miami. the best layover.

Okay, we come to you live via South Beach, Miami!! Thanks to Santa (JR) for my Christmas present...I can blog from the beach and update you of our travels! Ha!

Our original Dallas-Miami flight got delayed due to a computer failure at DFW so that we in turn missed our connecting flight to Montevideo. Rachel met us in Miami and I had to utilize my sweet temper and got us a free 2 night stay in a Miami hotel and some food vouchers. Our driver to the hotel I think was on a fancy concoction of illegal substances and drove probably 40 miles over the speed limit. I was very very afraid.

We made it. Our hotel though was the Miccossuke resort and casino!! It looked like a fun house! Regardless it was a free place to stay with a very clean room and comfy bed!

This morning we got up and took a shuttle back to the airport and since we got booked on the next flight to Buenos Aires at 11pm, we figured why not make a day out of it so we took a cab to South Beach, bought some summer clothes and flops and are now enjoying a nice summer day in Miami before we head out tonight for Uruguay!! And oh! We even had first class seats to Miami and we watched Ratatouille which made us think of Emma and Joseph bc we watched it with them on Christmas Day!! Well! That's our update!! Goodbye from the beach!! Happy new year!!!

the heffesse christmas

let the festivities begin

Tonight we will be celebrating our first Christmas!! with my family! My parents and brother will be leaving for Punta del Este, Uruguay tomorrow and JR, myself, and Rachel (Alex's gf) will be meeting them down there next Friday. Thus, we must do Christmas early with my family! To make it that much more exciting, we are opening presents at our house!!!

Then tomorrow night we leave for our Christmas in Oklahoma!! So much to do before then, ahhh! I've been sick with a sinus infection this whole week :( so my list of things to do hasn't gotten any shorter. grr.

On Saturday we have three Christmas celebrations in a row!! yeahhhh! Lots of present openings and food, and a sure way to make me nappy :) Christmas makes me real sleepy, haha! Sunday night we are heading over to the Thrasher house for a wine night and...that's as far as we've gotten!

We wish you all a WONDERFUL Christmas with your families, and hope you all have safe travels wherever you may be!

bracing myself

As many of you know, my parents are in the "process" of purchasing their permanent home in Miami!! I have not taken the news very well, although I've had my entire life to prepare for this moment, but I do owe this occasion a "happy" post, before I get into the sad ones that I know are to come. So, I present to you Ma and Pa Heffesse's new Miami abode :)


The view from their bathroom, yeah....that's real!

Hopefully, the view from The Pettijohn room!



















The spectacular view from the living room balcony, just spectacular.


















The kitchen, uber-modern. This condo is purchased "raw" without the marble floors in yet, and walls painted but you definately get the idea of the overall place.


















View of the living room, out.


Miami, FL....future home of my parents :) and :(

i'm considering

this. I bought my Canon powershot camera a few years ago, and have definately gotten great use out of it. I then got my mom, Nancy, Jodie, and even Ash on the upgraded Canon powershot! I got left in the dark on that one!

Now...I want this thing. The real deal.

I am considering this to be my GIFT this Christmas, mayyyybe. I have read countless reviews of it, and I think it may be a good next step for me. I'm scared and intimidated but I think it's possible for me. JR went with me to look at cameras a couple of weeks ago, and this is the one that stuck out...so it's been on my mind for quite some time. This is how I make decisions. It takes me foooorrrevvverrrrrrr. She sure is a beauty though!

Eventually I'd like to take portraits of the kids, and of our families to practice! I will perfect my craft :) Thought I'd give you all insight into my Christmas wantings!

one more wk

Only one more week until Christmas!! We still can't believe how fast this year has gone by, it seems like just yesterday JR asked me to be his wife and in only a few months we will be husband and wife! wow! wow! wow! I'll have to do a re-cap of the year at some point.

This past wknd we had JR's company Christmas party! The party was at Maggiano's where we are considering having our rehearsal dinner, so it worked out great because we got to see what a party would be like up there! The food was great, they had some hilarious videos of the employees, JR was in them!! They had door prizes (of which we did not win), a couple of coupons for some drinks, and they had it all set up with gambling! So we got "money" to play with and we ended up at the Blackjack tables! It was so fun! Platinum Select was voted one of the Top 100 companies to work for in DFW! Which is a very big honor considering how many companies there really are around here!

