Goodbye Summer, Hello Football!

Sadly enough, summer has come to an end. I don't know about the rest of you, but summer absolutely FLEW by around our house! The only good part about summer ending, it that football season officially kicks off. As most of you know, football never sleeps at our house-- so it's nice to see the rest of the world joining in on the action for at least a few months. =)

I always know it's football season when the smell of sweaty, dirty jerseys reappear in my laundry room.  

In case you were wondering, there is absolutely no other scent that even comes close to masking those lovely jerseys by the way. Therefore, almost every outlet in my entire house is currently occupying a B&B wallscent to help keep our house smelling a little more like "home."

In light of the upcoming season, I have also decided to start a Gore Pirate Football Blog. I am always the crazy lady taking pictures at all the events and then sitting down and emailing them to a half-a-dozen people. So, after hosting the Day of Champions Camp here in Gore this summer, I decided that I would just start uploading all the pictures that I take to the blog so that every player now has access to them and can download whichever pictures they choose for themselves. 

Surprisingly enough, it has been a hit! I have parents emailing in their own pictures to be uploaded, coaches putting announcements to parents and players, etc. It has literally become any and everything you would ever need to know in regards to Gore Football. So, if you get a chance swing by and take a look at our boys as they prepare to Defend Our Town again this fall. 

My husband and I also decided to host an annual Coaches dinner before the season begins with all the football coaches and their wives. So with many hamburgers and cupcakes in hand we had our first coaches dinner this past weekend. 

And I am proud to say I did actually make these cupcakes all by myself; however, they could very likely send you into a diabetic-coma.

I was so excited to be able to finally have a "football" themed dinner in which no one looked at me weird for the intense amount of football serving pieces that I own. What can I say, you marry a coach and it just happens. There's no stopping it. 

I used recycled tomato cans and painted them with acrylic paint in order to transform them into utensil holders for the evening. Thank you, Pinterest!

 I hope you all had a wonderful end to your summer as well. I know I sure am looking forward to some cooler weather! So goodbye summer, and hello football!!!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I can't help but think just how blessed I am this Mother's Day. God has blessed me beyond measure by giving me the mother that He did. She is not only my mom, but one of my very best friends. 

Doing what we do best-Shopping in Maui!

There are not enough adjectives to describe my mom. She is the most caring, kind-hearted, giving, patient, loving, sacrificing, hard-working woman I have ever met 

{although I am quite partial =)}. 

Mom and I at one of my many wedding dress fittings in Dallas

She is constantly putting her family first. She is a prayer warrior for my brother and I. 

My wonderful family on the fabulous Kaanapali Beach {aka Heaven}

She loves the Lord with every fiber of her being and is not ashamed to make that known to the world. She is a rock in our family and the one we all run to in times of need. My mom is the kind that will drive two hours just to bring me {adorable} cookies after a long, hard day. My mom will bear my joy and pain and walk through the circumstance along beside me. Words can not express how much my mother means to me. 

On top of Haleakala at Sunset

So Mom, Happy Mother's Day! Here is a poem I found that reminded me so much of you.

I love you oh so very much!

A Mother's Love

"There are times when only a mother's love

Can understand our tears

Can soothe our disappoints

And calm all of our fears

There are times when only a mother's love

Can share the joy we feel

When something we've dreamed about

Quite suddenly is real

There are times when only a mother's faith

Can help us on life's way

And inspire in us the confidence

We need from day to day

For a mother's heart and a mother's faith

And a mother's steadfast love

Were fashioned by the angels

And sent from God above."

-Author Unknown

Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

As many of you know, I recently have become intimately aquatinted with my washing machine. If getting used to doing laundry for two wasn't enough, I added 50 football jerseys to the list as well! I'm sure you are all thinking I'm absolutely crazy, right?! Well, that may be a possibility; however, it was either me washing them all night long or my husband. Being the precious, kind-hearted wife that I am, I chose to stay up all night (and by "all" night I literally watched the sun rise EVERY saturday for about 12 weeks straight) and let my hubby sleep as he had to work the following day. Needless to say, if you need to get a stain out of clothes, I'm the girl to help!

In the past year, I  have gone through every brand that your local Walmart or grocery store carries and had settled on Liquid Tide with Bleach. I loved how clean my clothes got with this detergent; however, they didn't seem to retain a fragrance after drying. So when my mom brought me a new brand of laundry detergent this past week, I was quit interested to see how it worked.

The minute I tried Caldrea, I immediately fell in love. The scent is unique and appealing. AND best of all, the scent stays with your laundry for days. It's WONDERFUL! My clothes even seem to be much softer as well. The picture shown is the Ginger Pomelo detergent. I did also try the Sweet Pea detergent and both worked fabulously. It simply comes down to preference in my opinion. (side note: the Sweet Pea line was specifically created for babies and nurseries as it is "baby safe")

I also tried Caldrea Stain Remover and Sport Wash. The stain remover seems to work really well when used according to the directions. I tried the Stain Remover in the Sweet Pea scent and the Sport Wash in Palmaroso Wild Mint.

However, I will always keep a large stock of Zout Stain Remover in my cabinet. So far, I have not found any stain that Zout can't conqueror. It is a coaches wife go-to stain remover for sure!

Day Of Champions

I am proud to announce that the Day of Champions Football Camp will be coming to Gore this summer! 

