The rest of September.

Hello little blog world of mine.

I have not abandoned you, although I've thought about it.
I'm not really sure why I've been dragging my feet on coming back here.
But aha! I am here. Blogs apparently don't write themselves.

Life lately according to my phone looks like this:
Lots & lots of dogs.

I just can't get enough of these boys.
Comet even let King kiss his entire head last night. Baby steps.

1., 2. & 3. We also had one of my favorite weekends we've had in a very long time.
It was easy & relaxing & we spent an entire day just hanging out in our city with Hank.
He is such a little social butterfly & was making friends with every dog at the dog park. 
4. Post-dog park exhaustion that lasted through the next day too.
5. We had a gathering for Ryan's birthday with most of our favorite people.
(You were so dearly missed Marshell's!)
6. We babysat Max for a couple of hours which meant lots of giggling 
& saying "What the heck are you saying Max?". Children at that age are quality entertainment.
We also had a really nice late-night dinner + movie afterwards that was perfect.


So... there. That pretty much sums up our month.
How is it October already?
Vacation is so close.

Weekly Round-Up: Sep 2-8

1. It's official. I'm stuck with these glasses from BonLook that I'm really not fond of.

My request for exchanging them wasn't approved which is..whatever.

I let it go but not before telling them exactly how I felt about the quality.

We have bought 9 pairs of BonLook glasses & I don't regret a single one, except these.

2. & 3. Thai dates with the Marshell family might be my new favorite thing.

Max surprises me every week by how fast he's growing up.

I can't wait to hear him say "Aunt Jana".. or at least his version of it.

I feel so blessed to be apart of that kids life.

4. Ryan & his step-mom share the same birthday

& we've always gone to dinner with them every year to celebrate.

This year we went to Musashi's & it was really pretty good!

(I am so grateful that it wasn't Greek House... again. I really hate gyros. Haha.)
More importantly, Kim has been doing MUCH better for those that have been asking.
She's still not 100% & I really hope that changes soon.
They (meaning the doctors) don't really know what happened or what's going on
& I really hope they find some answers soon.
5. Ryan & I went on his birthday date Saturday
& experienced the luxury of reclining seats @ AMC Penn Square.
I was really blown away by the remodel of that theater.
We'd only been once before about 7 years ago & they were pretty crappy.
Considering you have to pay $22 for a reclining seat at our usual go-to theater,
I think we'll be returning to Penn more often than not for our movie theater dates.
6. Comet has a thing for over-sized dog beds.
Any chance he gets, he curls up on Hank's comfy bed & it always cracks me up.

7., 8. & 9. These are my boys & they are the best.
There are days when I just want to snuggle Ollie
& then I get home & see these 3 overly happy faces.


We also celebrated Ryan's birthday with my family @ Del Rancho
which was Ryan's pick since I also hate Del Ranch.
I know, I know. That's like a sin or something.
& we got some good friend time with The Apple's so Rachel could teach me how to play Magic.
I did enjoy it, although I don't know if I'll ever be into playing in large groups.
I could definitely get into some 'in-the-right-close-setting' Magic though.
I hope you all had a fantastic week!

Weekly Round-Up: Aug 12-18

Honestly, I feel so grumpy today that I don't really give a shit about this blog right now.

But my little OCD head is already frustrated that I'm a day behind so carry on, I must.

1. Dinner date with The Marshell's so I could experience Thai food the first time.

The highlight was obviously hanging out with Max who was in a fantastic mood.

I know you're all dying to know my thoughts on the food which is:

I think I could seriously like some shrimp pad thai.

But let's get real & say that what I remember most is that it smells like wet dog.

Side note: I was totally trying to be sweet yesterday & took Ryan to eat thai again because a) there was another groupon & b) I wanted to try it again -- & it was so horrible. All around - just a horrible experience.

But, it did not let me down in the fact that it did still smell like wet dog.

2. We hung out @ my brother & sister-in-law's house for some games & beer.

Of course beer. Darren Griffis & beer don't come separately.

3. I mean, weekly dose of cute right there. Am I wrong?

4. I got all brave & tucked my shirt into skirt & had to ask the world if I was doing it right. 

I am not great at that whole "wardrobe" thing. Why can't we all just look like we walked out of a Pinterest board?

