Goodbye, Old Friend

Today I say goodbye to an old friend. A friend who served me well and got me through good times and bad. She saw so many chapters of my life and helped shape who I am today. Since I was 17, she has given me an invaluable gift: Freedom.

Who is this friend, you may ask? A 2000 Toyota 4Runner SR5 in Stellar Blue Pearl with a gold package, which I lovingly refer to as The Runner. 

Here are a few photos of The Runner over the years....

Oklahoma snow during my Freshman year of College

Hanging out with my cousins, Donovan and Drew, Summer 2002

I did it! I graduated! Now to add an OU Alumni tag holder to The Runner!

The Runner has done a LOT of traveling. She's seen the Las Vegas Strip, the Colorado Rockies, Bourbon Street in New Orleans and everywhere in between. I sometimes wonder if she couldn't navigate I-35 on her own and I could just take a nap in the backseat....

One of many road trips. This pic was taken in Austin after driving down from Norman.

Winter weather: not The Runner's favorite, but she' performs well in it.

My inability to sit upright in my wedding dress meant I got the backseat to myself!

There's been some impostors over the years...

A purple "Surf" in Japan

Spotted in Baton Rouge before an LSU game. A very appropriate vehicle for an LSU fan.
(You know it's not mine because it doesn't have the silver tire flares!)

It's transported us to countless races. This is Sarah, Ellie and I before the Mission 10K, April 2011.

The Runner was broken into back in May of 2011. They stole my GPS and all my CDs. The joke was on them as half the CDs were one's I'd burned (no value) and the other half were from 2003 or earlier. 

In 2012 she sported an OU Texas plate! Oh, the irony!

So today, after over 12 years and 162,000 miles together, she'll be traded in for a new vehicle (more to come on that!). Who knows what will come of her. I do hope that she winds up with another adventurous girl so that The Runner can give her the same gift she gave me.

Freedom.

Boomer Sooner Homecoming!

Way back in the spring, it was looking like we weren't going to be in Texas past Summer of 2013. Not knowing where we might land, I figured 2012 was really my last chance to go to an OU football game from within driving distance. (Turns out I was right!) So I told Mike I would be planning an OU football weekend. If he wanted to plan a trip to see the LSU Tigers play, I'd be on board completely, but I wanted to see the Sooners play on Owen Field this year!

Shortly after making this declaration, a friend mentioned on Facebook that he was selling two tickets to EVERY HOME GAME this season. I was ecstatic. I went to the OU Football schedule and strategically chose the OU/KU game on October 20th. It was Homecoming, 3 days after my birthday and since I'm from Kansas I have a special place in my heart for KU (even when OU is crushing them!). It was the obvious choice. So I mailed a check and a few days later, these bad boys were in our mailbox!

Hello, Beautiful!

We got in on the Friday night before the game on Saturday. Mike and I love a little pasta shop on Campus Corner called Victoria's. They have homemade pasta and their food is amazing. It's exactly what you'd expect from a small pasta shop in a college town: limited seating on a Friday night, grungy hipster servers, and amazing food!

We sat above the kitchen so we could watch them prepare our meals!

I decided there should be a birthday celebration at The Mont, a local establishment specializing in Swirls (frozen mix of margarita and sangria) and awarding drunk co-eds with t-shirts on their birthday! My t-shirts were a little worse for the wear (one survived the Warrior Dash and the other had holes in it) so I figured it was time for a new one. I was so happy to see so many friends including folks from my sorority, my meteorology class and work!

This year's shirts were kind of cute!

On Saturday, Mike and I got up and did a circuit workout at the hotel. We stayed at the National Center for Employee Development (NCED) where they train postal workers. It's really nice and has a lot of amenities since federal employees go there for weeks at a time for training. Mike and I also took in some ping pong and a game of horse in the gym!

LSU was playing Texas A&M that day so Mike and I caught the last part of the game at Louie's. It was an exciting game that ended up in a creative last effort by the Aggies, but the Tigers won in the end so Mike was happy.

Mike was really into the game!

Just as we were leaving Louie's to meet up with a friend for some tailgating, we came across the homecoming parade! We got to see the Sooner Schooner, the cheerleaders and the Pride of Oklahoma!