Saturday morning, JR woke up wired and we decided to head up to OK! We made our way around Norman to see what the ice storm had left behind and it was as bad in real life :( soo many trees were down. Our next stop was Edmond and then we headed back down to the Taliaferro house to see Blake and Jenn! They have done alot of work to their house and it looks awesome!! Their home is very cute! By the time we were done there, we went to Chickasha for some dinner at Ed's and back to the farm for some sleep!!

Sunday we got up and spend the day with the Thrasher's...Holly fed us all day!! It was like old Weatherford times! We had Mexican casserole for lunch and chocolate cookies for dessert! We just talked and played with Luke! Holly took some really cute pics that I wanted to share of Luke playing with his Aunt Nat under the tree!




and.....we still have some last minute Christmas shopping to do!! ahhhh!

the brock's

Okay Lauren, you made the announcement on yours! So, I can make it on mine!! I am soooo very excited to announce that Lauren Edwards, a forever-long childhood friend of mine just got engaged in NYC at Rockefeller Center today!! She is there with Clint visiting The Rose's and Clint today asked Lauren to be his wife!! Lauren, we are all so so so happy and can't wait to see you become a wife and Mrs. Lauren Brock!! woo-hoo!!!

HOORAY to all of us getting old and married!! CONGRATULATIONS soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Clint Brock!

chef circle

a continuation of my last post...if you all have any good recipes to share, please do! It's fun if we all post recipes that are our favorites, or new ones we need some insight on (although my insight is limited as I am new to the world of domestication), or even some holiday treats!! This could be fun :)

ash, for you

Ashlee asked if I'd post some recipes that I've been trying, and ofcourse I'm always willing to share! Especially if you get your own take on it, I'm always interested in new "spins" on a recipe :)

So, from our Nancy's Country-Style Rib dinner the other night here is the recipe for the homemade ranch dressing:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Disclaimer: This is the recipe I used the other night, except that this recipe comes out a little thick, like dip-style and tastes a little too "mayo-y" for my taste. So I spruced it up with some other seasoning I had at the house, and thinned it out with 2% milk. If following this recipe, use the milk to thin it out to your liking. I have notes on this recipe to help take away the mayo-ness and give it the thinner consistency of a dressing, of which I have not tried yet but regardless here is the only thing you need to change if you want to go this route:

1/2 cup each of mayo, sour cream, & buttermilk (the rest stays the same)

I will try the second way, but if you do before me let me know which you like better. JR likes it a little thicker, so the first way worked well for us, but I'm eager to see what the other method tastes like! Let me know how the homemade ranch turns out for y'all! Happy cooking!

unbelievable

Norman, my sweet sweet home is in an icy turmoil. Unless you live in a cave of sorts, you've seen the massive ice storm that has fallen hard upon Oklahoma. It has caused the largest power outage in the state's history. Atleast 42% of the state is without power, and from friends in Norman, I've heard that there are atleast 26,000 people still without power :( That's just in my town!! OU has been shut down, which they never never do...my town is frozen over.

This is a view of campus from Boyd Street :( unbelievable.
Please stay safe and off the roads...

i miss

Emma is JR's niece, and my soon-to-be, whom I've made a very special bond with. She is my perfect little princess and on family wknds, it's usually her I spend the most time with. Not even JR :) The night I met her, she told me she knew alot about me and that she was very excited to finally meet me, and she was only 3 at the time. She is a smart, smart little girl and I feel like I learn more from her than she does from me! There's not a day that goes by that JR and I don't miss our family in OK, especially our babies Emma & Joseph :( Hopefully one day we'll be living a little bit closer to them...

This afternoon Kourtney called me and told me that Emma had been wanting to talk to me today, so they called and I got to talk to Miss Emma Rose for awhile and it made my day :)

i conquered

I am all that. Really. My kitchen curiousity has struck once again, and I started out playing with a recipe I had for homemade ranch. We really don't like store-bought ranch, so I wanted to try something from scratch. I added my own "zing" to the recipe and JR loved it!!! I did it! I made homemade ranch!! So cool! I felt pretty fabulous.