5. I mentioned 2 weeks ago that I was ready to do an ultimate "de-clutter" of the house

& I have been doing just that for 2 weeks now - room by room.

I'm not really sure what to do with all of the crap I have piled in my kitchen that I no longer want

but I guess that's for another post.

This picture is what I stared at all night long because I got the bright idea to swap our bedrooms...

at 8pm on a weeknight in the middle of my de-cluttering 

& had no time to hang curtains to cover the very bright streetlights outside the window.

It wasn't in the plan. My plan was clean. clean. clean. clean.

& then an hour later I'm dragging our headboard down the hall

after I had just told Ryan that I would NOT be moving our bed until the weekend.

6. This is my favorite picture right now. It is nearly impossible to get a picture of all 3 & I managed to do it while also capturing their personalities so well.

Hank is always being silly in some way or another. He can't even lay on his dog bed properly. He is always hanging off one way or another even though there is more than enough room.

King is always seeking love & attention so of course he's already staring at me when I get my phone out

& Comet... well Comet just got done humping the shit out of King's back & is now sitting like the prince he is right where he just did his business. THIS. This is my everyday life as a dog owner. 

7. It's pretty neat to watch these two love each other more & more every day. 

They spooned for a couple of hours just like this.

8. The spooning led to mama caving & letting them sleep in the same crate together.

(We've been making them sleep in crates for a week or so & it's weird but nice... but also kind of sad.)

9. This is what I look like when I'm a bridesmaid.

More on that in a different post.

Weekly Round-Up: June 17-23

1. Crooked bangs + a bun on my head.

2. Ryan teaching Max about Harley Davidsons.

3. Proof Comet is still alive!

4. We put Comet in Hank's pen & they were just so happy together.

5. Hank & I working on "stay" during week 5 of obedience school.

6. Birthday celebration for this pretty lady.

7. 20+ years of Cooper/Griffis tradition of playing Sequence. I might also add that I won in record time.

8. He's so exhausted after training class.

9. They were being extra cute last night & melting my heart.

Dear Max,

Why are you growing up so fast?

I remember holding you in the hospital minutes after your birth & you were just so tiny.

Now you're well over a year old & too smart for me.

I love the way you just know when something is a button.

I swear I could put you in front of a wall of identical circles & you'd know which one was a button.

I love how you find car keys & go to the front door when you want to leave.

I love how you saw me open the Bocce ball set once 

& you were able to unlock all 4 hinges perfectly every time afterwards.

I love how you reach up to hold my hand when you walk down steps.

I love how much you love my dogs & are constantly pointing & saying "Dah".

Hank seems to be particularly fond of you,

Ollie is mostly just scared of you so she just submits to you the entire time

& Comet just runs away when you get within 10 feet.

I guess I would too if you picked me up by my neck.

Most of all I love how much you seem to love us

& show it by not caring when your parents leave. Haha!

& I definitely hope that never changes

You are going to be such a weird & awesome human being.

I can't wait to see it unfold in front of me.

Love,

Your Aunt Jana

Weekly Round-Up: Apr 5-11

Our week in Instagram!

1. Triple-date night @ HeyDay with The Marshell's & Natalie & Jeremy. 2. Hank hiding from the vet in my hair. 

3. Tamra (who is a new friend this past year & I adore her) spilled an entire beer in her lap.

4. We Thundered Up! with Jeremy. 5. Ollie let Hank touch her without wanting to wrestle. We'll take it as a win.

6. I've found my love for creating again & spent all day Sunday crafting & watching Lost.

7. We watched our niece Ariah & she big girl laughed at our dogs wrestling the entire time.

8. I was sick this week & the dogs loved every second of it. 9. Our life now has 1% milk in it & we're not happy.

10. Something this cute is pretty self explanatory. 11. The hookah is back!

12. Oh Max, how I love you... & how you love cookies... or at least the icing!

Weekly Round-Up: Mar 29-Apr 4

This week has been one thing after another.

Have we even sat down this week?

I'm not sure.

I'm trying something new to keep this alive.
Weekly Instagram Round-Up from mine & Ryan's phone too!

