Day 12

So, I've been trying to figure out how to post Day 12 and don't have a good solution, yet.

Today started with me (pulled out of bed before the boys) in the shower, to get ready for our 1/2 hour drive to church and leaving early enough to pass out the programs (Yup. I'm the Ward Bulletin lady. That, and three other callings... gotta love a small branch!). When the boys woke up at 7:30, we went straight for the stockings! The boys loved the gifts Santa brought in them! I'll have to post pictures later. Maybe when I figure out how to post my gift...

We finished up the stockings and got the boys in the bath and off to church in a timely manner. We knew that we wouldn't be able to open all the presents casually, like we wanted, so we made the boys wait until we got home around 12:00.

The boys had a great Christmas, Josh included. Josh waited until after all the gifts had been opened and dinner was started before he called me into the kitchen and set me at the computer for my gift: a 15-minute video montage of pictures of our life together (dating through now) set to a mash up of songs from our past. (Hence the trouble sharing it with you, it's just too much data... ) It was so sweet! I wanted Josh to go away so that I could cry in peace, but he enjoyed himself too much. The more I cried, the bigger he smiled.

I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.

Day 11

Josh had to go and drop the Doctor on Duty pager of to his commander today. I was still in bed when he came back with a big bag of goodies for me. Goodies, indeed!

I've been running short on lotion, and the other day, Mason lost my second tube of lipgloss since we moved here. And, believe it or not, I requested the warm grippy socks. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly killed myself running through my house in socks. It's a matter of safety. So, really, I prefer to think of Day 11 as the day of yummy-smelling necessities.

Day 10

Every night, when I go to bed, I like to lull myself to sleep with a good book. Since I have found myself out of decent reading material of late, I have taken to playing a few rounds of solitaire each night on Josh's iPod Touch. I hate to brag but, I'm pretty good... but it gets old. So when I read a recent review in People magazine for "Out of Oz", the final volume to the "Wicked" series, the glowing words they had to say for the entire series intrigued me and I decided that I would read it next. I mentioned it to Josh in passing once or twice, since we generally share books, (he'll read it first, and I follow closely behind.) and waited for his work schedule to slow down.

So, tonight, as I lay down with the iPod to get my game on, I am surprised instead to find on the screen the Kindle App open with the title page for "Wicked". I'd write more, but I am too excited to get reading!!

Day 9

I'm not going to say or show exactly what I got for Day 9 to spare any unwanted mental images. Let's just say that I found it in a basket of clean laundry I was folding and it was definitely more for him than me. I still will say that it was really cute, though!

Day 8

Everyone has traditions for the holidays. Most of mine center around food. For example, food like this:

Which is exactly what I woke up to on Wednesday! I was happy because just the night before, we were at the mall, and walked past a Hickory Farms pop-up stand and I suggested that we get some Summer Sausage for Christmas Eve to which Josh made a face and shrugged his shoulders and said, "Nah.". I was a little hurt, thinking that he had never told me that he didn't like one of my traditions and inwardly sulked a little. Little did I know, he does like my tradition, and had just so happened to receive this gift box in the White Elephant exchange at his work Christmas party.

Of course, that surprised me, because I had asked him what he had gotten in the exchange the Friday before and he LIED! He came in with a Tuna MRE and said that "... it was between that or a bottle of booze. At least food storage might be useful.". Turns out, the Tuna MRE was left over from his C4 course the beginning of December and he had pulled it out of the trunk, knowing that he'd have to come home with something. I think that my husband is a lot more crafty than I give him credit for.

Day 7

It took me all day to find it. My kids had a play date at a local bounce-house place called Jumpin' Jax, so Josh put it in the diaper bag, thinking that I'd find it. Fortunately, Mason is halfway potty trained (He only pees in the potty...) and I had no reason to get into the bag. When he called on his way home from work, he asked if I had found it yet, which sent me excitedly ransacking it's contents. After a few more hints from Josh, I found it!

A Buckle Gift Card!! I recently discovered the joy that is shopping (as a big-bootied woman) for jeans at The Buckle. A far better experience! Thanks for the tip, Morgan! Anyway, Josh realized that I only have two pair of jeans and thought that I could use more, but knew better than to buy them for me. Smart boy! I can't wait to go shopping! Now all I need is a good shopping buddy...