It was time for another first. Don't laugh. It's embarrasing. I'm willing to share at the expense of my reputation. I washed, chopped, and served my very first head of lettuce. I usually buy the store bought bags, but ever since those disgusting recalls on bagged lettuce I've tried to steer away from such things, as I don't want to become diseased over lettuce. So, I chilled the salad and my ranch dressing, and had a little more time to play since JR went to the gym. (Yes, I should have gone but was too busy being a chef, duh).

My favorite meal of Nancy's are her country-style ribs. They are my request everytime, and my birthday meal every year. I crave them, I love them, and I wanted to conquer them. I had some in the freezer, so I prepared them and they cook anywhere from 3-5 hours so by the 3rd hour the smell of BBQ sauce had saturated my house and I was starting to get turned off my the strong aroma of BBQ and ribs. This was a big deal! I have been rather intimidated by these ribs, as Nancy is a fantastic cook! and fantastic is not the first word that comes to mind when you think Natalie & cooking. It's okay, I'm not offended. Yet. Everytime I opened the freezer, I'd shut it real fast because those ribs were very intimidating! Well, 3 hours later! I did it!! They really should have cooked longer, but it was my practice run...so we had BBQ ribs, baked potatoes, and salad with homemade ranch. Yes, I'm awesome. hahaha! kidding! I was though, so proud of myself I had little bitty tears in my eyes. JR was beyond pleased and very proud of his new domestic lil fiance! He hugged me after and told me how happy he is that I got the domestic bug :) hahahha! He's been waiting a long time for this....

5 months

JR woke up this morning and reminded me that today is exactly 5 MONTHS until our wedding day! I can't believe it is going by so fast! Next Christmas I'll be Natalie Pettijohn :) wow.

christmas pics

Thought we'd share some cute pictures from our night with Lauren & Ricardo last week! Santa hats courtesy of mom!

10 am

At 10am tomorrow morning I will be at the Riviera Spa thanks to my aMaZiNg fiance!! He bought me a swedish massage!!!! I get this excited everytime! He is so wonderful!!

amigos del alma

Tonight is Lauren & Ricardo night...it's become a verb of sorts. We will look at something fun, and say that's a Lauren & Ricardo night! Last week, when Nancy and Ronnie were down we wanted to go see the lights in HP, but they had a sign up saying that the lighting of the trees would be the first Thursday in December (today), so ofcourse we said it's an L & R night!

Lauren and Ricardo have been friends of mine for over 10 years now! Lauren for much longer, but them together, 10 years! They are much more family then friends. I care for them as I do my own Heffesse's :) Ricardo always asked if he could be adopted in, they both have been! They are honorary Heffesse's! Even their wedding is special to us! After I left Oklahoma in January of 2006, JR was still unsure about moving down to Dallas. Two weeks after moving was Lauren and Ricardo's wedding! JR came down for it, and after enjoying their wedding with me we all just made a neat bond, the 4 of us, and it was the Sunday after their wedding that JR decided to move down here. I have always felt that their wedding was a huge moment for JR and I.

We've been to Oklahoma with them, Miami, Ranger games, off-roading, Meers, you name it we've done it or will do it! They are always up for a good time and we are beyond grateful to have them in our life! They truly are wonderful people, amazing friends, and one of the best parts of our family!

They have a strong faith, and solid foundation as husband and wife and it is so encouraging to be around them and see after 10 years together they're still if not more so in love today then ever before. As soon-to-be newlyweds we value their guidance and care they are always willing to share with us.