1. Ollie is a singer. 2. Max & Ryan playing piano. 3. Hungover breakfast made by my husband. 

4. Black Canyon show which caused #3. 5. My boys. 6. Max loves crayons. 

7. Chain wallets are back in our household. 8. Is that an adult dog? 9. We were grumpy. 

10. My hair is long 11. All Max wanted was his Uncle Ryan's love. 12. Hank, QUIT GROWING!

What I didn't get in picture form:
Easter came & we enjoyed our afternoon at Ryan's parents.

I love our meals & time spent there.

There are few places where I'm just as comfortable as I would be in my own home

& their house is one of those places.

It's probably because they've always made me feel like 

I'm just as much their child as the ones they raised

& there's not a better feeling than that.

Growing up!

Hello blog,

It's been a little bit.

Husband & I have been busy enjoying life.

I'm kind of enjoying the "stage" we're in, so to speak.

Being a huge home-body,

I'm loving all of the time we're spending

with just us & our babes at home.

Having Hank has given me a new sense of responsibility

& it's one I'm actually enjoying.

Tank had his first vet visit last week

& he's currently tripled his weight since we've had him.

5 weeks vs. 12 weeks:

He makes me miss my baby Ollie.

She was the most precious puppy.

I barely remember those days now.

She grew up to be such a sweet & smart girl,

just like I know Hank will.

Look at that 6 week vs. 6 years difference:

 & just so Comet won't feel left out:

Hank was smaller than Comet when we brought him home!

Oh my.

I took Hank to visit Max this weekend

& it just about killed me watching those 2 together.

That kid really loves dogs.

He would just point at Hank & squeal with excitement.

& Hank was so good with him.

He didn't even "puppy-bite" him.

I want both of them to stop growing.

It's happening too fast!

2013

I have high hopes for this year.

We're exactly 1 week into this year and I couldn't ask for it to be better.

We rang in the new year as Chola's celebrating Tommie's birthday.

Ryan & Jeremy as Cholo's.
I contemplated not displaying this on the web
but oh, what the hell.
Sorry if you're offended. :)

Max's first birthday party was on Saturday.

I can't believe he's already a year. That time has flown by.

I can't even comprehend how his parents must feel.

On a side note, I don't look forward to having to plan birthday parties.

I got to spend the rest of my Saturday with my dear friend Natalie.

It had been a long time since we'd been able to spend some one-on-one time like that

& I cherished every second of it.

I can't begin to describe how much it meant to me to just sit

& talk with her for hours. About everything.

It was the most refreshing conversation I've had in a long time.

We decided to make a spur of the moment mini road trip

& drive out to Eischen's in Okarche

(which is not as far as I thought it was, by the way).

By the time we made it there and walked inside,

we realized neither one of us really like fried chicken enough

to wait in the unbelievable long line inside.

I will say that it smelled like heaven in there though.

We wound up at Sid's Diner in El Reno

& it felt like we were in another world.

No clue why but I felt like an alien in that tiny little shack.

So 2013, please be good to me.

Let me continue to feel the love I feel right now all year long.

This is the year I partly quit smoking 

[ E-Cigarette's count as halfway quitting right? :) ]

This is the year we become debt free.

[ Just 6 more months to go!! ]

Those are my only two statements for this year.

They're the only 2 things I know for certain

& I don't believe in new year resolutions.

These 2 things are enough for me though.

I can't wait.

Dear Max,

You're my favorite kid on this Earth.

Your parents are pretty awesome too. You better be nice to them.

Your mom is one of the most amazing women and has kept your Aunt Jana sane.

Thanks for letting your Uncle Ryan & I hang out with you last night.

You might have been the best & easiest kid I've ever watched (& that's a lot of kids)!

It's okay that you like playing with Uncle Ryan more than me.

He might get more laughs out of you but I get more cuddles and kisses.

I think I'll take you reaching for me any day. :)

Your laugh lights up the room & makes my heart melt.

I hope you'll forever be my best bud.

I love you to the moon & back, you genius.

Love,

Your Aunt Jana

The Truth About 2012

My sweet neighbor has inspired me to be honest

about how I really feel about 2012 & what it's really been for me

emotionally, mentally & physically.

Not because I want to whine, but just as she said, I want it documented.

