop! 

Drove behind these wonderful people! thanks for the extra ambulances Philly!"

I can't get the photo off of facebook from some reason, oh well. Our neighbor texted early in the AM to let us know that the power had been turned back on! WHOOP! 

We ate some breakfast at then started the trip back to Jersey City, many detours and alternate routes later we pulled up to see that we did in fact have power! Oh, sweet power! 

November 2, 2012 2:16pm

"I have to say that my favorite things about this situation are the nice neighbors that we have met and Mayor Bloomberg's horrible Spanish, it's hilarious!"

If you happened to catch SNL I hope you saw the impression of Mayor Bloomberg, while I found it to be just a bit racist and I know they wouldn't have ever done the same skit in the wake of Katrina, the Spanish part was quite funny.

All in all, I hope that my first hurricane is my last. It wasn't Golden and it wasn't great. I will selfishly choose power and a dry home any day.

My in-laws finally got power back on November 4th and many others still do not have power. I am sure that NJ and NY will be recovering from this storm for a long time to come. I pray for those that lost everything, for those that still don't have power as the weather gets colder.   

The Calm Before Sandy

Before we get punched in the face by Sandy I thought I would share some pictures and fun times from last weekend. 

Here in the Northeast people are majorly obsessed with dying tree leaves, aka 'Fall Foliage'. So, we locked poor Miss Sophie Jean in her crate and jumped in Raymond the RAV to see these leaves in all their glory.

The first colors of orange were less than impressive.

 Oh wait, those are construction signs.

 We looped by Giants Stadium (MetLife) 

 

Then headed toward the G.W. Bridge area...

A little further North and we stopped at an awesome lookout point with pretty trees!

 And great views of NYC!

 GWB with Manhattan in the distance

 Mr. E checking out the views

 North of Manahttan

 A little closer view of Manhattan

 Only 25 cents!

I think that these things are cool, not sure why.

 Checkin out the view myself. Photo taken by Mr. E

One last look before heading on our way

 Driving on Palisades Interstate Parkway

 Stopping at our 2nd lookout park

 Red/Orange trees

 I have an affinity for old slightly rusty signs

 The rocky cliffs on the Palisades!

 Continuing on a little further North

 We made it all the way to New York State!

And then it was too dark to take any more pictures.

Overall, the leaves are nice to look at and I will probably go again, but I hear that since the Summer was really warm the leaves were not up to their normal amount of amazing. 

We are prepared for Sandy. Candles, flashlights, battery operated radio, and massive amounts of Ramen noodles have been purchased. Thanks for all the emails, facebook posts, text messages and prayers for our safety. 

We have a land line that will be used to keep our family informed, if you need the number let me know. I think that we are in an area that will weather the storm well...just hope we keep all of our windows and our cars aren't damaged!