So, tonight is a Lauren & Ricardo night and now you all know why these nights are important to us. There is a "saying", which I will likely butcher...but it says something in the realm of--you are what you eat, you are the books you read, and the friends you surround yourself with. Fruits and veggies are our latest conquest, I have some great books I'd like to share, and the friends we have now are our friends for life. Our family. We are blessed with some of the most amazing friends both in TX and OK, and as we step into the next chapter of our life together we sometimes cannot believe how fortunate we are with the support and friendship around us! We truly have the best friends in the world!

pizza night

I love having themed nights :) I'm a dork. I know! Soooo, tonight at The future Pettijohn Palace it is Mediterranean Pizza Night! ha! We are having mom and dad over for this wondrous evening of pizza from Campania (our very favorite pizza in Dallas), salad from Eatzi's, and our new Mediterranean Nights CD! hahaha! We got this CD the other day that reminds me of music I heard in the piazzas in Italy!! It is a beautiful CD with awesome music and it is actually what inspired our themed affair! Thought I'd share our plans for tonight :) Hope you all have a great Wednesday!

thank you

This was sent to me today by one of my best friends, Ryan! I thought it was an awesome idea, and an easy way for us to send a quick thank you to all of those serving our country! Especially at Christmas time!

If you go to this web site, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them ...

Here's the link: www.LetsSayThanks.com

nesting

It's happening. I'm turning into a wife. Two years ago, I didn't know how to do laundry, make a good grilled cheese, or keep a check registry! (roll your eyes) I know...it's different now! I am still no master chef, but can make a decent dinner for my fiance and some fierce chocolate chip cookies! My laundry skills have improved tremendously with lesser shrunken clothes (lesser not absent) and whites stay white! yay!

My improvement has always been voluntary ofcourse, as I want to provide a beautiful and comfortable home for my family, but it all used to require a significant amount of effort on my part. My laziness proved to be quite a challenge.

What is so strange about the past few weeks, is that I have been Housewife Extraoridinaire! Keeping up with the house, cooking, baking, cleaning, decorating! and I've done it without forced effort! JR noticed it the other day, and asked if I was okay :) haha! He has been pleasantly surprised and told me he would have let me put up the Christmas decorations in July had he known the domestic skills they bring out in me!!

I find it so strange how life prepares you for what's next. It's as if the last two years my domestic ways have been brewing, and poof! just in time for our wedding I feel the need to nest and be "wifey" and sweet, although I am and always was real sweet :) wait til JR reads that!! ha! He may have an opposing comment for that last bit! fair enough...

So I simply wanted to share this whole new world I'm living in, and I must say I am rather proud of myself. It's fun! I have always been the nurturing one, but only had my animals to provide for. (That's why I've had 3,457 pets) Next will be my husband :) Looks like I'm getting started!!

fancy

This is JR's new building!It is 46 floors I think, and he's on the 43rd! He says his views are amazing up there! Thought you guys would like to see this cool pic we took of it! He works in downtown only 5 minutes from the house!

it's december!

I can't believe it's the end of the year already!! Nancy and Ronnie came down for the wknd, just in time for the holidays, and just in time to see our Christmas decorations :) I'll have to post some pics later of the rest of our house! It's very cozy and Christmas-y!



Nancy and Ronnie got here Friday night so we ran down and drove around Highland Park to see some lights, but the only ones really up were the ones at Highland Park Village, which are so beautiful! The actual Christmas lights of the neighborhood and trees will be lit on Thursday so JR and I are going to make a date out of it! any excuse for a date night!!



It was a wedding work wknd! We got up early Saturday morning, had breakfast and went out to try on some tuxedo's for JR!!!! We think we found the one! I can't post pics because he is so handsome, it will have to be a surprise!! Lunch was at Houston's, then off to run some more errands! We fit in a little shopping, but had to be home in time for the Big XII Championship game!! We all got in our comfy pj's, watched football, and finished decorating our beautiful tree! Boooooomer Soooooooner!!! Oklahoma beat the number one team in the nation!!!! To celebrate the occasion I made homemade chocolate chip cookies! JR's favorite...I must say, they turned out rather well!





Sunday was even a work day! We all went to brunch with my parents and then went on to Bed Bath & Beyond to work a little more on our registry! I will be finally posting our registry on our wedding website today or tomorrow!!! yay! www.jrandnatalie.com!



It was a great wknd! and we got so much done! In wedding planning, anything you can cross off the checklist is exciting! Hope you all had a good one!

in-laws

I feel very fortunate to have the in-laws that I do!! I know not all can say that, but JR and I both feel extremely blessed with our other sets of parents :)We have the best parents in the world!

