Mid-life update.

I kind of went on a blog hiatus for a month and a half.  Whoops.  I love the writing that comes with blogging, which is probably why my blog has lots of wordy posts.  And since I'm kind of playing catch-up right now, I think today's post needs to have bullets...too much going on in my head right now to write about each thing, so we'll go for an overview!

• At the end of August, my brother flew to Oklahoma.  He still had a lot of his childhood things at my parent's casa and since he has his own house in New Hampshire, it was time that his immense video game collection and Star Wars items find their way to that house :)  So, he and I rented a minivan {packed to the brim} and made the 1800 mile trek to New Hampshire.  

• While in New Hampshire, I got to see Jill before she moved from Boston to Austin.  We spent a day on the lake kayaking using my bro and SIL's kayaks!  Thanks J & T :)

• Also in New Hampshire, Tina and I got to play with decorating their house :)  I think of it as playing...Tina probably thinks of it as work.  The pic on the left {below} is the winter-y look. The pic on the right {below} is for spring!  Much more light and airy.  

• The new house is coming along...slowly but surely!  When I got back from New Hampshire, I found a GIANT surprise: Mom removed all of the popcorn ceilings throughout the entire house. I was completely and utterly shocked/ecstatic.  What this has ended up meaning is, other projects got added to the to-do list because of the popcorn being gone.  In layman's terms, we're pretty much gutting the whole house.  One of the bigger projects includes raising the floor in the sunken living room {which was one of the things dating the house the most}.  

before

during {bye bye columns}

after!

• Don't worry, there's still more work to show you, but that's just to give a few teaser pics of the house :)  more Doma Diaries posts to come in the near future!  
• My old iphone 3gs was on it's last leg a few weeks ago.  It served me well for 3+ years, but when the new iphone came out, I preordered mine immediately.  I never thought that I'd be able to keep an iphone working, but they make them pretty dang tough--I dropped mine in the OCEAN and it barely blinked an eye.  

one last picture from my old iphone :)

• After I got home from New Hampshire, my brother asked me if I wanted to start an app called Couch to 5k.  I had been meaning to start working out again, but never found the motivation. So, 6 weeks ago, we started the program together.  And today, I ran for 20 minutes {although the last 5 minutes of the run was barely a jog} for the first time since January and before getting sick in Ukraine. It wasn't pretty, but I did it!  A few weekends ago, it got realllllly chilly in Norman {in the 40's} but I still had to do my run.  So, I broke out the only leggings I had around. 

• This past weekend was one of the best weekends of the year: OU/Saxet.  Pretty sure that it was my favorite OU/Texas game to date.  Words can't explain how excited the crowd was after every touchdown we scored on them.  

Pops, Mom, and Lydia at the game. 

• I recently chopped off my bangs.  Again.  It usually happens at a very random time {this time it was 11:30 pm last Wednesday night}--like this time, when I had been painting all day.  

That's all for now.  I'll leave you with two different Oklahoma sunsets that made my heart happy.  

Boomer. Sooner.

the doma diaries: pops's study!

Happy Friday!!  A week from today, I will be in Chicago with the high school kiddos on our way to Toronto for the summer mission trip.  In preparation for the trip, I needed to get certified to drive one of the church mini-buses.  I've waited 10 years to be able to drive one of those babies (you have to be 25 years old) and the day finally came!  Scott took me out for a test drive...and it honestly wasn't that bad! 

stolen instagram photo

Let's get down to business though.  Next stop on the tour of the new house is my dad's study.  My dad has dreamed of having built-in bookshelves in his study for a long, long time.  That day is finally coming {soon} and we're all quite excited to see how they'll turn out.  

one of the front bedrooms--soon to be a Boomer Sooner Study!

other direction

the closet {which will also get special built-ins! more about that later...}

first order of business: take out the old carpet {the built-ins will be built directly on the floor and new carpet will go in around the built-ins}

sayonara! 

bez carpet {a little Russian for you today. I think you can figure out what it means...}

without carpet!

all sorts of secret messages were left for us...more about that later too :)

no more hanging rods!

That's all the sneak peak you're going to get today.  I also need to say hi to all of my friends at Camp HEAL {an HIV/AIDS educational youth summer camp in Ukraine}.  Hope y'all are soaking up the rays on the beach and teaching the kids lots of stuff.  Wish I were there with y'all :)

Way-Back-Wednesday #25: Happy Wedding Week, Kyle & Bayley!

It's my favorite post of the week day--Wednesday!  I wish every blog post were about old and awkward pictures.  Today's is no exception :) Get ready for some really old and super embarrassing pictures.  But first, you've gotta have a little background.

Meet Kyle and Bayley

*picture stolen from Facebook*

I met Kyle {the groom} when I moved to Norman 11 years ago.  He's a year older than me, and although we went to different high schools, we became good friends at church.  Summer of 2002, we traveled to Los Angeles on a mission trip.  Kyle and one of his best friends, Brandon, sat by me while I used a CALLING CARD {way before the days of cell phones} to talk to my parents during the trip.  Pretty sure our friendship was solidified after that.  

During my sophomore year of high school, I took Kyle to our winter semi-formal at Norman North.  This is where the super embarrassing pictures come into play.  And it involves a funny side story with my PC friends in Ukraine.

