oh happy day

It is Spring!! Today is the first day of spring! Life is so good!

wednesday

We have been going non-stop since last wk...my batteries are running low, but we have been staying so busy we almost don't have the time to even realize how tired we really are!


This morning we were looking at our calendar and saw that we only have ONE wknd from here until the wedding that is open. One. That is insanity. We literally have something scheduled every.single.weekend. until May 10th!!


Today I have my second fitting at Patsy's Bridal!! oh yay! Hopefully it won't need another fitting, since my bridal portraits are in 2 weeks!!!!!! oh my, oh my.


Our dear friends Blake and Jennifer are spending the week in Dallas, so we got to see them for the first time last night and they came over for some vino after we had dinner at my parents house. Tonight we're going out with them for some sushi and wine tasting :)


I will leave you with some eye candy today-----it again shows my love of monogramming! It is especially fun to monogram when you have a new name coming up!!

Checkbook covers! I may have to get one for the spring! So cute!

a few more...

thank you thank you thank you

I'm not sure our weekend could have been any better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It even started out GREAT! Kourtney and Joe made it down on Friday and we began our weekend with an awesome dinner at Truluck's, one of our family favorites. Besides the amazing food, we had a Sooner Celebrity Sighting :) In mid-meal, Joe looks up and spots none other than, Adrian Peterson!!! He was walking out, and I kept fumbling for my camera so that I could run out fan-like and chase him down for a pic...but he got away, boo. The waiters said he's been staying across the street at The ZaZa and comes in every night, ha! We couldn't believe of all people we'd run into in Uptown, it would be AD!! Very very very exciting!

Saturday morning we all got up and went out to the Katy Trail for a morning run/jog/walk! Joe & JR ran, Kourtney jogged and I walked, haha!! I jogged for a bit, but then made Kourtney join me at my slow pace. It was such a beautiful day that we wanted to have lunch outside so we walked to Campania and had some delicious pizza and a calzone, soooo good. They loved it!

After that, it was time to get ready for our SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!

Nancy and Ronnie came by around 5 while we were all finishing up getting ready. We then headed over to mom and dad's house at 6. Our AMAZING shower was given by Carole Reid, Lauren Neaves, Ashley & Vicki Fulks...they went above and beyond and our shower was just spectacular. Really.

The food Carole had for us was a HUGE hit, and everyone was saying they had never eaten so well at a party before!! Our shower was a party! Everyone kept asking me who made those desserts :) Only Carole...

It really was a party! We had all of our friends and family there, we played games, we had wonderful food, we opened gifts, we laughed, we hugged, some cried, and we partied for 5 hours!!! A 5 hour shower!!

JR and I both felt so blessed to have so many of our friends and family there to help us begin celebrating our upcoming marriage. What a neat feeling...

After dinner was time to open gifts, eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Ryan and Nat

Alex, Mom and Nat

Kat and Nat

Fer, Alex, and Dad

Ryan and Martha Lauren and Clint
Our awesome parents
Staring at some of our new stuff :)

Thank you to everyone that came and spent the evening with us! It meant so much to us to have each one of you there! We love you all very much and thank for making our day so sweet!

-JR and Nat

casa

We are always in search of cute, new things for the house...and I've added yet another item to our wishlist :)


I'm not even sure they have the correct size for our table, but I'm drawn to the pattern and soon enough I will have a table to fit this tablecloth, haha!! It's from one of our favorites---Williams Sonoma!! If only my cooking could warrant such a lovely linen ;)

homegrown

I'm not sure that we've ever watched an entire season of American Idol, or any reality show for that matter but this season keeps grabbing our attention.

Poor JR, I'm a rather obnoxious home-judge, hahaha! I feel pretty strongly that I have what it takes to make or break these kids' careers...not sure where my musical confidence came from as the only place I even remotely sound okkkk is in the shower, and even then the kitties bolt out at the first sound of mom's shower singing :)

We have a couple of the contestants who we like, but there is one in particular that we like because he's a homegrown TX boy from Rockwall!!! Jason Castro! He's precious and he sang an amazzzing rendition of one of our favorite songs------Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley.

Listen again :) If you wish...see below.

please listen.

Imagine by John Lennon
One of the best songs ever written. Ever.
The words stand alone, without music this song is still amazing and speaks of the peace and harmony we all need and desire.
With music, this song is beyond words.