From there we met up with my friend, Chris, with whom I used to work at Weathernews. He and his friends shared with us some of their fajitas, beer and cookies! We were very grateful! We even met a nice couple from Kansas. He was a grad student at OU so he wore an OU shirt. She wore a KU shirt! Soon, it was time to go to our seats and get ready for the pre-game entertainment!

Chris and I

Our seats were in the south end zone. It was a gorgeous day for football in Oklahoma!!

IIIIIIIT'S FOOTBALL TIME in OKLAHOMA!!!

What a good LSU guy to wear an OU shirt for his wifey!

During halftime, I was able to meet up with my college roommate and her husband. They just had twins this year, so it was great to catch up and see what's going on in their lives. They live in Tulsa and we hadn't seen them since our wedding! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture. :(

The game was a bit of a blowout, as expected. The final score was 52-7, OU, but Mike and I left at the beginning of the 4th quarter to walk back to the car.

On our way back to Texas on Sunday, we made arrangements to meet Mike's Aunt Marcia, Uncle Earl and grandmother in Gainesville, TX for lunch. We had a great time catching up with them and were very glad we could stop and see them. Even though we live in the same state, we're still almost 6 hours away!

We had such a great weekend! Mike even asked if we could go to all the games! Ha! 15 hours of driving round trip probably isn't something either of us is up to, but I'd like to make this an annual thing for sure, perhaps switching between LSU and OU games so the Tigers get some Holtz Love, too!

Thanksgiving Road Trip to Wichita

I always enjoy going up to Wichita to see family and friends, especially around the holidays...

...but this may have been the first time I was truly sad to leave.

Mike, Ellie, Geoff, Rhonda and I all piled into Rhonda's van early Wendesday morning. We drove up I-35 and dropped Ellie and Geoff off with Ellie's aunt in OKC and then got into Wichita at about 7:30. Of course, the first stop was Il Vicino for some DELICIOUS wood oven pizza!

Thursday morning, Mom, Rhonda, Mike and I put on our running/walking shoes and went out to the GraceMed 1st Annual Say Grace 5K.

Before the race, at the starting line.

Mike and I both did really well (for us) and Mom and Rhonda successfully completed their first 5K!

YAY Mom! Good job! When's your next race?!

After getting cleaned up, we went to Dad's house for Thanksgiving lunch. Grandma Farney was also in attendance.

We picked up a pre-cooked meal from Dillons. I think this is how Mom was meant to cook Thanksgiving dinner:

Two microwaves, one glass of wine and an evil grin.

Mike carved the turkey. This is turning into his traditional role at our Thanksgivings.

We had a very nice meal where we discussed current events as well as past Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in our family.

At Dad's house, even the kitties get Thanksgiving dinner...

Then, of course, there was the customary post-meal nap...

After lunch at Dad's we went to my Aunt Marlene's to see more family. That evening we went to see Tower Heist at the Old Town Warren. It was a good movie to see with the fam on Thanksgiving.

Friday was Mike's birthday. Also, LSU was playing Arkansas, so we all went to the River City Brewing Co. for lunch and Mom, Dad and Rhonda left Mike and I there to finish watching the game. LSU won!

That night we celebrated Mike and Rhonda's birthday...

This was actually the 2nd time they got candles. 

And we had a gift exchange and some more leftovers.

Uncle Terry even made it back from Colorado!

On Saturday we had a 2nd (3rd?) Thanksgiving celebration at Aunt Marlene's and got to see some more family. That night was my 10-year high school reunion. It was so great to see old friends again and catch up!

Although I was sad to leave, I realized that when we got home it was time to put up the Christmas tree and other decorations and I was excited again! I hope everyone had an equally fun Thanksgiving! It was so great to see everyone on our trip! Stay tuned to hear about our trip to Louisiana for Christmas!

100 Years Young!

Back in 1991 I was 8 we had a HUGE 80th Birthday party for my grandmother. She knew about everyone in Wichita and has family and friends all over the US. About 200 people showed up to help her celebrate. Of course when you send out birthday cards to everyone you've ever met (she may still send one to my old high school boyfriend for all I know) and have 95 people on your Christmas shopping list, you tend to accumulate a lot of friends. There was no one that doesn't love my Grandma.