Side story: At some point over the last few months, my friends and I {in Ukraine} were discussing the evolution of clothes.  Kym and I got to talking about our old prom dresses...and eventually I described the dress {if you can call it that?} that you'll see below.  This was during the time that showing your belly was uber popular.  So, for the record, I thought this outfit was incredibly cool at the time.  But, now, I realize how really embarrassing it is.  

the top of the outfit...not too bad!

There it is, in all of its glory!  Sheer overlay, pants, and black lace.  I can't imagine what Kyle's parents thought of my outfit.  

best of buds--Brandon and Kyle

obligatory picture with the parents

Wally (who happens to be my dentist!), Lydia, Kyle, and Cathy (who happened to be my boss for 6 years!)

So now that those pics are out of the way, we'll start with some other goodies of Kyle.  Don't worry Bayley, yours are coming too :)

Kyle and Darren--ballers.

some youth event...Kyle is in the back left doing one of his infamous dance moves.  

Kyle's mad dance skills.  Hope I get to see this in person again at the wedding...

totally in his element!

going to see Tim McGraw

Darren, Amy, Nora, Kyle, Jacey, Lydia

Wonderful memories after Timmy...a flat tire in the parking garage!

Harry Potter?  Or Steve Urkel?  

Kyle, Darren, David, Bennett

hanging out in Seattle--2005

After high school, Kyle and I both headed to OU.  We would see each other occasionally, sometimes through studio classes in the College of Architecture.  After a few years though...he began to come around more.  That is, once he met Bayley :)

Bayley, now an architecture grad from OU, and I met during the good ol' days of studio.  We happened to be in a class together that involved combining my interior design class with her architecture class.  After that, our paths crossed every day.

Lydia and Bayley {with Robert in the background, who actually introduced Kyle and Bayley}

Winter White Out--Bayley, Lydia, Drew

Lydia, Bayley, Drew, Beth

Bayley and one of her best friends, Drew

I know I'm being long-winded, but their engagement story is one of the sweetest things ever.  Bear with me. 

I can't remember all the details, but the pictures speak wonders. According to a Japanese legend, whoever folds 1000 paper cranes is granted a wish.  So, Kyle got to folding...

and folding...

and folding...

His wish?  For Bayley to marry him. 

Pretty magical, isn't it? 

So happy for the both of y'all :)  Happy Wedding Week!  And just because this is one of the best engagement shots ever...

Kyle & Bayley--May 19, 2012

happy happy mother's day :)

Mother's Day 2012: probably one of the biggest Hallmark days of the year. But, I didn't get to support their enterprise this year.  Instead, I'll do a blog post :) It's cheaper and more economically friendly (although my brother did send my mom an e-card yesterday...guess I could have gone that route.).  

My mom, Lena, can do just about anything.  And if she doesn't know how, she's usually willing to try.  She carted me from every dance, piano, baton, gymnastics, acting, singing and cheerleading lesson when I was little {just for the record, the piano lessons were the only one that she chose.  Another day, another blog post...}.  Pops helped some too...but when it came to gluing rhinestones on a yet another dance costume, that job usually went to good ol' Mom.  

"Mom, I need a costume for _______ {the Nutcracker, the King and I, etc.).  Can you make it?"

"Mom, I forgot that I need to have a Spanish inspired dish for language day at school..."

"I reallyyyyy want a toy poodle.  I promise I'll take care of it..."

"Mom, this dress is 8 sizes too big {for my brother's wedding}.  You can fix that, right?" (pictures to boot, scroll down...)

My mom and I are the same person.  To. A. Tee.  If you wonder where my OCD, germaphobia {made up that word}, stubbornness, or sense of creativity comes from, look no further.  We love each other to the core, but we also like to argue with each other.  Sometimes just for fun.  Let me tell you something though, when you're 5500 miles away from home and you've got a temperature of 103.5 {as I did on March 8}, you just want your mommy.  No matter how old you are.

And since no post is complete without a few pics {or a lot, as is usually my case}, let the good times roll...

baby Jeremy and Mom 

Lincoln Logs! A Frost Family favorite.

cool acid-wash jeans

more acid-wash jeans.

the days of Pops' beard and Mom's perm.  

**pretty sure AOL instant messenger is on the screen in the computer in this shot**

At the tree my brother's elementary school class planted on the playground.  Mom is motioning to how tall the tree was when they planted it...{cough cough, some 25+ years ago}.  And now it's a massive pine, still standing after the Tuscaloosa tornado last year.  

costume time...

"Mom, we're going to sell fireworks this summer to help raise money for our Chicago mission trip...but there have to be parents supervising the whole time."

Halloween party--mom in her traditional Ukrainian shirt wayyyyyy before I ever went to Ukraine!

senior prom

OU/Saxet...

What other mom can turn a bridesmaid dress that's 8 sizes too big...

into one that actually fits?

Ukrainian bazaar time.

happy mother's day mom :)  hope it's a wonderfully wonderful day!

A few other shout-outs today too:

Today is confirmation Sunday at McFarlin.  Happy day, 8th graders :) proud of Tino and all of the adults who have contributed to such a wonderful day.  

It's bell concert day at St. Stephen's church (mom's church).  Good luck, bell choirs!  And a special surprise will be there too!

Camp HEAL (HIV/AIDS summer camp in Sergiivka, Ukraine) is FULLY FUNDED!!!! Woot woot!  Thanks for y'alls help.

Interesting blog post for tomorrow...stay tuned.  You won't want to miss it, promise!