Since I was a little girl, listening to this song with my dad I can always remember feeling moved by it. Even more so now because it always makes me think of him when I hear it...

It was done on American Idol a few weeks ago by David Archuleta and I have to admit that I rolled my eyes at the thought of someone actually attempting to sing their take on what I believe is a sacred song :)

His performance is unreal. It gives you goosebumps, and is sung beautifully.

Please, listen. It is posted below...

wifey

There are so many details, opinions, colors, events, gifts, food, paper, meetings, flowers and love involved in wedding planning...It's endless really, because you always find yourself thinking that there is just one more thing you could get done, etc...but you know what is so awesome?!?!

That I'm going to be a WIFE!!! and JR a HUSBAND!!

I'm going to get to say, "Hold on! Let me ask my HUSBAND!!!"....woo-hoo!! Not only am I going to be a wife, but a wife to JR.

My role as JR's future wife I take very seriously, but if you know me I must look grrreat while doing so, hahahaha! What better way to start my first day as Mrs. Natalie Pettijohn than this?!

Soooo cute!! This will be what I wear on our flight to Mexico!! I think it is precious!! and I will wear it so proud, because I know how lucky I am to be his Mrs. :)

He's pretty lucky too!....what??

fitnessss

It started with 4 months, JR and I said, "okay!! as of tomorrow it is 4 months until the wedding so we must immediately start our tanning/work-out routine"...not so much.

Then came 3 months, same quote.

We are now at 2 months and it has hit. I felt rather doughy this month so we have finally begun our Wedding Workout! Doughboy and I were starting to look like we came from the same gene pool.

This post is simply to admit that it feels sooo good to be back on our Future Pettijohn Fitness Program. I force myself to go to the gym everday, and I am getting to the point where I want to go!! It's a miracle!

Although, the product placement at Gold's is sneaky and gets me everytime...because their clothing section is at the very very front of the gym, so that as soon as you walk in you are presented with a glorious section of fine fitness attire. All of which, I feel I must have to achieve maximum wedding fitness. I have my eye on a pair of workout pants that I'm slowly starting to believe, will help me burn an extra 100 cals...

Stupid Nat.

JR has been super active with basketball, and goes and plays with his friend Scott a few days a week! My boy is so good, he comes home to tell me how awesome he played and how many more points he scored than everyone else! See, I lack any sense of competitiveness so I just smile with pride for my MVP :) I'm more of a sideline cheerleader, nachos in hand...

So, progress there is...I'm going from a nice translucent winter glow to a warm olive tan, hahaha!! Our Palm Beach tan just got new beds so I'm taking a few days off here and there or I start to look like burnt toast, oops!

We keep ourselves motivated, because in 2 months it's ShOwTiMe!!!

*insert sound of wedding bells

chevy girl

I love cars, I really really do.

Today, my poor G had to go into the shop because her brakes are going out...but Infiniti gave me a rental it's super fun! I'm really posting these pics so JR can see the car before we get home from work, as I think I only get it for a day :(

They must know my undying love for THE University of Oklahoma because they gave me a brand new, crimson Nissan Murano!




I love test driving different cars, even though my little heart is set on a BIG Tahoe/Yukon. The Murano is super comfy, and has a smooth ride. I'm not necessarily comfortable in small SUV's because of my 2001 accident (flipping a 4-runner) thus, my lean towards my ol' reliable Tahoe, my other love.


It's a fun ride, and I love broadening my horizons despite being a Chevy girl :)

my beloved, OU

Mom called me a few minutes ago to tell me that President David Boren is on 90.1 KERA in Dallas, and that is he here promoting his new book...

Whatever your opinion of him, it's neat to have a fellow Sooner in town, always makes me feel that much closer to Norman. My sweet sweet Norman.

BOOMER SOONER!!

2 months

Wow, wow, wow. It is exactly TWO months to the day until we say our vows, become husband and wife and live happily ever after....

I can't believe it! It is super crunch time and we are all doing our part to make sure every last little detail gets taken care of!!! So much to do!!!