I am pleased to announce that the camp that Lee has worked for the past three years is coming to Gore! The First Annual Gore Pirate Showcase Camp, featuring University of Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Josh Heupel’s Day of Champions, will be in Gore on Monday, June 4, 2012. The camp is open to all area children ages eight to eighteen. The “Gore Pirate Showcase Camp” goes beyond athletic skill enhancement. It provides one-on-one mentoring and coaching in athletics, health, fitness, life choices and the four principles of leadership: DISCIPLINE, RESPECT, TRUST & HARD WORK. Themes emphasized throughout the camp include: character, responsibility, goal setting, dedication, hard work & integrity. These themes serve to motivate each camp member to reach his/her full potential on and off the field.

Lee doing what he does best--coaching!

Each position is taught and supervised by (the) DAY OF CHAMPIONS football staff, which is comprised of some of the top Division I-II-III & NAIA collegiate coaches in the country, along with past OU football players, and past & current NFL players. Players from experienced athletes all the way down to youth just learning the game will enhance their skills & learn basic fundamentals geared to their age and skill level. An autograph session (open to the entire community) will be held at the end of the camp!

Coaching the QB's

The cost of the camp is $50 per camper. Lunch will be provided for each camper and concessions will be available for parents who choose to stay and watch throughout the day. Registration secures your child's spot in the camp; however, walk-up registration will be accepted on the day of the camp. So spread the word and come out on Monday, June 4, 2012 for an intense day of coaching from some of the best. 

CLICK HERE to download the Registration Form

For more information, please call 918.839.3456 or leave me a message with contact information. We look forward to seeing you all on June 4th!

Never a Dull Moment

As you all know, Lee and I celebrated our first anniversary last night. So we decided to go out to dinner (since I cook at home almost every evening). Consequently, we decided to drive up to a nearby city that has more restaurant choices. Well, on our way, before we even got out of the city limits, I look up to see blue lights behind us in the rearview mirror. I was immediately confused because shockingly enough, Lee wasn't speeding (I'm a speeding nazi when I'm riding with Lee--if you know Lee at all then you know that he might as well not have a speedometer in his truck because he is ALWAYS speeding). Well, come to find out the officer thought he saw Lee texting. Long story short, we were quickly back on the road and headed towards dinner.

As a side note:

Another thing you need to know about Lee- he has been pulled over at least two dozen times, yet he has only received a ticket once. He uses his "Oklahoma charm" (and by that I mean his OU Big XII Championship ring) to somehow always bypass getting speeding tickets.

Whatta stud-muffin ;-)

So we get about halfway to our destination when the "low fuel" alert comes on in my Denali. Of course, we were so flustered by the previous incident that we forgot to get gas before we left home. So, logically, I am sitting in the passenger seat praying that the Lord will at least let us get to a place of cell phone service before we become sitting ducks on the side of the road. Well, yet again, my oh so lucky husband coasts into a gas station. Thank you, Lord!!! (I may be living in the country, but I still have my city girl roots that does not like being stranded in the middle of nowhere without cell service).

FINALLY make it to the restaurant that we started this eventfully journey for, only to find that it was CLOSED! 

Yes, the only day it is closed is Monday's. 

So we drove around and ended up venturing out and trying a new restaurant, only to remember why we never venture out anymore (we're becoming old and set in our ways apparently). 

We finished our dinner and enjoyed a nice, uneventful drive back home -- this time with a full tank of gas (I wasn't about to take any chances). The scenic drive is so beautiful this time of year. I do not know how anyone can claim that there is not a God after observing HIS creation. 

Once we got home, we cut the topper to our wedding cake from a year ago. I pulled out only the finest for our "low key" event -- china and crystal!

I was shocked to find that the cake was actually quite delicious!

SO yummy. 

Although our first anniversary may have been eventful, it was still very memorable. I wouldn't change anything from this past year. I am married to my best friend and love of my life. He strives to lead me in the direction of the Lord on a daily basis. He shows the unwavering love of Christ not only to me, but to anyone who is around. His heart of gold is evident to all who know him. 

I'm so blessed to call him, my husband!

1 Year Anniversary

I cannot believe my husband and I are approaching our FIRST anniversary! It's crazy to think about how fast this year has gone by. So many memories and lessons learned over the past year. We are no longer considered "newlyweds," but rather "old married people." Oh how things have changed, yet I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. I am blessed beyond measure to be married to such a kind, generous, and loving man. And it totally helps that he's absolutely adorable as well. ;-) The Lord truly knew what He was doing when he put an Oklahoma Country Boy with this City Girl (and I must admit, God truly has displays His great sense of humor through us on a daily basis). So as we approach our first anniversary, I wanted to leave you with some a few of my favorite pictures from our wedding. Enjoy!

 Getting ready with my baby cousin

The Gentlemen

and the Ladies

Sibling Love

 Lee's cousin was our ring bearer and boy did he blush when I kissed him!

 The flower girls 

 My oh so precious Mother (you can't tell we're related at all)

 Our Wedding Cake under a Live Floral Chandelier 

 Lee's groom cake playing John Wayne movies all evening

After our toast

Grandma Blankenship caught my bouquet!

 

Newlyweds Dancing

 At the reception

A little touch of our engagement at the reception

 The tent outside

 What kind of gathering would this be if we didn't have a Colip family picture?!

"Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairytale."