ga comes to ok

during the second half of the holidays, my dear friend laura came to stay with us and sweetly let me show her around my home state for a week. you may recognize her from my visits to alabama for whitney's wedding last year, and jessica's wedding the year before that. 

it felt like christmas round two for me, i was so excited counting down the days until she was physically here!

[the four of us altogether]

[favorite deli]

once we'd picked laura up from the airport, we freshed up at the house, and set out to show her around some of our favorite norman locales...this of course had to include a walking tour of the university. i mean, how could we not show her a bit of sooner pride?

[hanging in the stacks]

[art touring]

[insert heart eye emoji here]

[happy hour hangs]

the weather couldn't have been more perfect - not winter-like, but a cool, crisp fall day. the exact type of weather you want for walking around campus and showing off the sights before quenching our thirst. plus, it ended up being a great op for her to try a few okie beers. 

later that night, we took her to one of my favorite pasta shops with m+j for dinner. i mean, one of my favorite gal pals comes to town so, we have to get pasta at some point, right? at least it does in my book.

[group shot]

[late night sips]

the next day, we slept in a bit, i cheered (again) that she was here, and we made our trek out to the wichitas for a light hike. sadly we couldn't bring the pups with, but i don't think they minded too much since they were due for their afternoon nap. 

[livin' on the edge]

[michael's viewpoint]

at some point, T and michael took off to explore a cave they hadn't noticed before while laura and i took in the views. i had a feeling she'd love seeing how rocky the trails looked against the red earth. plus, i just knew she would get a kick out of seeing wild bison and longhorn cattle being the avid animal lover she is.  

[best buds]

["that's so cool to see them in nature, and be so close"]

[hey handsome]

that night was our night to show her some of our favorite okc spots. thankfully, a good amount of christmas decor was still up so she got to view the city all dolled up. 

[grilled pineapple tres leches...i still dream of you]

we tried all the things at dinner from apps to cocktails to entrees. of course it was delicious, but i was more focused on the great company and conversation. 

[cocktail tasting]

[shades of red]

[late night ramen snack]

[bar hopping]

[solo and his girlfriend]

now, i have to take a moment to note how much the pups fell in love with laura. not kidding, they spooned with her in bed every night, and soaked up every single cuddle and head scratch from her. i'm pretty sure they were in love with her, and the scent of her gorgeous blonde lab molly. 

[jingle juice and cranberry sangria]

during the day, we lounged in our pjs, snacked on yummy food, and watched some of our favorite 'feel good' movies. that night, we invited a few friends over to sip cocktails, have some laughs, and ring in the new year. 

[nye dressed]

[oven nachos with all the goodies]

T and i are not ones for bars and huge parties on nye so our little get together with some of our amazing friends was exactly our cup of tea. i loved introducing laura to our gang and seeing them have such a blast getting to know her. 

[late night slumber party...with solo on my lap]

the next day, we took it easy and made all the yummy foods for laura. T whipped up his infamous cowboy breakfast (steak and runny eggs with toast), senor crockpot helped me with southern black eyed peas and cornbread for lunch, and we had my turkey noodle soup for dinner. it was perfectly laid-back and was ripe for girl talk. T very sweetly didn't mind a bit. 

[the biggest lap dog you ever did see]

[new year's day traditions]

[beer decisions]

[laura and T's okie-themed beer pics]

the next day, we got a strange gust of warmth in so, we decided to take advantage of it with some corn hole and beer (well, cider for me). it was a great way to gear up for T and i's (ou), and laura's (auburn) upcoming sugar bowl game that night. now, normally rivals are talking smack, down playing the opposing team, and making faces at the others' colors. laura and i couldn't be more opposite. it was probably the friendliest rivals you've ever seen. in fact, we both had predicted the other to win. 

[cheers]

[sugar bowl rivals]

laura's last day turned bitterly cold outside, so we thought warming up by exploring a local coffee shop, and meeting one of my favorite local makers was the best way to warm up. good thing we were right ;)

[hand tarts and cafe]

[trying out a new (to me) sandwich shop]

then, we took her back to the airport, i got weepy, and we hugged goodbye at least ten times. even the pups were pouting. 

we had such a great time, and already can't wait for her to come back out.

awesome & awkward

[christmas cookies for friends]

awesome:

• T and i have recently gotten into playing our classical records when we get home, and while we cook dinner. it first started as a happy accident when i came home from work, and T had a record on. i'd had a very trying day, but felt immediately soothed coming in hearing soft piano keys tapping along. it's now become our favorite way to decompress from the day, and catch up with one another. 
• a little over a week ago, our part of the state woke up to the most beautiful blanket of snow. we spent the day playing in it with the pups, who are big time powder lovers. between having the day off from work (due to weather), a fire crackling inside, and the gorgeous views, it was a really great day. 
• after losing my banana cream pie recipe some time ago (insert crying emoji here), i spent the next several months searching for it high and low. then, by some kind of miracle, i'd stumbled upon it again! and not a moment too soon, since i'd had some bananas that were calling its name ;)

awkward:

• for as long as i can remember, T has been quite the prankster. one of his main go-tos is to ask me if i have the house (or car) keys once the doors are locked. because i am naturally forgetful, a panicked expression comes across my face before T finally says he has the keys. i can't tell you how often i fall for it when i've just watched him lock the door in front of me. then, while on a walk with the pups last week, T actually lost them. i can't tell you how long i gave him the look, okay, it's not funny anymore. please unlock the door!, before it sunk in he was telling the truth. we ended up finding the keys, but i think it's the last we'll see of that prank.

[smell so good]

['rents' chicken noodle soup - yum!]

[my favorite xmas scene from this past season]

[tri-colors]

holidaze with family, part two

once christmas day had wrapped up with T's family, we cleaned up the house, and got ready for our trip to tulsa that evening. we were even able to surprise my mom that day since i'd fibbed and told her we wouldn't be in until much later that night. it's been my second year to trick her into thinking i'd either not see her until the day after, or much later. her surprise face is seriously one of my favorites. 

[dad's tree pick - lush, bright, and gorgeous]

[mom (above) and T (below) playing with our gag gifts]

[my 'santa' jammies and dad's drop biscuits with sausage and gravy]

the next day, we did a bit of holiday sale shopping, relaxed, and got ready for boxing day festivities to come that evening.

while snacking on appetizers with my family, my dad, grandpa bill, and i had a whiskey tasting. each time we get together, it's become a little tradition for us to do a tasting. i love getting to see what each of us likes (and why), and our tastes. then...onto the most delicious ham-themed boxing day dinner courtesy of my awesome dad. 

[sneak attack!]

[a very happy boba...he loves his grandma]

[nightcap]

the next day, we spent time catching up with my family, packed, and had a dee-licious lunch at a local restaurant.

another wonderful christmas season filled with our families during my favorite time of year...what more could a girl want? :)

holidaze with family, part one

hello, hello 2017! i hope you all had a sweet holiday season. i can't say ours was necessarily relaxing, but boy, did we have a ball. i didn't realize how packed it was until a co-worker asked about our holiday break. to kick things off, i thought i'd start by recapping christmas with both our families. 

T and i finished up our last bits of holiday shopping, took in all of the festive city decor, and sipped festive cocktails to evade the big crowds. it was the perfect way to get excited for the events to come. 

[spiced cocoa with fresh 'mallows]

[teeter tottering]

[savory dinners with a great friend and madeira]

then, T and i got to work prepping, chopping, and cleaning for christmas at our house with his parents and our nephew. we've hosted christmas twice now, and i think we are getting better at it every go around - T especially. his smoked turkeys he makes for thanksgiving and xmas are the stuff dreams are made of. it's even made me start to love white meat which is a feat in itself since i'm a die-hard dark meat fan.

[trifle for dessert]

[my nephew's contribution to xmas eve dinner - salad :)]

[a resting turkey, chef T, and festive sangria]

in the past, we had done christmas day dinner, but T wanted to bring back his family's tradition of christmas eve dinner. in his family, the day before held all the magic, tenderness, and wonder - not the day itself. so, we brought back eve dinner with our new tradition of hot cocoa and popcorn to snack on with a festive movie before bed.  

[i just love this photo of T's mom]

the next morning, T and i whipped up a christmas morning feast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and orange sweet rolls (courtesy of pioneer woman). and while we had a balmy 70 degree day, it was a beautifully memorable holiday.