Day 6

He's getting more clever with each passing day! Today he made the kids breakfast while I got in the shower. As usual, I gathered my clothes from the closet and brought them into the bathroom with me, set them on the counter and got in the shower. When I got out of the shower, I found a new outfit waiting for me where the one I had picked used to be! Tricky, tricky!

Not too bad at picking up my hints, that man... Oklahoma is COLD! Cold without snow. Bah.

**For the record, I am not posting these things to brag about my husband. Since it seems that I am basically the only one who reads my blog, I am mostly doing it for journalling purposes. So I am sorry if you think that this is a "brag blog". I hate those, too...**

Day 5

I think Josh must be trying to get me caught up on sleep! Today after church, I was cold and went to my bed to relax under my blankets. Of course, I fell asleep and had a three-hour nap! That hasn't happened, I think, since before Ethan was born! When I woke up, Josh was making dinner (watch out, Josh! A girl could get used to this...!) and told me to look in the "... foremost quadrant of the house." for my gift. In the laundry room, I found the jeans I washed yesterday, hanging to dry, with a new accessory attached!

I love it! I've been saying forever that I need a new belt, and when I figured out the other day that I could take off a pair of my jeans without unbuttoning them, I guess that threw him into action. Before anyone asks, it's not that I've lost any weight. On the contrary, my butt is as big (or bigger) than ever and with a relatively small waist, meaning that my pants gap in all the wrong places. But not anymore!!

And I'm happy to say that he's got pretty good taste, too!

Now on a different note, we had our Branch Christmas Party last night. It was so fun and the Young Women put it together. (We all know the youth of the church are amazing!) And they also put together a video for us, featuring our children. It was pretty good, so I have to share:

Enjoy!

Day 4

Today Josh let me sleep in until 10:00! It was blissful! I only felt a little guilty that I was sleeping while he was playing with the children...

When he came in to cuddle with me and I discovered the time, I figured that was my "Day 4", but not so! I walked out for breakfast to find one of these, burning in my kitchen.

The other day we went shopping for gifts for his Dental Assistant and the boys' teachers and found ourselves at Bath and Body Works where I inadvertently gave him oodles of hints while testing all the yummy scents. Evidently, he took notes because he went back to the Mall (quite the feat, 9 days before Christmas!) and got me some of the yummiest ones!

Day 3

This morning I woke up with a cold. My third or fourth one this year. Actually, my third or fourth one since I moved to Oklahoma. Needless to say, I was not in a happy mood. Until... I got a text and opened my phone to read it and found a note inside my phone. The note was a clue and it began a scavenger hunt through the house. The last note I found was inside of this:

And read:

"Happy day 3!

I tried to pick something

out of here myself, but

then my brain exploded.

So hopefully you can think

of something you need in

here..."

Are you kidding me?! If you know me, you know I L-O-V-E Stampin' Up! products, so of course I have no problem thinking of something I absolutely NEED in here!! It's just a question of how much needing I am to do... hmm?

Second Day

Flowers! Josh never gets me flowers, but I only have myself to blame for that one. I LOVE getting flowers but Josh forgets to get them for me because, you see, I am weird about them. I don't want flowers on my birthday or anniversary and I'd probably kill him if he spent double to get me some on Valentine's Day. I prefer to get flowers at random on some Tuesday in March. A Tuesday in March that he was thinking about me and how much he loves me.

So, since it's Thursday the 15th of December, the Second Day of Christmas rocks! He also said that he picked these particular flowers because they "... reminded me of our wedding.". Bonus points, for sure!

Really excited for tomorrow... but now I'm going to go and smell the roses.

12 Days of Christmas

Josh took me on a date the other day. As we trolled the isles at the Lawton Wal-Mart, Christmas shopping without kids, he told me that he was tired of being a "lame" husband. Apparently, he found some of our old dating paraphernalia the other day (you know, back when you used to have time to woo each other?) and decided that he wasn't taking out enough time to woo me anymore. I'm pretty sure that I have the sweetest husband ever, and I told him that he was over thinking it and that wooing me was folding the laundry or taking out the trash without being asked or some other mundane gross task that I don't want to do. Evidently, this did not satisfy him because this is what I woke up to this morning:

In case you can't read it, it says, "Happy First Day of Christmas. -Santa" and yes, that is a note on toilet paper. But, more importantly, it's what the note is hanging on. When we moved into this house, the toilet paper holder was hanging halfway out of the wall. Each time I got some toilet paper, I was certain it would fall off the wall, and I would do my best to push it back. It got worse and worse until I didn't feel it could support the weight of the roll. Josh kept telling me that it was an easy fix and one day he'd get around to it. In hind sight, he must have been saving it for a special occasion...