And I'd actually really like prayer for it. Something I have a hard time asking for.

2012 has been one of the hardest years for me personally.

It has been painful & it's been full of a big battle of depression.

My initial reaction to the New Year is that I'm so thankful it's over.

I've never put any weight on the whole "It's a new year & fresh beginning" idea

but this year, I feel it. It is a fresh beginning for me.

That scares the hell out of me.

2012 ending also means so much to me.

It means a lot of really big disappointment.

2012 has resulted in a lot of broken friendships.

A few were thankfully repairable thanks to grace.

People I thought would always be a constant in my life,

I had to let go & realize it wasn't meant to be.

I definitely felt those losses greatly & grieved them for a long time.

2012 was the year I realized just how attached I am to my dogs.

As silly as it is, letting Lady Bird go has tremendously affected me.

I never realized the love I had for her

& how much I desperately want her back.

2012 made me face the reality that I may never have children.

I had health issues for a majority of the year in this area

that might mean I don't even ovulate.

I know, be positive Jana.

I spend most of my time being positive about the situation

but I'm also realistic & know it just might not be in the cards for me.

I hide from this reality every day.

When 2012 ends, that'll mean it's been 3 years that we've desperately

wanted a family. THREE YEARS.

I don't know how to cope with that

but I'm doing the best I can.

My dark reality is that I'm hurting in this situation

& it hurts me to see what feels like everyone else around me

expand their families.

It's definitely a selfishness in me that I need to work on.

At the same time, I just ask you have a little grace for me.

Sometimes it hurts me to look at your child

& I take that one day at a time.

With that being said, this year has brought joy as well.

I've realized that family means more to me than I know.

& they've been supportive of me in ways I don't deserve.

My oldest sister, Cara, means more to me than I know how to explain.

& I plan on being the sister that I should have been the past 6 years

& never waiver from that again.

Tommie & Jason Marshell & their son Max have been crucial in my life.

They'll never grasp just how much they heal me.

Max, your Aunt Jana never knew she could love you the way she does.

My husband shows me everyday how amazing he is.

I'm blown away by our love for each other & our marriage daily.

I pray these next 5 years will be just like our last 5

& that our communication never changes.

I'm always shocked by his reactions to me "showing my ugly".

The things I'm scared to say out loud, never even seem to phase him.

If I do have children one day, I hope they're just like their father.

April & May 2012

Every year we have a few months that string together one bad thing after the next. Something usually happens with the house and then to our personal lives. We've hit those months.

• The squirrells have officially declared war on our house. If anyone would like proof of the damage that a squirrell can cause to your wood siding or shingles, come on over. Those little shits can chew.
• Lotion bottles have been flushed down toilets. Good news is, we have a really bad ass toilet that can flush things with a 1.5 inch diameter. This will come in handy when we have kids I'm sure.
• Windows have leaked water... just add it to the list of ways our house is falling apart.
• We lost Lady Bird.
• Ollie has been sick. She threw up for 12 straight hours. Come to find out, dogs with sensitive systems can't handle flea collars.
• I have been "sick". Not really sick but something is wrong with my body and it has caused so much joy, stress, anxiety, dissapointment and fear to last me awhile.
• I found out I have high cholesterol. This stuns me that I have to worry about clogged arteries at barely 23 years old.

To look on the bright side:

• I celebrated my 23rd birthday earlier this month & Ryan made it perfect. We just spent the entire day together starting with brunch @ Iguana's (I highly recommend it), a movie, bowling, dinner, etc. I wish every day was like that day.

• My birthday was also made special by dinner with my family, roller skating and a quiet "surprise" celebration with homemade ice cream cake with more friends.



• I've really learned a lot about myself and the people in my life these past two months.
• I know more than ever that God sent The Marshell's to be in our lives even more so to help us through times like the past few months. I wouldn't have survived without them. They are too dear for words. Not to mention, they are parents to my nephew so I have to adore them anyway. :)

• We're going on our first real vacation in 4.5 years in 19 days to meet our new little nephew Kyle who was born May 8th.