My in-laws are coming in tonight! Nancy and Ronnie will be here this evening, for a weekend of wedding planning, shopping, eating, and maybe even Christmas-light-looking-at....yay!


We love having our family and friends in, so we've been preparing our house all week for their arrival! I love having guests! I picked up a few more ornaments for the tree today, and will do some last minute grocery shopping and then it's on to a family packed weekend! I even think we have more guests next wknd...I'll make that announcement next week, ha!

Happy Friday, hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

ever so patient

It's good "they" say when couples balance (i.e. one has a personality trait that other one doesn't) each other out. Last night was the perfect example, and I must praise my fiance for his unwavering patience with me and my never-ending beautification...hair, face, massage, etc....I love being a girl.

Being a girl though, is hard work! and time consuming! I decided yesterday that I needed a drastic change to my hair so I found this (whilst I was online shopping):



I am that blonde now. It took three different color processes, and three hours!!! No lie! and JR came with me! oops! I didn't realize how long it would take and he will sometimes come with me and get a haircut while I let my color sit and such. No, 3 hrs!! Insane! Even I was getting restless, and even after he let us grab some dinner at the restaurant I picked out! So, I must say thank you to my ever so patient fiance, because I was skipped in the "patience" line. I have none. zero. patience tank empty.

Babe, thank you for being so sweet about my 3 hr hair appt! Today we get to finish our wedding registry :) This is probably his favorite week ever! ask him about it :) haha!

we elf'd

Lauren, I couldn't control myself watching you and your family! sooo, I decided to elf mine! Shhh, nobody tell JR! hahaha!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9634676655

the best time of year

We love Christmas, but I LOVE Christmas. For us, decorating the house and putting up the tree is so special to do together...thus we started a tradition last year (I'm a tradition-starter) to play our Christmas CD's and make homemade chocolate chip cookies (those will be tonight) and put up our tree and ornaments.


I love the sentiment of things, JR even moreso so we like to find little ways to make things more personal to us and one of the other things we do for Christmas is buy each other an ornament for that year! It's a small gift but when we were getting them out last night it made us smile :) They end up being somewhat reflective of that year...it will be fun to see what some of our future years will bring us in ornaments!!!



JR bought me and surprised me with this huge tree last year, and it was the best gift I got!! We had been on the hunt for the perfect tree, and ofcourse he found it! We had the same tree my whole life, so I think it would be neat for our children one day to love this tree as much as we do! JR thinks we will upgrade one day, we'll see! haha! I told him if that's the case, I'm going for the 13 footer! That's my compromise :)



This is our second Christmas together in our home and with our boys. However, the boys think Christmas is a time to be super naughty!! I don't get it! They are perfect little kitties all year, but when they see that tree go up they turn into a crazy mess! They dart into the room, barrel around the tree, then ball up under it because they think we can't find them! so naughty!! We're waiting for they day we come home and the tree is horizontal...they'll have an angry mommy and daddy! for sure! It's like having children!! We've had to anchor all of our stuff down and into walls because they'll break all of our stuff! Then they act real sweet, after they've been caught chewing on the tree and batting the ornaments, sneaky kitties!

We still have a quite a bit of work to do to our beautiful tree, but here is what we got accomplished last night! Hope you all are enjoying your Christmas decorating!!

art for the day

-Vincent Van Gogh

THE dress

MY DRESS IS HERE!!! ahhhhhhh! I'm so excited! Christian called me from Patsy's Bridal yesterday and told me I could come "visit" my dress! When they do custom gowns, they make them to your exact body measurements, but leave the length long so that when you get your shoes they alter the length according to the length of your veil and heighth of the shoes. Long process, but now we can start the final details of the dress!!!!! I can't believe it's finally here! I ordered it back in July, so it's been 5 months...She arrived here safely :)

I'm waiting for my parents to get back from NYC to go try it on! They get back tonight! We have an appointment to try on a couple of tuxedos for JR this wknd!! He's excited too! We're only 5 months away! We are so ready to be married to each other :)

the holiday's are upon us

We wanted to share this video of the music we came upon when we walked up to Pier 17! It was a high school band playing Christmas music! Christmas everywhere! It was magical!

amazing

We truly had the best Thanksgiving trip to NYC!! Everyday was spectacular, really! Our night we got in pretty late, so we settled into the hotel and we all ordered room service, got in our comfy robes and enjoyed our first night in New York!