When I was a senior in high school we had yet another big bash for her 90th. Everyone talked about how excited they were for her 100th. She still volunteered at the hospital, went to church, participated in water aerobics, and visited family and friends in the area -- driving herself everywhere she went, of course. And sharp as a tack to boot.

And finally, on April 17, 2011, Grandma turned 100 years young! She still lives on her own and sends/receives hundreds of e-mails every week. She keeps up with her church activities and water aerobics. She still sends out many, many birthday cards (probably some are electronic these days). And if you're ever in the hospital, you can bet she'll find a way to send you a "patient e-mail" to cheer you up! 

On her actual birthday, Unity Church in Wichita threw her a big bash. Most of my family in Wichita attended and many church members were there to celebrate, too. My grandma is an extremely social person (if you haven't already figured this out) and absolutely loved having everyone together to celebrate. 

From her party at the church. She e-mailed me this photo since I wasn't able to attend.

On May 1st, we had the official 100th Birthday Bash. We estimated about 150 people showed up including friends and family from Seattle, St. Louis, Arizona, Florida, etc. What I found fascinating was that friends of my Dad, uncle and aunts wanted to attend, as well as my mom's family, even my dad's nurse from years ago! Like I said, no one doesn't love Grandma!

So in honor of Grandma's birthday, I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know some of the things that make her particularly special.

• She loves cats - I'd say about 60% of the clothes she owns have at least one cat on them. All of them have cat hair on them. :) This is something I inherited from her!

Grandma with her two newest kitties, Lucky Buddy (left) and Happy Helen (right).
Her former cats, Tabby and Tiger, lived to be about 18 years old before they passed.

• Any day of the year is a good day to dye eggs - All you had to say was "Grandma, can we dye Easter eggs?" and she'd have a pot of eggs boiling on the stove and drag out some cups, vinegar, and food coloring.

This may have been legitimately at Easter, but know that this was not an uncommon scene at Grandma house.

• She's got a green thumb - My grandma has a huge garden plot in her backyard (one that I'd love to have now!) and she always had something growing. I grew up on fresh tomatoes, zucchini, okra, and cucumbers. No wonder I love veggies so much now!

My cherry tomatoes in my garden. Every time I catch a whiff of the sweet smell of the plant I'm immediately taken back to Grandma Farney's garden!

• She's always got a good joke - I remember sitting around grandma's bright teal kitchen table and she'd always have a couple jokes to tell. Some were not quite G-rated...
• She threw a good slumber party - Growing up my parents would often let me spend the night with Grandma (why I often refer to her as my "third parent"). She'd put me in an oversized Garfield t-shirt and let me stay up late watching "I Love Lucy" reruns on Nick at Nite. I'd kick her throughout the night while I slept. In the morning I'd help her do her makeup and put hairspray in her hair. 
• She taught me good manners - In the morning, she would let me pour a concoction of 3 different cereals and when we'd slurp the milk at the end she'd say "Now you don't do this when you have company." I was always a bit confused because I always thought I was company.

 I'm so proud of my Grandma and I can't wait to help her celebrate more birthdays!

Grandma and I on her birthday weekend before I had to go back home to Texas

Who says you can't go home?

I just got back from a 10-day, 1200-mile trip up I-35. I saw plenty friends, family and co-workers along the way!

It all started several months ago when I decided I wanted to go to the National Severe Storms Workshop (NSWW) that's held annually in Norman. It's a really fun event with interesting talks, great networking opportunities and delicious food! Since it's in Norman (and my employer was paying for my attendance to the workshop) I decided to arrive the Sunday before and spend a few days in the office. Since my dad's birthday always falls on or near the dates of the workshop, I decided I could pop up to Wichita (since I was going to be close) and spend the weekend with him as his birthday gift. Then I realized that the Cowtown Run in Fort Worth was the weekend before the conference and Mike would be running the half-marathon. So, for those of you keeping track at home, that's Fort Worth on Saturday, Norman on Sunday, Wichita the following Saturday and all the way back to San Antonio Sunday. Whew!