Meet Kyle Edward Adkins

• I have realized more than ever just how bad I want and am ready to be a mom.
• Having high cholesterol will force us to stay on diet and lose the weight we want off. I only wish our neighborhood wasn't too sketchy to go running in after dark.
• The Thunder just made it to the Western Conference Finals. That's pretty amazing.

On a side note, Blogspot's formatting is driving me crazy. I am not putting those gaps in between paragraphs. Even when I look at the HTML there are not spaces entered. I don't understand.

Max Nolan Marshell

Remember this?

Max came last month and I'm officially an auntie!

(I'm obviously really late on updating about this..)

Ryan & I were so thankful to be a part of Max's welcoming committee. 

I was honored to be waiting in that room waiting for those precious words, "He's here!"

We're so ready to be a part of this kids life

& share so many precious memories with him and his parents.

"All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, you'd better run, better run, out run my gun." - Foster The People

It's been awhile. I've been a funk when it comes to my blog. So much has happened I don't even know where to begin.

One. For those who remember this post... We got our bedroom ceiling fixed and it's awesome. Preston is a lifesaver. We also painted our bedroom and I love it. We're eventually going to paint the whole house but right now I'm just too lazy to start such a big project.

We lived in this mess for 6 weeks. Everything was covered in an inch of dust

I never thought this is what a ceiling would look like under the drywall.

I actually really love the way the wood looks.

Drywall begins

Paint begins

Paint continues

  Two. After my grandmother and Ryan's cousin passed away, Ryan's grandpa passed away two weeks later. So... Three funerals in 30 days doesn't make a very good month. It was a raw month in our household. Ryan's grandpa's death was something I've never seen before. I never had the privilege of knowing him. He was too sick already by the time I came along. But I can honestly say I love that man. I love him and I have so much respect for him. It was the hardest funeral I've ever been to. It's weird how different deaths affect you different. Because of that man I have the greatest father who gave me the greatest husband.

He was such a stud!

Three. My sister got married last weekend. The wedding was so beautiful and perfect for them. My sister made a gorgeous bride and as they stood up there and said their vows you knew it was just.. right.

This is what you get when Mallory and I take pictures. Drunk eyes.

Four. Because my sister got married I've spent the last four weeks in wedding mode. Planning showers and bachelorette parties and decorating churches and making sure everything ran as smooth as possible. I am tired. But I am so happy I could do so much for them and thankful they let me. :)

Five. Our air conditioner went out this week and while my husband went into stress mode, I wasn't too bothered by it. We have been having some really awesome weather lately and haven't needed to turn on the A/C anyway. But of course, the day after it broke we were going to have 2 days of 100 degree weather again and we have three pups that would die in that heat. So we packed up and stayed at the honeymooners apartment for a few days which almost felt like a mini vacation. It was weird. It made me realize just how much more I miss our old apartment and hate my house. Ollie didn't want to leave either. She was being extremely sweet. I think she misses carpet. Haha.

Six. Tommie & Jason are having a little boy, Max! We are so happy for them. We went to their gender reveal party and it was super cute. You had to wear a mustache or a bow depending on which one you thought it would be... Mallory and I guessed wrong.

I want a baby. Can I throw that in there? It's really all I think about. Well actually I spend most of time trying not to think about it because it makes me stressed that I don't have one already and stress does not help get you pregnant.

"It's the final countdoooooowwwn..."

My mother gets married in 8 days.

My sister gets married in 127 days.

Tommie has her baby in 246 days.

Everything is so exciting. Marriage & babies.

The two best things in the world.

My mother had her wedding shower last week and it was a lot of fun.

Although I've found that most people are weirded out by the thought of going to their mother’s lingerie party, I actually thoroughly got a kick out of it. Thanks to Vanessa and Lois for throwing such a beautiful party! It was very much appreciated.

Aren't these the cutest cookies you've ever seen?

She's one hot momma. :)

My mom's oldest and dearest friends, Rhonda & Vanessa. I love them dearly.

Isn't Lois the cutest woman ever? She's adorable.

We went to the Norman Music Festival after the shower and I loved it. I got to see my cousin, Jake, play and I was so proud. I almost cried watching him sing. I have so much love and respect for him it's overwhelming. I hope that he realizes how talented he is and how proud I am. If anyone likes some "civil war" music as they call it, check out Black Canyon Band.