And, yes, it made me cry.

Happy First Day of Christmas! I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store!!

Jack Handey and the power to woo.

More than eight years ago, my affections were won by a sweet, humble, good, caring, kind, *handsome*, wonderful, funny, too-good-to-possibly-be-true, man. Exactly eight years ago, I married him.

I have nothing but dumb luck to thank for the decision I made that day. Well, that, and Jack Handey, who played a significant role in our courtship.

" To me, it's a good idea to always carry around two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" you can say,

"Sorry, got these sacks.""

-Jack Handey

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself. Mankind. Basically, it's made up of two separate words-- "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean?

It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind."

-Jack Handey

"If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the mirror,

because I bet that's what really throws you into a panic."

-Jack Handey

"Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine,

which I guess was why several of us died of tuberculosis."

-Jack Handey

"I can't stand cheap people. It makes me real mad when someone says something like, "Hey, when are you going to pay me that hundred dollars you owe me?" or "Do you have that fifty dollars you borrowed?"

Man, quit being so cheap!"

-Jack Handey

"Love is not something that you can put chains on and throw into a lake. That's called Houdini. Love is liking someone a lot."

-Jack Handey

Happy 8th Anniversary, Baby.

Every day I am grateful for the mystery that is a boy like you and a girl like me.

What a Week!

Wednesday:

The Senior Gala. Josh wasn't going to go, but was told by the Associate Dean of Student Affairs that he had to go. Glad we did. Not only was it fun, but he and three of his classmates were chosen by Delta Dental for an award for student leadership. The award came with a significant monetary prize, which made the night even more fun!

Oh, and Josh danced with me. First time since our wedding! I know you wish you could have seen that...

Oh, and notice the stylish accessory on my wrist? That means that Josh forgot to buy us booze passes. Shoot...

Thursday:

Many of you received an invitation to our Open House for Josh. It was a specially-themed dessert bar. You can't read the sign well in this picture, but it says, "Dr. Gailey's Sweet-Tooth Cafe". It wasn't terrifically attended so there were a LOT of leftovers, but we had a good time! Thank you to all who made it out.

We loved sharing Josh's big week with you!

Friday:

Josh's Dental School Commencement where he received his doctoral hood.

In the above picture is Dean Karen West giving him his commemorative medallion.

Family picture after the graduation. The kids were ready to be done, and I'm pretty sure that the picture is smeary because I was using the camera to placate a restless two-year-old.

After the commencement, Josh and I treated all those who came to dinner at BJ's Brewery.

Best pizza in the world!!

(Seriously, if you ever manage to make it there, try "The Great White". You will not be disappointed.)

Needless to say, it was a long week for our boys, and as you can tell, it tuckered out a few of them...

Thank you to all of you that made it, even if only for 24 hours. It was great to see you!

Saturday:

Saturday morning was Josh's military advancement ceremony.

He is now officially a "Captain" in the US Army!

I have no idea what the beaver face is about...

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Graduation.

Baby, you make robes look good!

We were there for four hours, and the crowd was HUGE!

Thank you to Maggie and Jeff for watching the kids for us!

Overall, it was a good week, but much too busy for home-bodies like us. Now we're just looking forward to kicking back and, um, packing?

Please Allow Me To Introduce You...

... to my husband:

Dr. Joshua David Gailey, DMD

*Congratulations, Baby! I am SO proud of you!

Ah, I see you are back...

So, I couldn't help but notice that you're checking out my new blog header. . . I know it's nice, but try to control your excitement. The neighbors may begin to talk.

But, hey, as long as you're here, why don't you take a look at few of my favorite shots from our graduation (what!?) announcement photo shoot. Obviously, I can't show you all the shots, because I want you waiting with bated breath until our announcements come out, but here's just a little taste:

The Fam.

My boys. L-O-V-E this picture; it's totally each of their personalities caught on film.

Me and my man. I can't believe that he's graduating!