Fort Worth
Mike did really well in his half-marathon. He finished in 2 hours and 17 minutes which was really great. He ran with Ryan (the brother of my bridesmaid, Ashley) and our friend Grant (Ashley's husband). It was Ryan's first half-marathon and he finished in just over 2 hours! Way to go! I was proud of all 3 of the boys as their personal chauffeur for the event! Mike and Grant reconfirmed their friendship when they discovered they used the same type of toothbrush!

Norman
I had a great 3 days in the office. It was nice to talk to everyone in person. We had an in-residence course going on so I got to help out in the lab. It's nice to have folks to eat lunch with everyday!

The conference was great. I made a few connections and learned a lot about severe weather. (Did you know the US averages 1300 tornadoes each year? And almost every state gets them!)

That Friday, one of my co-workers hosted a bratwurst party at his home. Another co-worker of mine lives in Wisconsin and brought back lots of brats for us to enjoy! It was really great to have one last hurrah with the office before coming home, especially since several of my co-workers have been fortunate enough to take on new opportunities that will further add to their success.

Wichita
I got to Wichita just before lunch. Dad and I ate at Schlotzsky's which isn't unique to Wichita, but there isn't one close to us in San Antonio and I just really wanted a good sandwich. After lunch we dropped my car off for an oil change and went to visit my Grandma. I enjoyed some one-on-one conversation with her before her big 100th birthday bash that will take place May 1. With over 200 people in attendance and family coming in from all over, I likely won't get to talk to her much.

Dad and I went to the Wichita Garden Show where were learned about rain barrels and other fun gardening ideas. Dad even got to hold a snake. (I watched from a safe distance.) After that we met up with my aunt, uncle and cousins as well as Dad's friend, Terry, who is like an uncle to me, for Il Vicino. Il Vicino is a wood-oven pizza place in Wichita that I pretty much HAVE to go to every time I go to Wichita. It's where I went the day after our wedding and I even considered having the welcome dinner there. It's just really good.

Sunday morning I had birthday breakfast with Dad and Terry before gassing up the 4Runner and heading south. It was a long lonely drive but I had the Audiobook of Three Cups of Tea to ward off boredom.

When I arrived home my wonderful husband had cleaned the house and was just getting home from purchasing groceries (including pretty flowers). I had a great time but it's good to be back!

Vortex2 - Day 1: "Hurry up and wait"

So my "Day 1" review will actually begin last Friday (6/5). When I showed up to work that day I still had no clue when I'd be meeting up with the crew. I just knew the change was supposed to happen that weekend. Later that day we found out we'd be heading up north somewhere sunday morning. Good, still some semblance of a weekend...and I still had time to pack!

Saturday morning I woke up to an e-mail saying a Monday departure was more likely

 but to be ready anyway. So after a bike ride around Lake Hefner and a BBQ with friends, Saturday night found me unpacked, unprepared and unsure of when I was leaving.

I woke up at 6am to see if I had gotten word. Still nothing. Finally at 11am an e-mail comes through saying a Monday departure is definite. Awesome. Another day with Mike. We spent Sunday at the OKC Zoo and Science Museum. I finally packed late Sunday night. 

After getting to work Monday I still had no clue when we were leaving or where we were going. Was it Wichita? Salina? Finally around 11, we found out we'd be meeting them in Salina and we left Norman around 12pm. 

I drove with Peter, who is an "IT guy" for OU. The drive was a brief 4 hours. It was really weird driving through Wichita, but maybe I'll stop there later this week. When we arrived there really wasn't much to do. Half of the group had laundry and the other half was too worn out to go exploring. We had dinner at a steak place called Tuscon's and we enjoyed watching the locals marvel at one of the NSSL probes which has instrumentation all over the roof and looks as though it has encountered more than a couple severe hail cores. After dinner we came back to freshen up a bit before hitting the bars. And by bars I mean the bar a

t the Quality Inn which had $3 liter beers and Karaoke. Wow. There are some things I didn't ever think I'd do. That was one of them. It was great though. I met a lot of new people on the project and got to hear some really bad singing from Salina locals.

The rest of the week is expected to be quite active. More later.