We are very ready to be newlyweds, and I think we are booked pretty much every weekend from here until the wedding!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

love, mom...again

Mom also gifted me with this yesterday, one of my favorite perfumes!!! Juicy Couture! I'm a sucker for perfumes, you can never have too many.....

love, mom

My mom super spoils me, I know....I know...one of my favorite things from her are some of her silver decor that she's acquired over the years, or have been passed on from my grandma.

I cherish all of what my mom gives me, and I love when I find a good use for them!

Wanted to share a cute example of what I did with two silver cups I have from my mom!

I love holiday themed candy! Well, I really love candy year-round but especially love Cadbury eggs around Easter! JR loves them too, so I set them out in my mom's silver cups and they look so cute!! I love finding neat ways to display candy and such....do you have anything passed on to you that you love use?!

our wknd

You never know with us...one wknd we're here, the next in OK...you just never know :)

We happened to stay home this wknd and it was fantastic! There were higher hopes for Friday, but JR brought dinner home and we played old people and watched a little tv, and were in bed by 10pm! We're kinda old like that now, ha!

Saturday morning, I got up feeling very cooking confident! JR asked me to make him an omelet (which I have never done) so I got out my trusty cookbook, Ronnie gave me, and I made the most delicious omelet ever!!!! JR was super proud of me!! For lunch we went to an Argentine bakery with my parents! We brought home fresh empanadas and some other Argentine goodies!! I asked JR if he ever thought he'd be sitting in Dallas, TX eating an empanada with his Argentine fiance?! he said nooooo! ha!

The big game Saturday night was Duke/North Carolina so we had Scott and Kat over til around 11, and we went to bed shortly thereafter....

Atleast one morning of the wknd we like to make breakfast together, so this wknd it was Sunday! We made blueberry muffins and some fresh bacon!! ohhhhhh yummo.

JR played basketball for a few hours on Sunday, so I went and worked out and tanned! Time to get pretty for the wedding :)

We love eating at home, so I decided to conquer yet another one of JR's favorites for dinner that night! Homemade mashed potatoes!! He made the steaks! JR is awesome with the grill!

I needed a little help mixing, ha!

Captain Grill

Now, last but not least! Our finished product! Delicious steaks, homemade mashed potatoes and green beans......YUM!!

We love our wknds at home......

WWW

Working Women Wednesday!! My sweet friend Kat, came up with a neat idea for all of us working women to have a night together every couple of weeks for some girl time!!

I'd never been, so this was my first "meeting", and we had it at Martini Ranch!!! Ryan came too, and we met some the nicest girls, and our Happy Hour turned into a 1am outing, oops! We were having SUCH a good time, we couldn't leave...

Ryan and I met a bunch of Tech girls, all Kat's friends, and we had a blast! Sometimes you just need some girl time! We talked and talked and talked, for hours! After we left, Ryan and I said that that was one of the most fun night's we've had in Dallas! Hooray for new friends!! I love it!

That said, here is a pic of our group! Very pretty girls! Kat already planned our next "meeting", Wednesday the 19th at Steel! woo-hoo! WWW!

dinner is served

One of my favorite parts about the blog world are the recipe posts! Some are homemade, others passed on, or even internet finds! Either way, it's fun to try out new recipes and exchange ideas via blogger! My only disclaimer in mine, is that mine are usually pretty simple because my domestication is house-wide, as I am learning cooking, cleaning, and domestication all at once! Therefore I cannot solely concentrate on the cooking part, although after some practice, the kitchen is starting to become my favorite room in the house!!


I'm getting pretty good, I must say :) I am now in love with my Swiffer, love.


Back to food...casseroles are at the top of my list. Lazy cook, you say----busy fiance, I say :) They are easy, and most importantly, as an amateur cook they are simple enough to help you practice different flavors and seasonings together, which I think is one of the basics in learning how to master your kitchen.


A new recipe I tried ------->

Easy Mexican Casserole

INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups salsa
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups sour cream
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, and heat through.
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Served with chips, and some Mexican rice w/cheese......this meal is great! JR's love of Mexican food always has me in search of some new fun South of the border style recipes!

Here are a few pics of my results------->

Before:

After: cheesy delicious!

The only thing I would change/add to this recipe would be to season the meat prior to mixing with the rest of the ingredients to give it a little more flavor! We use Nancy and Ronnie's recipe for ground beef :)

If you make this and have any changes, please let me know!

Happy dinner!