Even more still, I can't believe that he's survived being married to a neurotic nut like me for nearly 8 years!

Sloan. Love this picture; again personality caught on film.

Doing a little celebrating... we still got it!

A very talented lady we know (and love!) here took them, and she did a great job! My boys are always hard to get good shots of, but she was amazing!

Check out Chelsea at Hazlebury Photography! She really is the best! Thanks again, Chelsea!

One. Perfect. Day.

No breakfast in bed.

No silly songs.

No over-the-top dinner.

No gifts.

Just cake.

A White-Chocolate Raspberry Torte.

Made from scratch.

The Seven-Year Itch

I like you

And I know why

I like you because

You are a good person

To like

I like you because

When I tell you something special

You know it's special

And you remember it

A long long time

You say

Remember when you told me

Something special

And both of us remember

When I think something is important

You think it's important too

We have good ideas

When I say something funny

You laugh

I think I'm funny and

You think I'm funny too

Hah-hah

That's because

You really like me

You really like me

Don't you

And I really like you back

And you like me back

And I like you back

And that's the way we keep on going

Every day

I like you because if I am mad at you

Then you are mad at me too

It's awful when the other person isn't

Phooey

They are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about

punch them in the nose

If you find two four-leaf clovers

You give me one

If I find four

I give you two

If we only find three

We keep on looking

Sometimes we have good luck

And sometimes we don't

I like you because

I don't know why but

Everything that happens

Is nicer with you

I can't remember when I didn't like you

It must have been lonesome then

I like you because because because

I forget why I like you

But I do

So many reasons

I guess I don't know why I like you really

Why do I like you

I guess I just like you

I guess I just like you.

Happy Anniversary, Baby. I like you.

(Words from: "I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg)

Retreat

I recently enjoyed a wonderful weekend with some of my girlfriends at Red Rock Spa. It was fabulous! I indulged in a Swedish massage, pampered my piggies with a pedicure, and discovered the fabulousness that is a hand massage during a manicure. We enjoyed dinner at the buffet, entertainment at the Cinema, and a night away from crying babies in the hotel. It was amazing, relaxing, and so good to catch up with friends I don't get to see often enough. (Sadly, I'm a terrible oaf and didn't remember my camera to get any pictures of this amazing weekend... Oh, wait... what's this that I stole from Maggie's blog?)

The four Musketeers who braved the hotel, spa, and luncheon. Yeah. We're real troopers.

And what did My Boys find to do while I was away? I guess Josh figured that I would wonder just that and so he made me this wonderful video while I was away:

What a sweet bunch of men I have!

Thank you, Josh, for taking such good care of my babies while I was away pampering myself and thank you to all the lovely ladies who put up with me on a (nearly) daily basis. I had a blast. You really are the best! Here's to our Caribbean vacation, 2025!

I'll take that as a compliment.

My 27th Birthday is on Saturday. Yep, the big 2-7.

Josh told me that he has had a dinner planned for my birthday since September which, of course, I didn't believe. I'm the obsessive planner in the family, believe it or not. I, knowing that he knows that I HATE surprises, was sure I could get it out of him before B-Day, but the man had suddenly become Fort Knox. Oh wait. Tidbits I got out of him include:

"Sarah said she'd like it, if she were you."

Who the crap is Sarah?

And, "They specialize in gamey meat."

Ah. He forgot the deer meat tin foil dinners that I threw up on our third or fourth date.

Irritated, but excited, I decided to get ready for my date. Not knowing where we were going meant I had to dress up but not be too dressy. Hmm. I settled on a nice sweater dress and tights with a sleek updo to dress it up. After an hour of toiling in the bathroom over hair and makeup, I looked fabulous! Like this:

And this:

And this:

See what I mean? Yeah. The pictures don't do it justice, really. Promise. It was elegant.

So Josh gets home, and I, standing in the bathroom, put a bright smile on my face (the kind that says, "You're supposed to notice something...") and wait for the glowing compliments that would surely follow.

"So, Ethan can't watch TV?"

"That's all you have to say?"

After a minute of weighing his options:

"I, uhm, I would be proud(?) to take you out in public looking the way that you do?"

I'll take it.

*Josh took me to Serendipity of Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace so that I could finally taste the frozen hot chocolate I've been talking about since I saw it on Oprah 5 years ago. It was yummy and romantic. I love that man!