The next morning we made it up in time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!! It was so awesome to watch something your whole life on tv, then finally get to see it in real life! When it got to the end and Santa came around the corner, everyone was yelling and hugging! So neat! That afternoon was Thanksgiving dinner, so we all fancied up and ate at "The Room with a View" overlooking Central Park!

Friday morning was Black Friday, we didn't last two hours! It was pure insanity. If I can't make it shopping, no one can. Trust me. So we made a better day out of it, and played tourist. We got a metrocard, and took the subway to the southern tip of Manhattan and went all around the city exploring! Everywhere you go, you see people laughing, hugging their kids, kissing, eating...so much life there! Christmas music playing everywhere, everyone bundled up and running to catch a cab! Street performers, and musicians, all in this melting pot of a city! Even with the enormous buildings, the buzz of city life, and the millions of people, New York has this warmth to it, and a serenity when you walk around. I've been around the world, and there is no place like NYC.

It was both of our second times there, but our first to spend together, and we could not have enjoyed our trip anymore than we did! We did the subway, NY pizza, shopping, Central Park, room service, hotel, parade, limo ride around NYC, you name it...we did it!! We ended our trip with a visit alone to the top of the Empire State Building! One of the most romantic things in the world, to look over the entire city (minus the fact that it was -156 degrees up there, and it felt like my extremities were going to freeze and break off)...JR said I fit right in! short temper, aggressive driver, and food on every corner! haha! He may be right! NYC doesn't help calm my aggressive ways :) Maybe that's why I got put in TX and OK!!



p.s. I think if you double-click the on the slideshow it will take you to a bigger window! fyi!

day of thanks

Wishing you all a safe, happy, and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends! We will be traveling to New York in less than 24 hours!!! Safe travels everyone!

going to the chapel

and we're----- gonna get maa-aa-aaried!!! I have made a few small changes to our wedding website, the most important being that I've added the accomodations information for the two hotels we have rooms blocked with. Next will be the registry information!

www.jrandnatalie.com

feliz cumpleanos

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Holly! who is celebrating her first birthday as a MOMMY! We wish you a wonderful birthday and many many more wonderful birthdays ahead!!

Love,
JR and Nat

you know you're old when...

you get excited about your appliances. Our dryer has been broken for a couple of weeks now, and it has put a kink in our domestic ways and hindered my proof to JR that I will be the next Mrs. Housewife USA.

I finally allowed for us to fix it, because I refused to pay hundreds of dollars to fix the small part that went out. I'd rather go prarie-style and hang our clothes out to dry, but JR would have no part of that. Sooo, I caved and finally let the guy come fix the dryer, $142.64 later. grr

I'm okay with it though, and I must admit that we are very excited to announce that we have our dryer back.

new york, new york

Only 6 more days until we leave for our trip to NYC!!! We are SO excited to be spending Thanksgiving in The Big Apple!! It adds to our travel log of Miami, Red River, and now NYC together! Hopefully, we'll just keep adding to it! Just wanted to share our excitement and anticipation!! Happy Thursday!



and, as an added plus! Our family will be staying at The Helmsley Park Lane! right on Central Park! ahhhhhh! so exciting!!



The only problem I have with NYC, is that when I want to buy those fake Louis, Fendi, and Prada the NYPD come in and chase those guys away and I end up walking/shuffling chasing them down 5th Ave. until they find a discreet spot to set up shop again :) I'm a very determined tourist, haha! I must look crazy, oops!

6 days.........

parents make everything better

Monday was a bad day...a horrible day for me, but my parents are one of a kind, and the best anyone could ever ask for. They always have made everything better for me, even at the age of 24 :)

Mom also sent me some beautiful flowers from Miami, and it made my day!! I am forever grateful for my mom and dad! They are so wonderful!